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9 Easy Ways to Improve Your Child’s Creative Writing Skills

Creative writing skills boost problem-solving, innovation, and resourcefulness. Helping our kids build these skills is important. Plus, it also gives them an outlet for all their creative ideas. How do you build those skills without making it seem like work?

Here are 9 ways to make creative writing skills fun:

1. Read Often

Books are the best precursor to writing. So get your kids reading! With repeated exposure to words, ideas, and styles, and in books, kids build the ability to mimic and adopt them.

Flood them with exposure to books and watch their skills rise. Yes, it will look a lot like what they’ve read at first. That’s ok! They’re just playing “dress up” with other people’s ideas. They’ll soon start writing like themselves.

Encourage your children to read more than one type of writing. If they gravitate toward non-fiction, maybe try historical fiction. If they only like superhero stories, introduce them to a story with a main character of a different gender or ethnicity.

2. Identify Ways to Practice

Just like anything, improving creative writing skills takes practice. Set your children up for success by making practice easy and fun.

You can piggy-back creative writing off of other imaginative play and encourage your child to write down episodes of the games he plays. Allow the free flow of ideas – the more creative the better!

Focus on this type of activity can be tricky for kids. It’s important to give kids a dedicated writing space. Fill it with fun paper or a kids’ journal, great pencils, and few distractions.

3. Encourage Your Child to Write

Children are often predisposed to wanting to write. Even before they can form letters correctly, many children will say they are “writing.”

Nurture this desire!

When children feel writing is powerful, and their writing matters, they will want to keep trying. However, they want to start writing is how they should write.

If your child struggles with the physical act of writing, consider helping with that part. You can use talk-to-text features in apps or even agree to be their “scribe.” Then they worry less about the act of writing and pay more attention to the ideas they are forming.

4. Use Writing Prompts

Does your kid express an interest in writing only to freeze when they actually try to write? Writing prompts could help your child overcome it.

Writing prompts can be found in many places. Look for interesting signs, funny pictures in advertisements, or even just asking “what if” questions. You could even play a song to inspire ideas and writing.

The idea is not to make them write about something, but to give them enough of an idea to push past the fear of getting started. Once kids get past the first few sentences and are “in” their story, their ideas will come to the surface.

5. Encourage Journaling

Journaling is a great way to encourage creative writing. It gives them a concrete way to see their “progress” writing.

A handful of kids’ journals often come preloaded with prompts and ideas, which helps kids get started. It also helps that journaling is usually a daily activity. By having smaller, but more frequent, writing sessions, it helps children develop a perspective on what writing can be.

Journaling also helps build emotional intelligence. By writing about their feelings, children work through their thoughts and emotions and are better able to recognize and accept them. It gives them the opportunity to talk about difficult things without embarrassment, advice, or recrimination.

6. Use “Feeling” Words

Another benefit of building creative writing skills is children learn to use powerful words to draw in their readers.

You can encourage this development by helping them give their character’s feelings. When writers allow their characters to feel, they make them more relatable and interesting. But since the feelings of the characters don’t necessarily come to mind for kids, direct suggestion may help.

Help them get there by asking questions about the characters. Why was the hero doing that? What was she thinking? How was she feeling?

7. Practice Storytelling

The reason why many creative writers write is their love of story. To help your child build creative writing skills, foster that love.

The key is to focus on telling a great story, not the writing. Let your child’s imagination run free as he piece together details that can complete a tale.

You can build stories together, with each person telling a few lines of the story before passing it along to the next. Or you can “get stuck” telling your story and need their help figuring out what happens next.

Whatever twists and turns in the plot happen are magical because it shows your child is learning they are driving the story. They get to create.

8. Play Games

A robust vocabulary is another important creative writing skill. To help your child build their vocabulary, try playing word games.

Word games are great because they put the emphasis on the game, not the vocabulary learning. The competitive aspect increases their intrinsic motivation to learn the words. The games themselves are great family activities.

If your child isn’t competitive, there are plenty of team-oriented options. You could also try magnetic poetry, other game-like world builders, or even a cool journal for kids where they write down fun words they’ve heard.

9. Provide Inspiration

The best inspiration for kids to write comes from loving the work of other writers. When your child has a book or series they love, keep it going! Encouraging their love of reading – and their love of story – will help them internalize the way their favorite authors write.

Reading to your children helps too. Because you can read higher-level books while your child listens, it allows them to focus on the story. It also gives you a chance to have conversations about meaning, characters, and plot.

As children read, they build vocabulary and understanding of how good stories develop. They will eventually be able to incorporate these ideas into their creative writing.

Creative writing is sometimes seen as a hobby- something to enjoy, but not to be taken too seriously. But building creative writing skills positively impacts children because they learn to express themselves, they practice writing about emotions, and they practice making their writing compelling to their readers.

Whichever strategies you use to help your child improve their creative writing styles, make sure you keep it light-hearted. When it is fun, they’ll want to keep trying, and that’s where the growth happens.

About the Author:

Alexandra Eidens is the founder of Big Life Journal, an engaging resource to help kids develop a resilient growth mindset so they can face life’s challenges with confidence.

Creative writing skills boost problem-solving, innovation, and resourcefulness. Helping our kids build these skills is important. Plus, it also gives them an outlet for all their creative ideas. How do you build those skills without making it seem like work?

Here are 9 ways to make creative writing skills fun:

1. Read Often

Books are the best precursor to writing. So get your kids reading! With repeated exposure to words, ideas, and styles, and in books, kids build the ability to mimic and adopt them.

Flood them with exposure to books and watch their skills rise. Yes, it will look a lot like what they’ve read at first. That’s ok! They’re just playing “dress up” with other people’s ideas. They’ll soon start writing like themselves.

Encourage your children to read more than one type of writing. If they gravitate toward non-fiction, maybe try historical fiction. If they only like superhero stories, introduce them to a story with a main character of a different gender or ethnicity.

2. Identify Ways to Practice

Just like anything, improving creative writing skills takes practice. Set your children up for success by making practice easy and fun.

You can piggy-back creative writing off of other imaginative play and encourage your child to write down episodes of the games he plays. Allow the free flow of ideas – the more creative the better!

Focus on this type of activity can be tricky for kids. It’s important to give kids a dedicated writing space. Fill it with fun paper or a kids’ journal, great pencils, and few distractions.

3. Encourage Your Child to Write

Children are often predisposed to wanting to write. Even before they can form letters correctly, many children will say they are “writing.”

Nurture this desire!

When children feel writing is powerful, and their writing matters, they will want to keep trying. However, they want to start writing is how they should write.

If your child struggles with the physical act of writing, consider helping with that part. You can use talk-to-text features in apps or even agree to be their “scribe.” Then they worry less about the act of writing and pay more attention to the ideas they are forming.

4. Use Writing Prompts

Does your kid express an interest in writing only to freeze when they actually try to write? Writing prompts could help your child overcome it.

Writing prompts can be found in many places. Look for interesting signs, funny pictures in advertisements, or even just asking “what if” questions. You could even play a song to inspire ideas and writing.

The idea is not to make them write about something, but to give them enough of an idea to push past the fear of getting started. Once kids get past the first few sentences and are “in” their story, their ideas will come to the surface.

5. Encourage Journaling

Journaling is a great way to encourage creative writing. It gives them a concrete way to see their “progress” writing.

A handful of kids’ journals often come preloaded with prompts and ideas, which helps kids get started. It also helps that journaling is usually a daily activity. By having smaller, but more frequent, writing sessions, it helps children develop a perspective on what writing can be.

Journaling also helps build emotional intelligence. By writing about their feelings, children work through their thoughts and emotions and are better able to recognize and accept them. It gives them the opportunity to talk about difficult things without embarrassment, advice, or recrimination.

6. Use “Feeling” Words

Another benefit of building creative writing skills is children learn to use powerful words to draw in their readers.

You can encourage this development by helping them give their character’s feelings. When writers allow their characters to feel, they make them more relatable and interesting. But since the feelings of the characters don’t necessarily come to mind for kids, direct suggestion may help.

Help them get there by asking questions about the characters. Why was the hero doing that? What was she thinking? How was she feeling?

7. Practice Storytelling

The reason why many creative writers write is their love of story. To help your child build creative writing skills, foster that love.

The key is to focus on telling a great story, not the writing. Let your child’s imagination run free as he piece together details that can complete a tale.

You can build stories together, with each person telling a few lines of the story before passing it along to the next. Or you can “get stuck” telling your story and need their help figuring out what happens next.

Whatever twists and turns in the plot happen are magical because it shows your child is learning they are driving the story. They get to create.

8. Play Games

A robust vocabulary is another important creative writing skill. To help your child build their vocabulary, try playing word games.

Word games are great because they put the emphasis on the game, not the vocabulary learning. The competitive aspect increases their intrinsic motivation to learn the words. The games themselves are great family activities.

If your child isn’t competitive, there are plenty of team-oriented options. You could also try magnetic poetry, other game-like world builders, or even a cool journal for kids where they write down fun words they’ve heard.

9. Provide Inspiration

The best inspiration for kids to write comes from loving the work of other writers. When your child has a book or series they love, keep it going! Encouraging their love of reading – and their love of story – will help them internalize the way their favorite authors write.

Reading to your children helps too. Because you can read higher-level books while your child listens, it allows them to focus on the story. It also gives you a chance to have conversations about meaning, characters, and plot.

As children read, they build vocabulary and understanding of how good stories develop. They will eventually be able to incorporate these ideas into their creative writing.

Creative writing is sometimes seen as a hobby- something to enjoy, but not to be taken too seriously. But building creative writing skills positively impacts children because they learn to express themselves, they practice writing about emotions, and they practice making their writing compelling to their readers.

Whichever strategies you use to help your child improve their creative writing styles, make sure you keep it light-hearted. When it is fun, they’ll want to keep trying, and that’s where the growth happens.

About the Author:

Alexandra Eidens is the founder of Big Life Journal, an engaging resource to help kids develop a resilient growth mindset so they can face life’s challenges with confidence.

READ MORE HIDE MORE

Digital Etiquette to Teach Your Kids When They’re Young

It’s true that the modern generation is far more tech-savvy than we ever were around their age. Almost everything they do, from learning to leisure, can be done online. And as you know, the internet can be a dangerous place — there’s no shortage of online trolls and predators just waiting to create trouble… or worse.

You certainly don’t want your children to fall victim to cyberbullying or to discover they’re turning into bullies themselves. And it’s a parent’s worst nightmare even thinking about predators talking to their child online. So, just as vital it is to teach your kids digital etiquette and rules of safety in the offline world, teaching them how to be responsible cyber citizens is equally important (and perhaps more so!).

With this in mind, we’ve outlined five online behaviors to teach your kids when they’re still young. Consider this a crash course in online etiquette for the little ones in your life.

Keep Private Information Private

First and foremost, and it goes without saying, make sure your kids understand that private information should never be shared online.

Explain to them that things like their home address, phone number, social security number, bank account details, etc. are meant to be confidential, so they should never add such sensitive information to their social media accounts or share it anywhere online.

Also, things that are personal — such as thoughts and emotions — are best shared in person with family, not over the internet with strangers.

Think Twice Before Posting or Hitting “Send”

Remind your kids that once something is posted online, deleting it does not necessarily mean that it’s gone from the internet — it can be found again. So, just like in real life, it’s always a good idea to think long and hard before posting something, commenting, or hitting “send.”

And it’s not just about typos or grammatical errors. At this young age, it’s easy to dismiss questionable posts or comments, but what happens when it’s time to apply for college or a job?

Prospective employers and universities often conduct an online background check — including social media — and even an old post can damage your kid’s reputation.

In fact, 31% of college admission officers visit the applicant’s social media profiles to learn more about them, and 30% of institutions have rejected an applicant due to information they found online.

So, encourage your kids to be scrupulous when it comes to their online activities to ensure they don’t post or say something that may be misconstrued or deemed offensive.

Be Polite and Respectful

This is one of the most crucial etiquettes to instill in your kids’ minds. Rude behavior or being hurtful to others is not acceptable whether the interaction is online or off.

So, here’s what you need to remind your kids about digital etiquette in regards to online conversations:

Treat others how you want to be treated.
Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say in-person and also mind your social media manners.
Never type when angry, you may say something that you’ll regret later or spark unnecessary conflict. Respond only when you’ve cooled off.
Don’t spread rumors or post insulting comments. Keep your tone polite, positive, and truthful.
It is always best to discuss sensitive or tense issues with the person directly instead of posting something online or sending a mean message.

Don’t Interact With Strangers

Let your kids know that just as they wouldn’t talk to complete strangers in-person, it’s a good idea to not interact with unknown people online.

They have no obligation to accept friend requests or to follow people back. If they don’t know someone in person or don’t spend time with them offline, then there’s no reason for the child to connect with them online. They have the right to choose who they want to converse with, and as their parent, you must teach them to choose wisely.

Interacting with strangers is common when playing online games, and that’s fine in some cases, but they should always set boundaries about what they share and block people who are pressuring them.

Make it clear that it’s easier for people to hide their true identity and intentions online, so there’s nothing wrong with blocking people if they feel the need to.

Dodge Digital Drama

Let your kids know that they won’t always agree with everyone online. Clashing opinions can sometimes be upsetting or infuriating, but it’s essential to learn when to exit a conversation if things are getting rude or nasty.

Instant messaging, posting comments, or tweeting are all spontaneous communication — which makes it fun — but it’s easy to get carried away and start a heated argument that serves no purpose except causing more mental distress.

So, teach your kids to log off, not reply to the message, or refrain from posting a negative comment when they spot needless drama erupting. It’s best to exit the conversation and deal with the matter in-person if need be.

Over to You

Teaching digital etiquette takes time, and you’ll need to have multiple conversations with your kid(s) to instill these best practices. You’ll have to explain the why behind everything, as that’s how your kids will continue to believe in these manners even when they’re adults.

Finally, don’t worry about being perceived as a controlling or overprotective parent by friending/following your kids on social media, frequenting their online activities, and setting boundaries — it’s a way to keep them safe online when they’re not old enough to know what’s best for them.

About The Author – Rob Gabriele is a professional writer and editor at SafeHome.org. He has a rich experience in the field of home security technology and smart home automation and a passion for distilling complex tech information into easy-to-read and enjoyable content. This lends well to writing and publishing content that empowers people to stay safe and secure in this rapidly changing world. When he’s not crafting premier content in this niche, Rob spends his time reading, enjoying the outdoors, or trying to master his air-drum solo of ‘In the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins.

It’s true that the modern generation is far more tech-savvy than we ever were around their age. Almost everything they do, from learning to leisure, can be done online. And as you know, the internet can be a dangerous place — there’s no shortage of online trolls and predators just waiting to create trouble… or worse.

You certainly don’t want your children to fall victim to cyberbullying or to discover they’re turning into bullies themselves. And it’s a parent’s worst nightmare even thinking about predators talking to their child online. So, just as vital it is to teach your kids digital etiquette and rules of safety in the offline world, teaching them how to be responsible cyber citizens is equally important (and perhaps more so!).

With this in mind, we’ve outlined five online behaviors to teach your kids when they’re still young. Consider this a crash course in online etiquette for the little ones in your life.

Keep Private Information Private

First and foremost, and it goes without saying, make sure your kids understand that private information should never be shared online.

Explain to them that things like their home address, phone number, social security number, bank account details, etc. are meant to be confidential, so they should never add such sensitive information to their social media accounts or share it anywhere online.

Also, things that are personal — such as thoughts and emotions — are best shared in person with family, not over the internet with strangers.

Think Twice Before Posting or Hitting “Send”

Remind your kids that once something is posted online, deleting it does not necessarily mean that it’s gone from the internet — it can be found again. So, just like in real life, it’s always a good idea to think long and hard before posting something, commenting, or hitting “send.”

And it’s not just about typos or grammatical errors. At this young age, it’s easy to dismiss questionable posts or comments, but what happens when it’s time to apply for college or a job?

Prospective employers and universities often conduct an online background check — including social media — and even an old post can damage your kid’s reputation.

In fact, 31% of college admission officers visit the applicant’s social media profiles to learn more about them, and 30% of institutions have rejected an applicant due to information they found online.

So, encourage your kids to be scrupulous when it comes to their online activities to ensure they don’t post or say something that may be misconstrued or deemed offensive.

Be Polite and Respectful

This is one of the most crucial etiquettes to instill in your kids’ minds. Rude behavior or being hurtful to others is not acceptable whether the interaction is online or off.

So, here’s what you need to remind your kids about digital etiquette in regards to online conversations:

Treat others how you want to be treated.
Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say in-person and also mind your social media manners.
Never type when angry, you may say something that you’ll regret later or spark unnecessary conflict. Respond only when you’ve cooled off.
Don’t spread rumors or post insulting comments. Keep your tone polite, positive, and truthful.
It is always best to discuss sensitive or tense issues with the person directly instead of posting something online or sending a mean message.

Don’t Interact With Strangers

Let your kids know that just as they wouldn’t talk to complete strangers in-person, it’s a good idea to not interact with unknown people online.

They have no obligation to accept friend requests or to follow people back. If they don’t know someone in person or don’t spend time with them offline, then there’s no reason for the child to connect with them online. They have the right to choose who they want to converse with, and as their parent, you must teach them to choose wisely.

Interacting with strangers is common when playing online games, and that’s fine in some cases, but they should always set boundaries about what they share and block people who are pressuring them.

Make it clear that it’s easier for people to hide their true identity and intentions online, so there’s nothing wrong with blocking people if they feel the need to.

Dodge Digital Drama

Let your kids know that they won’t always agree with everyone online. Clashing opinions can sometimes be upsetting or infuriating, but it’s essential to learn when to exit a conversation if things are getting rude or nasty.

Instant messaging, posting comments, or tweeting are all spontaneous communication — which makes it fun — but it’s easy to get carried away and start a heated argument that serves no purpose except causing more mental distress.

So, teach your kids to log off, not reply to the message, or refrain from posting a negative comment when they spot needless drama erupting. It’s best to exit the conversation and deal with the matter in-person if need be.

Over to You

Teaching digital etiquette takes time, and you’ll need to have multiple conversations with your kid(s) to instill these best practices. You’ll have to explain the why behind everything, as that’s how your kids will continue to believe in these manners even when they’re adults.

Finally, don’t worry about being perceived as a controlling or overprotective parent by friending/following your kids on social media, frequenting their online activities, and setting boundaries — it’s a way to keep them safe online when they’re not old enough to know what’s best for them.

About The Author – Rob Gabriele is a professional writer and editor at SafeHome.org. He has a rich experience in the field of home security technology and smart home automation and a passion for distilling complex tech information into easy-to-read and enjoyable content. This lends well to writing and publishing content that empowers people to stay safe and secure in this rapidly changing world. When he’s not crafting premier content in this niche, Rob spends his time reading, enjoying the outdoors, or trying to master his air-drum solo of ‘In the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins.

READ MORE HIDE MORE

An Incredible Free Holiday Gift!

This holiday season, there is one gift you can give the world that doesn’t cost one cent. Be nice. Being nice is easy. It can take many forms. You could use your graphics program to create a thoughtful message and stick it in the lockers at school. You can shovel the walks of elderly people you know.

You can even use social media. Consider posting messages of goodwill to as many people as you can. The trick is to post positive messages to people you may not like or even get along with.

“Be nice? No way. I hate him.” That might be true, but think about this: There are people who like and even love that person that you hate. No matter how you feel about a person, someone else sees good and worthwhile qualities in him or her.

Remember, that guy or girl you dislike has friends, family, neighbors and co-workers who like them. And people you dislike probably dislike you! And you know in your heart that you are a good person, just like people you don’t like think that they are a good person.

Still think it is impossible to be nice to someone you hate? Then you need to hear an amazing story about soldiers being nice to people they were trying to shoot.

Go back in your mind to World War 1, December, 1914. On one side of the battlefield: The Germans. On the other side: British, French and Belgian troops.

Soldiers were huddled in the cold dirt, in trenches on both sides. Late on Christmas eve night, the moon was bright and magical. Someone on the German side rose from his hole in the ground to start singing Christmas carols.

Other German soldiers soon joined in. When they were done, the other side—the Allies—sang a Christmas carol in return. Soon, the men were out of their trenches, singing carols and exchanging their meager supplies as goodwill gestures and shows of holiday spirit.

Of course, the commanders far away from the fighting did not approve of such behavior, but the soldiers there face to face with the enemy set aside their hostilities to be kind and thoughtful human beings, even in the face of war and death.

Reports on what happened the following days vary, but all agree that the front-line soldiers on both sides declared an unofficial truce. In some reports, the soldiers even played soccer on the battlefield.

Of course, sadly, the war resumed. For years to follow, soldiers fought for freedom in Europe. But in 1914 for the Christmas holidays, the soldiers set down their rifles and sang to the enemy.

Google the Christmas miracle of 1914. Then ask yourself if it truly is impossible to spread peace and goodwill for the holidays, even to people you think you hate.