How to Develop Writing Skills in a Child

Learning can be challenging for children, especially tasks that require both mental and physical efforts. But it doesn’t have to be. Parents can help their children develop the skills needed for them to excel in school and in life in general. By making learning a fun aspect of their everyday routine, children can really shine. Along with academic essay writers from https://www.customwritings.com, let’s discuss some methods of making writing fun and fruitful for your child.

Why is Writing Essential for My Child?

• To accomplish everyday tasks. Writing is so important for everyday activities such as writing a grocery list, sending a thank you note, or filling out an application. These activities may seem trivial but that’s because writing is so instinctual for adults. However, it can seem like a nightmare for an inexperienced child with writing. To help your child become more independent and organized, you, as a parent, need to assist them in being efficient writers. 

• To excel academically. While it can be easy for adults to buy a research paper online or send emails from bed, children are a different case entirely. As a child gets older, they will need to improve their writing more and more to keep up with their academic work. By setting a solid foundation for your child, you can better prepare them for the heavy duties ahead. Whether they are short answers in the third grade, long essays in the eighth grade, or their college application cover letter, your child needs to match and surpass each stage.

• To better communicate their thoughts and feelings. When your child expresses themselves regularly, they are more at ease with themselves and others. Writing can be a powerful tool for self-expression. Since speaking out loud in certain situations could not be the most comfortable, so, it is sometimes easier to state their thoughts and feelings freely in writing. Hence, it can be quite therapeutic for children and adults alike.

Similarly, writing can be key to maintaining social and academic relationships. Since crafting emails, letters, essays, and even texts is such a big part of our life today. Writing allows children to communicate with their friends, relatives, teachers, and parents mindfully.

Why are the Common Writing Issues in Children?

• Messy Handwriting. Good handwriting is a skill that can be developed right as your child first learns writing or over time as they improve. Messy handwriting can be extremely discouraging for a child learning to form sentences and thoughts. That’s because others have difficulty understanding them and even they might have difficulty reading their own transcription. Messy handwriting can mean your child not being able to write in a straight line nor make letters and words in the appropriate size, amongst other things. This issue can be caused by multiple things including the way your child grabs their pencil or a lack of practice in writing in general. Both causes are totally easy to fix with some attention.

• Difficulty in Expression Through Writing. This is a slightly more challenging issue. Children can sometimes have amazing handwriting but have nothing to say on the page. They can have some trouble formulating their thoughts in written form. Your child could have impressive concepts but no idea where to start or how to write them down. They could also start writing but not know where to go from there. This is probably due to a lack of organization and planning.  Well, fear not. We have some tips that will help you make writing time at home more rewarding than ever.

How to Develop Writing Skills in a Child?

#1. Help them fall in love with reading

Reading is a great complementary talent for writing. They go hand in hand. Often children who love reading become better writers. That is because reading allows children to get imaginative not only with narratives but also with sentence structures, transitions, and vocabulary. It offers them new ways of expressing different thoughts and emotions, in turn helping them express their own.

It is better to plant that seed early on when it comes to reading. Start reading to your child as young as possible, so they get familiar with the tempo and rhythm until they are old enough to read for themselves.

#2. Teach them how to hold a pencil

Learning how to hold a pencil correctly is an essential part of writing. It can seem like a small detail, but it shapes the way your child will write for the rest of their lives.

Reinforce their pencil grab by giving shorter pencils, at the beginning. This will help the child to pinch with the thumb and index finger in the ‘tripod’ grasp. Try a few different techniques while your child is still a young learner and see what works.

#3. Have fun with it

There are so many ways to gamify writing exercises. This will help take away a lot of the frustration and fear behind learning something so complex. Make sure your child is excited about their next writing exercise.

Try everything from crossword puzzles to Pictionary and find aspects about writing that excite your small learner. You could also introduce different materials that are colorful and creative.

For instance, a great way to practice writing is to give your child their favorite writing tool along with some sticky notes. The more objects they can label through writing their name on the sticky note and placing it on the objects, the bigger their reward.

#4. Make it personal

Sparking a child’s interest is easy but maintaining it is not. So to keep your child invested in learning how to write well is to make things personal. For example, ask them to write letters to their friends, relatives, teachers, or people they admire.

It is not enough to keep their writing focused on other people, it should be about them first. Introduce the concept of journaling as a way of regularly jotting down their ideas and feelings. Their tools matter a great deal so make sure they pick their own objects for journaling so that they feel it is their own entirely.