All of us understand the importance of developing good writing skills in our children. It helps them to communicate better with others, increase their knowledge and creativity, and increase the chance of getting a job in future. However, many parents often notice that their children tend to resist writing. This could be due to various reasons.
- Writing is Physically Challenging
Some children have a learning difficulty called dysgraphia, but other children are not physically ready to write. Expecting a child to write who is not ready can be painful. They are not comfortable holding the pencil or crayon, and the movement is awkward. If your child is experiencing challenges after they should be developmentally ready to write, then you might want to seek assistance. However, very young children just may not be ready.
2. Disinterest
Sometimes children think that they are not interested in writing. This challenge is a little more easily overcome than some of the others because children often do not equate speech with writing. You may have to spark their interests. However, do not push too hard, or it will seem like too much work, and their skills will not improve.
3. Anxiety
Sometimes children get frustrated with writing because it does not come out the way that they expected. Children who tend to be perfectionists or resist difficult tasks will often resist writing. They will have trouble reconciling what is in their head and what goes on paper.
How Can Parents Combat These Issues?
Parents often wonder how they can help their children overcome these challenges. While some challenges are more difficult than others to overcome, many of them can be handled by a little love and support.
- Incorporate Reading
Reading actually has more impact on writing than one thinks. Think about when a writer says another writer influenced them. You can often see similarities in the two writing styles. The more that people read, the better writers they become. This is true for children as well. Children will begin to mimic their favorite writers in their writing. For instance, they may want to extend some of their favorite stories, create new stories from small details, or use similar plotlines. What also begins to happen is that they copy sentence structure. One of the best ways to learn a language’s grammar and structure is to copy it. Get children to read to improve their writing.
2. Tell Stories
Get your children to tell events or stories rather than write them down. Children often feel fearful of making mistakes when writing. When you teach them that their writing is simply an extension of their speech by writing down what they say, they will often feel less anxious. No one likes to make mistakes. Children are natural storytellers. They like to make up games, stories, and express their feelings, as a rule. Record the things that your child chatters about and then let them transcribe them. If you want, transcribe for them a time or two and let them see that their words matter.
3. Give Them Choices
Children like to feel that they have control over their creativity. Johnny may not enjoy writing about animals, but Sally may have an entire menagerie in her head. Let children have some autonomy with their prompts. Let them be open-ended or have many types of prompts to choose between.
4. Be a Role Model
Let your children see you writing. Use their writing prompts to create something yourself. Creative writing can be very personal, so be sure to share things with them that you feel comfortable sharing, but you should also offer them the same courtesy. Find excellent writing prompts online and let your child see you consider each part of the writing process while formulating your response.
How Can Star Academics Help?
Sometimes, you need an expert for more than learning differences. Children are naturally more resistant to parental feedback. However, this does not have to hinder your child’s learning. We have several programs that may accelerate student learning.
Learning Pods (Click here to learn more)
If your children need more interaction than they are currently experiencing, you can opt for one of our learning pods. These are small groups that practice safe distancing and mask protocols as set forth by local governments, but they allow children some face-to-face instruction and interaction. While they may be distanced, students can experience feedback from peers and instructors outside of their typical online learning modules. There are morning and afternoon pods available to meet parent and student schedules.
Online Classes (Click here to learn more)
In addition to the learning pods, we also provide virtual instruction for students. Our writing services are currently limited due to high demand, but enrollment numbers may change at any time, so adding your student to the waitlist is also a great idea. In these virtual services, students still receive top quality instruction by our dedicated teachers. Our students’ spectacular writing samples are available on the website. You can see that although many of them are writing on similar topics, they are encouraged to write about their personal interests. The writing may have typos or mistakes in grammar, but that is what it looks like to learn. As children grow, their writing evolves. Improvement is more important than perfection.
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose our services or work with your children at home, it is essential that you find what works for your child. Create a positive learning environment so that your child can create spectacular writing. Do not seek perfection. Seek progress.