7 Activities To Encourage Writing

Not everyone is born a natural writer. Writing, just like many other skills, is something we get better at as they practice. The key with kids is to get them to do just that – which can be easier said than done. But never fear: we’ve got great suggestions for activities to encourage writing that kids will enjoy!

Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper and being asked to write can feel daunting. The trick is to get your child started so they can let their creativity flow. Suggesting a specific prompt or activity is a great way to encourage your child’s writing. Some activities are so fun that they may not even realize that they’re honing their scribing skills.

Let’s take a look at a few activities to encourage writing you can use in your home. You never know – your child may be the next big thing in the literary world!

What Activities Promote Writing?
Believe it or not, you encourage your child’s literacy skills long before they can ever pick up a pencil and write a sentence on their own. Many kids enjoy activities involving the written word, but may find they are discouraged once they reach school age because of the expectations and rules that surround writing.

Exposure is key to encouraging your kids to write, so always validate your child when they make attempts to write. You can also use a few of these ideas to assist with writing:

• Drawing – Encourage even young children to draw and scribble to their heart’s content. Allowing them to draw or mark up pages sends them a positive message about embracing creativity.
• Reading – Reading to your children is crucial if you want them to be literate and embrace their writing potential. You can read them a story and then ask them to draw their favorite scene, something most children will be happy to oblige.
• Using their senses – Younger kids love sensory play. One fun way to encourage writing is using sand to write some words they know. You can also use Play-Doh, clay, or slime to make letters and words together.
• Magnets – If you don’t have an alphabet refrigerator magnet set, get one! Allowing even young children to play with these will help them in their spelling and writing skills.

What activities promote writing in the early years? There are plenty of options, and being a parent means you must get creative. You know your child best, so try to come up with a creative way to introduce letters, words, and writing to them before they enter formal schooling.

Writing Activities For Kids
How can we encourage students to write? Inspiring young writers isn’t as difficult as you might think. You can get a child excited about writing in a variety of ways that don’t necessarily feel like work.

How do you engage children in writing? Try a few of these ideas:

• Find something to inspire. Most children don’t know what they should write about, but you can bypass that problem by using an image or photos to spark ideas. Simply search on the internet to find interesting imagery or prompts, or cut pictures out of magazines. Remember, there are no limits on these inspirational prompts; they can be fantastical or based in reality. Ask your child to write about a particular image, idea, or story prompt and then let their imagination do the rest.
• Have them write a letter. Parents are no strangers to kids begging when there’s something they want. Use this to your advantage by having your child write you a letter to convince you why they should get what they’re asking for. Ask them to change your mind through persuasive writing and you’ll be surprised at how creative their words can become!
• Create a book. As kids learn to write, they also learn other new skills as a part of growing up. This is a great opportunity to create a book together about the things your child is learning to do and what they are accomplishing. Simply staple together several sheets of blank paper, have your child draw pictures of the things they’re learning that they’re proud of, then caption the images.
• Create a scrapbook. Your family is the center of your child’s world, so save all those memories and promote writing in your children by creating a family scrapbook. Include pictures, ticket stubs, and other tokens and memories of your adventures together. Have your child write the dates and a short caption describing what you did. You can also work together to come up with a more detailed description.
• Play games. There are many turn-based games you can play that incorporate writing in a fun way. One you may want to try is taking a piece of paper and having one person write a sentence, then passing it on and letting the next person write a sentence. Keep going until the story is finished and you’re guaranteed to be entertained!
• Get a pen pal. See if you have any friends with children of a similar age who are interested in becoming pen pals with your child. Having a pen pal is a classic but still fabulous way to promote writing skills. Plus, the old-school practice of writing letters then sending and receiving them in the mail is super exciting for kids.
• Write a thank you letter. Learning to write a good thank you letter is a skill your child will value in future, so foster it as you help them learn to master writing. Have your child write thank you letters for gifts and other things that require it.

Encouraging writing in your child is easy if you know where to start. Put some of these ideas to use and watch your child’s writing skills, and creativity, grow!

Featured image by Thought Catalog on Unsplash