Sometimes We Can’t Get Write!

So, what a bang we started out with huh? A whole lobotomy. But of course, no brains were harmed in the composition of our inaugural story entry.

I can’t leave you hanging with telling you problems without solutions though, right? Well, let’s start talking solutions.

A wise man once said “A person’s success is determined by how well they write”. That statement could be very intimidating, especially if your child may struggle with writing. Still, most disciplines, either STEM or the arts and humanities, involve writing as a fundamental means of communicating ideas. The good news with writing is that there are many ways to build skill with writing. We talked about formative years in the last post, and the below information is good for formative years. Let’s take a look at some of those tips now.

Tip #1: Encourage Your Child to Read More, and Write Written Summaries on What They Have Read. Writing can be very intimidating, especially if your child does not really “dive into” the reading assignments that writing assessments normally come from. Understanding and integrating grammatical and literary elements into writing assignments in particular can be difficult, but “recreational repetition” is key. Let’s see what that looks like.

1. Find both challenging and entertaining books for your child to read. Most children and teenagers won’t get going unless you can get them material they can relate to.
2. Make sure your child reads with being able to summarize in mind. Your first lesson may be on summaries, using the four-square or other note taking method. (Where you begin depends on your child’s age and reading/writing skill level).
3. When enough writing assignments have been done, allow your child to pick some of the reading material.
4. Encourage reading and writing of your child over a variety of literary genres.

Result: There are many genres of literature to read, and your child will find their muse. They will find writing to be almost a reward as opposed to a chore. The training outside of class will make writing in class much easier for your child.

Tip #2: Have Your Child Write Daily Journal Entries. Freewriting is underrated. Your child may have journal entries in various classes at their school, even in their math and science classes. However, children often find these too structured and do not really explore their writing ability in these journals, only wanting to “complete the assignment”. Having a home journal will allow your child to:

1. Express themselves in their writing more freely.
2. Share selected entries from the journal with you the parent.
3. Look forward to spending time building a skill that will never not be useful to them.
4. Possibly expand into writing in different genres.

Result: Your child will develop a love for writing. They will have a “safe haven” from the more structured assignments, while still building skills to excel in them. If they share any entries with you as the parent, it can build a bonding experience with you.

Tip #3: Proofread Your Child’s Written Work. Coming off Tip #2, journal entries may not be the best entry to interact with your child’s writing samples. However, there are always writing assignments that come from school. Looking at and proofreading their work allows your child the opportunity to understand the concept of drafting their work, and will strengthen their writing skills. Let’s see how proofreading can help:

1. When applicable, your child can freely write the first draft, edit, and then turn in for review, giving them a deeper understanding of writing.
2. Both you and your child gain a greater understanding of the requirements of the assignment.
3. The end product is almost always a more crisp product, ready for review by your child’s teacher.

Result: This result speaks for itself. Multiple drafts allow your child to be more careful with writing assignments, and build the skills necessary to excel in writing.

Tip #4: Encourage Them to Practice Using Various Techniques (e.g., Persuasive, Informative, and Entertaining Writing). Writing can be very fun, especially when your child has a blank slate to work with. Going back to Tip #1, there are multiple kinds of literature your child can read, but there are also multiple ways your child can summarize those readings. It makes your child a more versatile, better equipped writer. Let’s see how:

1. Your child understands multiple writing techniques and can produce samples in each one.
2. Your child’s analysis and summary skills improve dramatically when building skills in multiple techniques.
3. Your child can gain the ability to create a work from scratch, write an essay to review an existing work, or persuade on major world issues or simple slices of life.
4. Your child will gain a greater love for writing, and look forward to doing so.

Result: Writing comes alive for your child. And your child will be asking you for more opportunities and ways they can write. And any fear they had about writing in class will virtually disappear. Get ready for that Pulitzer!

And that was writing. Writing can take on many forms, like this blog. Hopefully it helps to “persuade” you into putting something new in for your child. Writing can be a great way to communicate feelings, ideas, and even declarations of improvement. I hope this gave you a new perspective on writing.

For even more information on writing, Sherrell Writes is a professional content creator and can answer even more questions whether you’re a parent looking for help with your child or just stuck. At Sherrell Writes, they worldbuild.

[Disclaimer: This story entry has been modified from its original version found at this link (but still written by me). Science Unlimited, LLC is a partner of the 360 Institute for Higher Learning, and I have worked alongside them for five years.]