Writing is hard. Children have to be able to first, think clearly about a topic, and secondly, use fine motor skills instead of their voices to make themselves understood. Add to those two skills the following challenges: what order in which to write their ideas, how to construct clear sentences, when to put a period, and forming letters correctly (or using a keyboard). It’s not surprising that kids may balk!
Here are two things to try:
Strategy 1. Show them a model.
If you were taking woodworking lessons on how to build a trestle coffee table, and never had you seen what such a table looked like, wouldn’t it be difficult to build it without any idea of what the end result would be? Many times we ask children to produce a piece of writing that they haven’t recently read or seen. So, to teach opinion writing, for example, begin by letting the child see and listen to a short, simple opinion piece. The same goes for any genre of writing. Let them know what it is they are being asked to produce.
Strategy 2. Talk first.
Kids are used to using their voices to express their ideas. Try to build on their speaking skills by having them talk to you about the topic for writing. Listen carefully and remember their ideas. Then, ask them to write what they just said. Prompt them if they need help remembering what they said or are having difficulty starting a sentence. Accept what they wrote without criticism.
In Summary
To help a child write, be supportive and uncritical. Understand that writing is hard. Show them a model. Encourage them to talk about the topic first. Praise the result.
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