Teaching kids to learn to write starts with making it fun for them to be writers. Teachers and parents can aid children in having fun writing by starting with a dedicated word space; notebooks, journals, white boards all make great places for kids to start writing down things that come to mind anytime.
Also important in the process of teaching kids to write is modeling, in which the teacher or parent teaches by example. Even if you aren’t a professional author, try writing poems, stories or even a kid’s book of your own for fun. Your students or child will become very curious about your activity and start to ask questions about the process!
Another way to get kids more intrigued with writing is to take them to authors’ reading events, where they can meet kids’ book authors in person and begin to associate that author’s face and person with those books they read. Kids can become fascinated by the writing process at a very young age if they know a few authors personally.
Too often, kids can be turned off by the necessary rote learning activities of learning to write, which can be repetitive and non-interactive. While learning basic skills like handwriting necessitate some repetitive exercises, try to mix things up as much as possible to get kids involved in the process of writing. The
Interactive Writing Method is one such technique you can use to make writing fun and exciting.
Another great tool is the word list, which provides a great departure point for ideas on stories for kids to write and lets them use their imagination and creativity to choose their own topics.
Start by asking students to pick a noun and an adjective from a list you provide, and then write a story based on their choice, whether it may be a freckled frog or a salty shoe. Since they chose their own combination of noun and adjective, most kids will have a fun time with this learning activity, and it removes the age old excuse of "I don't know anything to write about".
As a practical matter, Teacher’s Corner has provided you with hundreds of ideas on how to improve your teaching techniques, with plenty of ideas, tips and guides on better ways to teach writing to preschool through primary grade-level children. Read on to discover new tools, methods, activities and best practices for helping kids become proficient writers!
