No matter the career path students pursue, writing and communication skills are essential to success. Whether a student identifies as a “math kid,” a “sports kid,” or even a “reading kid,” writing doesn’t always come naturally.
Parents and teachers need to be creative in how they present writing, so students feel personally motivated to develop their skills.
“Almost any student is capable of becoming a strong, passionate writer,” says Rowana Miller, founder and Executive Director of creative writing education nonprofit Cosmic Writers. “The trick is in connecting writing to the activities, subjects and ideas that already excite them.”
Here are some tips from Miller to motivate kids to strengthen writing skills:
Present Writing as Fun
Especially for students between the ages of 8-12, who have developed basic writing skills but may not have a defined sense of what it means to be a “writer,” it is essential to create positive associations with the act of writing.
To accomplish this, you can teach writing through gamified, collaborative and imaginative activities. For example, you can guide kids through the process of writing a series of “telephone stories.” With students sitting in a circle, have each one write an opening sentence on a piece of paper, and then pass the paper to the student to their right. Each student should continue the story by adding a sentence to the page, and then pass the paper a second time. This process repeats until each student has their original paper again.
Provide Engaging Materials
When kids’ writing practice only comes from dry textbooks, it is difficult to create positive associations with writing. Experts recommend using materials that are just as fun as the activities good teachers use when teaching.
For example, the 8-12 age range is well-served by such exciting activity books as “The Monster-Building Handbook,” a new publication from Cosmic Writers. “The Monster-Building Handbook” combines a narrative premise with a call-to-action for students to practice writing: fictional monster-maker Angelica Fearborne needs them to develop an original monster character who can face off against her monster-hunter twin brother. Learn more at www.cosmicwriters.org.
Link Writing to Favorite Shows & Video Games
Students don’t usually recognize the connection between writing and the media they love. Writing becomes more exciting when they learn that writing is an essential part of a funny YouTube series or thrilling video game.
Students are particularly compelled by opportunities to write in the style of the media they enjoy. For example, if you are working with kids who like to play Dungeons and Dragons, it is a natural next step to practice fantasy storytelling and writing.
For almost any student, it is possible to find a connection between writing and something they already like. A “math kid” may engage most with genres that emphasize logic and problem-solving, like mystery-writing. A “sports kid” may be excited to write articles about the school baseball team. And when these students practice these kinds of writing, they may discover they have been “writing kids” all along.
(StatePoint)
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