Creative writing with kids is an effective way to increase vocabulary, improve handwriting skills and develop emotional skills. Parents can help to nurture their child’s imagination by exploring creative writing at home. To help you get started on your creative writing journey with your kids, here are some helpful tips from a preparatory school in Surrey.
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#1: Reading Challenge
Reading goes hand in hand with writing, so it is important to encourage your child to read as often as possible. This will not only help to improve your child’s vocabulary and grammar skills, but it will also introduce them to a world of knowledge and a variety of new literary genres. Challenge your child to read at least one new book a week.
#2: Writing Challenge
A great writing challenge for beginners is to create a new ending to a favourite story. Explore how simple changes to the storyline can lead to a completely different ending. This is a fun activity for parents to do together with their child and motivates children to learn in a less formal way. Share your different endings with each other and see which one is your favourite.
#3: Choosing A Topic
When practicing creative writing, it is important to choose a topic that really interests your child. For example, dinosaurs, princesses or animals. This will help them to enjoy writing and keep them motivated to learn more. It is also much easier to write about a topic you have personal experience with, such as a holiday you went on or a museum you visited.
#4: Making A Mind Map
Once you have decided on a topic, help your child to ‘mind map’ words that relate to it. A good way to do this is by asking your child to think about how their topic might affect their senses. For example, a story about the rainforest might include seeing tropical plants, hearing wild animals and feeling the humidity. Creating a mind map can also help your child to imagine new characters for their story.
#5: Starting Your Story
Finally, one of the hardest parts about writing a new story is the first sentence. Help your child to get their story started by looking at books for inspiration. The first line should always try to grab a reader’s attention, so try to include lots of descriptive words and emotive language.
We hope these tips have been helpful in guiding you to ways you can explore creative writing with kids. It is an effective way to increase skills such as language, writing and understanding emotions, and one that will greatly benefit your child’s development. Try some creative writing with your kids today and share your short stories below!
