Tips+for+Parents

Tips for Parents Often times getting your child motivated to begin writing is a difficult task. As parents we should be working on a daily basis to promote literacy with our children. Using writing in our everyday lives is easier than you might imagine. In an article titled Help Your Child Build Writing Skills (http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/10688-help-your-child-build-writing-skills) the author provides useful strategies that would help you and your child in their writing quest. I've provided below some additional ideas to help encourage every-day writing:

1) Show a genuine interest in your child's writing: If your child does not believe that you genuinely care about what they have to say, they will not feel as though they have an audience. Having an audience gives children a reason to write.

2) Allow your child to help you write: If you need to make a grocery list, thank you card, to-do list, e-mail, etc. Allow your child to help you. Even helping generate ideas to include on the list will be beneficial. Showing that you use writing on a daily basis is a great way to promote literacy.

3) Think out loud: Simply discussing ideas, topics, stories, movies, etc. can help spark an interest in ideas. Planting a little seed in their minds can give your child something to write about.

4) Provide an audience/atmosphere: Encouraging your family to have a designated reading time and spot will provide your child with a fun family tradition. Getting other family members involved makes writing become a group experience. Having a designated location in your house like in front of the fireplace, or on the front porch can create a welcoming environment.

5) Publish & showcase their writing: Allowing your child to publish their writing can show that you support, encourage, and enjoy their writing. Some ideas for publishing include; framing a letter, binding a short story to make a book, hanging a poem on the wall, or even hanging their works on the refrigerator.

Hopefully you will find these simple tips to encouraging your young writers to be useful to you and your family. Continued use of these strategies along with the ones provided by the School Family website will truly create a positive relationship between your child and writing.

sources: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/10688-help-your-child-build-writing-skills