How You Can Cultivate A Habit Of Writing In Children
Writing is an important skill not all individuals are able to master in their lives. By cultivating this productive habit in the formative years, children can develop effective writing skills and eventually become proficient in all kinds of communication.
It is a skill that is required in almost every phase of life – whether you need to write an essay for school or send a work-related email, you need to have good writing skills. Helping young ones develop their writing skills early on will contribute to their successful future.
To add to that, writing allows you to have an outlet to let your emotions flow. You can learn to express yourself better and even get rid of some toxic feelings during the process. Children usually have difficulty in expressing themselves and organizing their thoughts, which is why it can be a great way to help them manage these emotions.
In this article, we’ll explore some ways in which you can cultivate the habit of writing in children.
Teach Them How to Read!
The most important habit that children should learn in the formative years is reading. Reading is vital because it nourishes the mind and helps children to think in new ways. It helps kids to identify and acknowledge the world around them, besides teaching them the functions of language.
Writing is a creative activity; thus, to create, one needs material or substance. This is acquired through regular reading habits. So, before a child is handed a pencil, he or she should be given a book. Reading material chosen for the child should arouse curiosity and enhance the powers of imagination.
Make Writing Instruments Their Best Friends
Learning how to hold a pencil or a pen is an entirely new experience for kids. They may find it really difficult at first to memorize alphabets or write with clarity. Make sure that you always encourage them to help them feel comfortable.
Children are usually fascinated if they’re offered a variety of eye-catching, colorful pens and pencils, so ensure that the child has a range of writing instruments that he or she can use. Encourage your child to make wish-lists or to-do lists and eventually, start writing letters to relatives together. Make the child believe that notebooks, pens and pencils, and even the waste bin are one’s friends. They never judge or scold for writing anything on them; they accept everything that the child writes.
Observation Is The Key
Help the children become more observant. The more they watch things, the more ideas and thoughts and questions they’ll accumulate in the mind.
They should be shown everyday things we habitually ignore despite their beauty: flowers, birds, animals, etc. Activities like cloud-watching, birdwatching, fishing and stargazing can imbue your young ones with awe and wonder.
Encourage the child to let out all those ideas and feelings, stories and experiences (even the dreams they see), and record them in writing. The child should be encouraged to write regularly, even if it means writing little. They should not be made to write at some fixed time. The idea is to make them believe they are free to write whenever they want and that the act of writing allows them to share everything they feel.
Always Try To Give A Positive Feedback
Elders should try not to criticize the writings. Children take time to learn and it’s completely okay if your child seems a little hesitant to write at first. They may make spelling mistakes and it may take some time for children to develop their own distinct writing voice.
Encourage them to work harder and tell them they’ve done a great job. Hearing compliments can help the child to feel loved and respected and in turn, he or she will try to work harder on the skill.
Try to reward them if they write something nice or beautiful. You can make their favorite breakfast or simply give a pat on the back! Praise what they write, but not excessively.
Enjoy The Story Time!
Storytelling sessions are definitely precious. Our parents, grandparents, family members and elders have all cherished the practice of sharing stories of their times.
Telling stories will spark images in the child’s imaginative space and he might try to emulate the same practice while writing. Additionally, it can introduce the child to different genres and help him or her improve his or her vocabulary.
Asking them to read out what they write can also be a good way to encourage and praise them (only if the children are willing to show their work)
This would make them work harder on the craft.
Final Thoughts
Writing is an imperative skill that can boost the cognitive development of young children. It can help them to enhance their ability to think and communicate. It is important that parents allow their child to learn and grow at their own pace. Every child is unique and has different needs.
Not only can these tips help kids get in the habit of writing, but they can also help parents maintain a healthy and happy relationship with their children.
