- Encourage your child to tell stories and narrate/summarize what they have heard. Bible, history, or science lessons make great material for narrating/summarizing.
- Live life. Interesting experiences such as vacations, trips, sport games, etc. all make great writing prompts.
- Help your child find the interesting in the mundane. A weekly trip to the grocery store could offer many writing ideas to a keen observer.
- Encourage your child to write outside of school lessons. Friendly letters, journal writings, or fictional stories can be fun as school lessons or beyond.
- Increase your child's vocabulary. We have always spoken to our children normally. We have never renamed something or used 'kiddie' language with them. If they don't understand a word we use, we take the time to explain it.
- Keep a student or college level dictionary and thesaurus. It helps with the large vocabulary.
- Provide a writing formula when your child is stuck. Writing poetry can be easier with a specific formula like a haiku or rhyme pattern.
- Have writing prompts on hand. A good piece of art work can provide ample ideas for stories. A finish the story activity book may help as well.
- Encourage your child to share some of their writing with others. People will naturally encourage a young, budding writer.
- Read aloud to your child as often as possible. Good literature, poetry, and Shakespeare are great places to start.
{There are, of course, more than just ten ways to develop better writers. The ones listed here are what we use in our home.}
Great list, Dorie! I especially like #5. We have also always used "grown-up" words with our girls. At age 3, Abigail has an amazing vocabulary and understands almost everything that she hears.
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