Seven tips to improve your child’s writing skills

The International Literacy Day is celebrated on September 8 annually. It is a day to highlight the importance of literacy in individuals, communities, and societies. So let us talk about children’s literacy, moreover, they represent the future of our society.

Literacy forms the bedrock of your child’s learning. It encompasses basic reading and writing skills as well as the ability to understand and interpret written text.

So to elevate your child’s literacy you need to harness the basic skills which include reading and writing skills.

Without further ado, here are tips to develop and improve your child’s writing skills.

• Encourage reading

Reading is the foundation of good writing.

The more a child reads, the more they will be exposed to new vocabulary, more words, and even punctuation. They will learn and this can inspire their writing.

However, do not expose them to a particular genre but rather different genres and a variety of books. This will help them get to know different ways of using words and a variety of sentence structures that they can use in their writing.

To nurture your child’s reading habit, follow these tips.

• Model it

There is no better way to teach your child a skill than to lead by example.

Allow your child to see you write often for different reasons – letters, notes, Christmas and birthday cards, and even shopping lists.

Explain and show your child that writing is important and enjoyable. You can also share your own writing experiences and creations with them.

• Encourage journalling

Journaling is an excellent way to get your child to write regularly. It allows for creative writing.

Keeping a journal allows them to express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings through writing and further improve their writing skills.

Get a journal for your child and encourage them to write in it as much as possible. You can also make it a part of his or her daily routine.

Aside from improving writing skills, journaling also helps build a child’s emotional intelligence.

Writing about their feelings and thoughts will help them recognise these feelings as well as allow them to express and manage their feelings even when it is hard.

Alternatively, your child could also write letters. Encourage your child to compose letters to friends and family. It could also start with writing birthday and Christmas notes, thank you notes and invitations.

• Provide writing materials

Make sure writing materials including pens, pencils and notes are accessible for your child.

Having these tools readily available for them can encourage them to write.

You can also set aside a little corner as well as time in your house devoted to writing.

Having an area dedicated to writing will help to free your child from distractions and just focus on practicing writing skills.

Also, setting a designated time for writing will bring about consistency which will eventually improve your child’s writing skills.

• Use writing prompts

Using writing prompts is an excellent way to kickstart your child’s writing skills because writing from scratch without guidance or ideas can be difficult.

So this prompt will guide their writing by providing them with several ideas and themes to write on.

You can create simple prompts and have your child fill in the rest. For example, ‘If I could choose to be an animal, I would choose to be a…’, ‘If I become the president of Nigeria for a day I will do…’.

These prompts will encourage them to write as they will want to give their opinions on the ideas provided.

• Make writing fun

Asking your child to sit and practice writing skills can be daunting. However, making it fun can get him/her excited about learning and writing.

So play games and activities that encourage writing. Crossword puzzles, word games, and friendly writing competitions are great for improving children’s writing skills.

• Celebrate their writing

Show lots of interest in your child’s writing. Ask questions, offer constructive feedback, and celebrate when he/she comes up with a good piece.

Giving constructive feedback on their writing helps them point out their mistakes and make them improve.

Celebrate your child’s writing achievements as much as possible. Display their work, encourage them, you can even share it with family and friends.

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