7 Ways to Encourage a Young Writer

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I can’t remember a time as a child when anyone placed a gold star on something I wrote. Speech classes were a breeze, with my gift for gab and dramatic flair . . . what I didn’t have in substance I made up for in pizzazz. My problem on paper was knowing how to punctuate my prose and avoid things like dangling participles and split infinitives. Since it took me way too long to realize my passion for writing, I believe we should encourage newbies often and enthusiastically.

Today is Encourage a Young Writer Day.

1. Fill in the Blank – With young children, write four or five sentences and leave out a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb and ask them to fill in the blank. Make it fun and encourage creativity over needing the “correct” answer.

2. Picture Prose – Ask your child to write a story based on a picture from a magazine. If I lived in this house . . . If I played this sport . . . If I had this pet . . .

3. Write a Caption – Invite your child to write a caption for a photo or a picture they’ve drawn.

4. Love Your Siblings – Today is also National Sibling Day. What a great time to get your children to write a note telling each of their siblings three things they like about them.

5. Dream Stories – Ask your child if he/she can remember their dreams in the morning, and encourage them to write a story about them. If they have bad dreams, suggest they write their dream but give it a happy ending.

6. “On the Road Again Stories” and Songs – Most families spend hours in the car each week. Make up “on the road again” stories and songs about places they would like to visit or memories of past trips. Ask them to pretend a person on the street is a character and make up a short story about them.

7. Secret Journal – Gift your child with a notebook and pen, and tell them it is a place for them to write “for their eyes only” dreams, secrets, memories, fears, and prayers. Keep a prompt jar of ideas, and once or twice a week invite them to take one and write their thoughts and feelings.

The Benefits of Writing

Writing encourages:

• creativity
• emotional expression
• improved vocabulary
• improved reading and spelling skills
• improved listening skills
• improved memory skills
• independent thinking

Writing also increases confidence.

William Wordsworth wrote –

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.“

Express yourself. Tell your stories, and encourage a young writer to tell their stories.

Besides my lack of A+ grades on youth inspired stories, I remember a teacher writing the words “Trite Story-line” on a short story in which I invested myself and felt good about. The funny thing is I think I’ve seen my scenario played out a dozen times on the Hallmark Channel. In some markets . . . trite sells.

There are many writing genres. So, encourage a young writer to use their imaginations and express themselves and boldly write yourself. Who knows the people you might inspire as you tell your story.

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