Nurturing the Budding Writer in Your Child

Writing will never make your child a millionaire (more than likely) so why would any reasonable adult encourage it? The process of writing is therapeutic, of course, and the writing process enhances a child's non-verbal skills. Because, maybe most importantly, the ability to write effectively, to communicate through the written word, is one of the most powerful attributes a human can have in the modern world.

So what is a parent to do? How can we encourage our youngsters to write - and to help them discover the richness in topics the world has to offer?

1) Illustory. (http://www.illustory.com/)

Two Christmases ago, I purchased "Illustory" for my middle child. He recently took the package apart and wrote and illustrated his book. It took about six weeks to be returned, but what a spark I saw in Jacob's eyes when he held the hard-covered book in his hands, one that he had created. Every visitor that enters our house must sit and look at Jake's creation. He stands tall and proud with each flip of the page, and the ensuing praise delights him.

2) Of course, not every one of your child's books needs to be hard-bound. All it takes is a little ingenuity to create a pseudo-hard covered book your child and you will hold precious and dear for ages to come. All you need is card stock paper, staples and (optional) white labels. Have your child write his story then give them the card stock paper to create the cover. Fold the cardstock paper over by about a half an inch, wide enough to support your labels. My son is fond of creating 3 labels, one for the date, one for the title of his book and one for the beginnings of his last name "Url" so it looks like it belongs in a library. These types of books can be created endlessly with little cost, and you can easily look back at the early ones to see how well your child has progressed.

Instead of card stock, you can also use rectangular cuts of cardboard (from boxes) and then use glue to attach quilt pieces or shelf paper.

3) While encouraging your child to write, it is important they read often, also. This gives them the tools they need (vocabulary, dialogue techniques, plot ideas, theme) to create their own masterpieces.

4) While they read some of those books to you (and you to them) have them point out the conflicts that arise. This can be done not only in the books they read, but television shows as well, including cartoons (once they start finding conflicts, they'll note to you with interest that many cartoons don't have conflicts or conflict resolutions).

5) Children's crossword puzzles are another great resource for vocabulary building and development. You can always create your own online, too, if your child has a voracious appetite for them.

6) Many great writers are inspired by their dreams. Why not help your child harness that source of creative energy? Quite often, children's dreams are even more dazzling than adult's dreams. Encourage your child to keep a "Dream Journal" by their bed to write down their dream upon waking. Don't forget to add the date! Re-reading this dream journal will help plant creative seeds that might not be accessed immediately, but eventually, your child will have a fertile soil to till when sitting down to write.

7) So many fairy tales and children's stories begin with the state of the weather. Encourage your child to read the weekly forecast in the paper - have them write a story based solely on the weather forecast and how it might effect their (or somebody else's) day.

8) Keep a jar of suggestions handy that can be added to indiscriminately. Topics might range from "sharks" to "a spaceship travels to Mars and you're inside" - snippets of ideas that get them thinking creatively.

9) Always provide lots of pens, papers, pencils and erasers to aid them when they are stimulated to write. If your child is still young enough - why not provide stickers and fun confetti to decorate with as well?

10) There are increasing numbers of books on the market directed exclusively at children who like to write. Find one right for your child (proper age and maturity level) and read it with them.

With any luck, once your child discovers the true value of writing - a sense of accomplishment, ownership, self-worth and intrinsic creative value - they will continue to write throughout their lives, becoming a more effective communicator, which is, after all, one of the basic foundations of success.