Five Ways to Get Your First Grader Started with Writing

If you are homeschooling a first grader, it can be very difficult to get them started with the writing process. There are however several things that you can do to help get them jump started. Below you will find several ideas, and suggestions that may prove helpful in getting your child started in the writing process.

Daily practice a must

One important step is to make sure that your first grader writes several sentences every day. In our homeschool I have found it works well to get them writing at least twice a day. We practice writing several sentences in the morning, and several sentences in the afternoon. Start out slowly by just writing short sentences like, "See the cat run." You can gradually increase the amount of words in the sentences as they make progress. Have them underline the capital letters, and make sure to point out where the punctuation goes.

Model the sentences

Kids learn by example, so you can have your child copy the sentences that you write. If you do this at least twice a day your child will get used to sentence writing in no time. Remember to keep the sentences small, and simple so that your child will not get frustrated with the entire writing process.

Start with a story

It's important that kids understand that letter's make words, words make sentences, and sentences can turn into stories. Why not start each morning with a new story. You can take weekly trips to your local library to get a weeks worth of easy readers that is appropriate for your child's level. You can have them copy one sentence that they liked from the story, or make up their own sentence based on what they read in the story.

Start a journal

A first grade writing journal can be easy to get started, and can also be a lot of fun for you and your first grader. You can make your own journal using construction paper, or you can just use a plain regular notebook. Each morning you can give your child a writing prompt to get them started with a topic to write about. You can also assist them with writing the sentences. When they are first starting to write one sentence should be enough.

Create a writing checklist

A writing checklist is a list of little reminders, that you can review with your child about the writing process. You can use a simple piece of construction paper, and write down all of the reminders. For example remember capital letters, and use finger spaces. Review this before each time you start your writing review with your child.