Not all kids are naturally drawn to writing. We know that reading and writing are developmentally intertwined. The physical act of writing letters and words enhances a child’s ability to read. This complementary relationship continues throughout childhood. Encouraging your child to write is important! What can parents do to help their child develop good writing skills during the elementary years?
MENU WRITING
Let your kids help out or design and write a menu! Write difficult words for them to copy or let them look them up in a children’s dictionary so that they learn how to use one! Make seating arrangement cards for fun!
LIST WRITING
- Groceries
- Items to pack for a trip
- Write events on the calendar
- Birthday lists
LETTERS
To friends or family members! Grandparents always love a note from their grandchildren!
THANK YOU NOTES
This is always an important skill to learn! Everyone loves to be acknowledged and appreciated and teaching kids to do this early sets the tone for their life!
JOURNAL WRITING
Have your kids start a journal for fun. About their interests, summer, holidays or even just about their favorite part of a special event!
STEPS TO COMPLETE A JOB
From simple jobs to complex, being able to sequence a job is a skill that needs to be taught. Practicing this with familiar experiences is a great way to hone this skill!
WRITTEN REQUESTS
Get your kids to write requests for parties, sleepovers or wanting to hang out with friends. This will improve their ability to express their thinking in writing, gives you a chance to negotiate the terms and allows you to have it printed in black and white so there is no more, “I didn’t say that!” or “You heard me wrong.” (no, that never happens at my house!) 😉
NAME PRACTICE
Young children need lots of support to learn to spell their name. Click the following image for 29 fun and engaging activities to support students in learning to write their name including some fun math and art activities!
