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This creative writing post was created in partnership with Mascot Books. I was not financially compensated for this post but did receive a sample for review purposes. As always, all opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!
Creativity in writing requires regular fine-tuning. As a parent or guardian, helping a child develop a creative writing style is a vital role you always need to play. Even though kids are all born with specific talents, creative writing is a crucial skill to develop. For some kids, creative writing comes naturally, while others lean towards analytical subjects like Math and Science. Most parents are raising tech-savvy kids who are not very creative, and this should not be the case.
There are activities you can engage your child in at home to assist in boosting his or her imagination and unlock the creative inside them. It’s also the best possible time to start doing that, now that the majority of children around the world are attending school from home.
Here are some of the activities you can engage in them to improve their creative writing skills and release some of the stress they might be feeling at the moment.
Read stories
Help strengthen your kids writing skills by reading them stories regularly. This helps expand the child’s vocabulary and language usage. As you read to them, ensure that you read together. This encourages them to develop a love for reading as they grow.
Regular reading is a big step in bettering kids’ writing skills and the strengthening of their creative capabilities. The best time to do this would be at night before bed. And always remember that reading and writing go hand in hand and good writers are well-read.
Resist the urge to do the writing by yourself
Some parents usually feel the urge to correct their children’s errors. This can be harmful to a child’s self-confidence and creativity. Have your child locate the errors and encourage him or her to correct them. Avoid taking over their story and rewriting it by yourself.
Always provide a fun opportunity for the revision of your child’s work. Teach them how to revise drafts leading to the final draft. Encourage hard work and improvement. Teach them the virtue of perseverance.
Provide your kid with materials for creative writing and a place to write
You would want to get your kid a desk in their room for their homework and studies away from the television and digital media. Now that the school and home life are one and the same and it’s hard to draw a clear line between them, separating the space for learning and entertainment is crucial.
Get them a great writing area that is calm and feature no distraction of any kind at all. It would be best if you got them stuff like:
- A diary, notebook or journal
- A bookshelf
- An appropriate dictionary
- Pens, pencils, and erasers
Purchase Write-Your-Own-Ending Books
Writing your own ending to a book is a great exercise to do with your child.
In the past, you could simply challenge your kid to write a different ending to any story, but now there are books specifically for this purpose. The Dinosaur in the Elevator by Howard Eisenberg is a great example of this.
The Dinosaur in the Elevator is a guess who book AND a write your own ending book.
Throughout the book, as twins, Abby and Robbie, come across different dinosaurs they sing little poems where you have to guess what kind of dinosaur it is. They are cute little poems with a lot of clues to help the kiddos out.
If your child can’t guess the dinosaur’s name, they just have to read a little further to know the answer. It’s a fun guessing game that the kids love!
Then, toward the end of the book, the story ends and expects you to complete it. There are a few pages for your child to write about how the story ends.
I think this is a great activity to take part in. Not only does it help your kids improve their writing skills, but it also makes them use their imaginations!
Kids are given so much these days with technology and don’t use their imaginations nearly enough. They need to open their minds and put down the screens.
Plus, it also helps them develop problem-solving skills too. Which is a must for any well-adjusted adult and a trait most employers demand.
This book is looking better and better, huh?
To top it off, it’s also a really cute story any dinosaur lover would be thrilled about. Check out The Dinosaur in the Elevator today!
Encourage your kid to have a dairy and to keep a journal
Through a daily personal journal, a young writer can develop a unique writing style and learn how to express complicated thoughts by writing them down.
Through this, they can build essential skills in creative writing and also create an outlet through which to express thoughts and feelings.
Encourage your child to develop a habit of daily writing
Regular practice is vital for the success of any activity. Writing too requires regular practice. Have your child write about simple basic things like how their day at school was or a piece about their best friend or pet. It does not necessarily have to be creative writing for the practice to be effective enough. Also crucial is that you should let them have a break whenever they show signs of reluctance. Give them time to rest and reenergize.
Well, if you realize that your child is leaning more towards analytical subjects, then as he or she grows up, you might want to introduce them to the websites that write papers for you whenever you have a writer block or something.
Also, it will be much easier for your kiddos to develop the habit of daily writing now that they’re attending school from home. They won’t have the same pressures and fatigue of after-school hours, so creative writing might be just the perfect thing to make them relax.
Show interest in your kid’s ideas and imaginations
As a parent or guardian, you always need to encourage your child to embrace creativity in writing by showing interest in their thoughts and stories. Regularly ask them questions to show that you are attentive and interested in listening to their ideas.
Remember also to compliment them whenever they do something that is outstanding.
Turn writing activities into creative writing games
Children like games, and your child probably already plays a couple of fascinating games. Come up with a writing activity that best fits your child’s interests, and that can ignite their creative writing skills.
You can play fun, creative writing games with them; this helps improve their vocabulary and make them love words and even learn how to use those words in sentences. You can also have them write about a character they like playing in their own perspective.
There are several games you could interest your child with, like having a collaborative story-writing game or challenging them to write about their day.
Make the games short and fun for kids tend to lose concentration so fast if you are too serious and take a while to play a single game. You can also re-enact their favorite stories or their own writing in real life, using your home as a theatre stage.
Ask questions that might help your child find topics to write about
To develop your child’s creative writing skills, arouse curiosity in them.
Regularly ask them questions that ignite creativity and curiosity. Have conversations that are interesting and thoughtful with your child regularly, and this makes the child develop interest.
Use technology
Even though technology might challenge creativity in some way, there is no doubt that you can use it for your own benefit. This you can achieve by having a blog for your kid. It should be motivation enough for them to write even more.
Have them write regularly and post their stories online; whenever these stories get positive reactions, then the kids become happy and will even feel motivated to write more often.
Also, you can get your kid a Kindle either from Amazon or wherever for them to have and read ebooks. Make reading a happy experience for them.
Developing excellent creative writing skills takes a great deal of time and patience. By having these, you can help your kids develop their writing skills. Writing is a practical life skill, and through lots of reading and everyday practice, you can improve your child’s creative writing skills.
Creative writing will help boost your child’s thinking and even help unlock their inner creativity. The children become imaginative than ever. Teach your kids by following these steps and see them improve in their performance and creative writing skills.
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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These are all great ideas. No little ones here but this is great advice!
No biggie! Maybe pass the article along to someone with kids who need writing help 🙂
When I was in school, my fourth grade teacher told me
once that I had a way with words. She also said that I had a wonderful imagination and if I ever let it loose, it could take me down a lot of different highways of life. I wished I would have listened to her! I have thought about what she said a lot over these past 50 some years. A dream, I never pursued! I would always stand behind any child that wanted to have a career as an author. Or take the opportunity to try. Just by looking at some of their drawings, I can tell that they could really go far if they wanted too. Some of their penmanship could use some improvement though.
Nowadays there are a lot of technology and tools at their fingertips. Plus plenty of time! Definitely pin worthy! Thank you for this awesome review!!
Hey, you could always start writing now! It’s not too late. I say you look into it!!
Since school is taking place at home now I am involved in helping my grandchildren. This is so important for all of us. My granddaughter loves doing this but my grandson not so much. I really appreciate all these great tips. Thank you so much for sharing
Boys can be a little difficult when it comes to that kind of thing. How old is he?
I loved creative writing when I was a kid. I think it is so important. It is a great way to get kids to say what they can’t always find the words to say out loud.
What did you use to write about as a kid?
This sounds like it would be a big hit in our household! I am sure it would be fun to read! Thanks for sharing!
Are you guys dino fans?
Being a creative writer should start at a young age. It is so important for the lives of each of us. These are such great suggestions. I really appreciate you sharing and sharing this great book. God Bless
Creative writing is a great skill for any child to have. Unfortunately, most kids see writing as work.
Writing is such a wonderful way to express yourself! Especially when writing creatively and you’re using your mind and own personal views! 😀
Yes, that’s the beauty of books!
Reading to children, when they are young, is very important. Expanding their vocabularies as they get older will help their communication and writing skills.
I couldn’t agree more! Reading and writing has so many benefits for young children
My granddaughter is very creative but needs help in putting her ideas into words. Creative writing helps her to expand on her ideas.
That seems to be a common thing in children. Ever tried to talk to one on the phone? You might as well talk to the wall because you are only going to get one-word answers lol.
creative writing is important in increasing your childs vocabulary. and its also wonderful for them to learn to use their imagination to entertain themselves and others both
Yes, creative writing is so important and you never know where it could take them!
Creative writing is very important especially when growing up as a child. It allows you to be able to express yourself on paper. I love reading stories to my grandsons and having them give me their feedback after reading the stories.
Writing is a great way to express yourself!
Creative writing is an excellent idea. We started to keep a journal during the crisis we are facing and also creating stories about all the things we had built, cooked, games, etc.
That’s a great idea! A COVID-19 creative writing journal – love it!
My son had issues with writing while in school,,he was encouraged by me to continue to read an write ,,he went on to college where they made him take a writing class,,that he loved,,he ended up after college working for a newspaper as a Sports Writer and Photographer and then to full time staff reporter ,,those writing skills paid off
Wow, your son really did a 180 with writing!! Sounds like you did an awesome job encouraging him 🙂
I think the hardest part of the advice, for me, would be to step back and not help. I have the hardest time not helping when my kiddos feel stuck when writing stories or drawing comics.
Not helping is hard for me to do too. I just want to do it for them but the best way for them to learn is to do it themselves.
I have Galway’s loved to read. If those authors had not had people encourage creative writing what a sad and unfulfilling world we would live in.
So very true! Creative writing can bring out the best of some people
This sounds like it would be a big hit in our household! I am sure it would be fun to read! Thanks for sharing!
Do your kids enjoy writing?
Sounds like a fun book. The artwork is very cute.
They did an awesome job with these illustrations!
I loved creative writing when I was a kid. I think it is so important. It is a great way to get kids to say what they can’t always find the words to say out loud.
What kinds of stories did you write as a kid?
Great hints for encouraging writing. Especially appropriate now, when we’re all suddenly homeschooling!
Remote learning was a shock for many. I hope these creative writing tips help!
sounds like it would be fun and educational.
Creative writing can be a lot of fun for kids with a learning twist!
When I was a teacher’s assistant, each child in my classroom had their own journal for free writing. I collected them each week and either I or the classroom teacher read them and commented on them. It was interesting to see what kid’s were thinking.
I believe in starting kids young in free writing as well as books.
Great article.
I used to love reading what my kids would write in those journals. It was always a fun reading!
This would be great at my house since we are now doing remote learning this coming school year. It would make it so they can tell their own twist on the story and build their imagination.
You are right. This book would be great for the upcoming remote learning experience!
These activities look very useful. I find that creative writing helps with developing thinking skills.
You are very right. Creative writing does help a lot with critical thinking skills