“My child likes to write, one broadcaster once told me. “But I am not sure of how to encourage her.”
We had just stepped out of the radio station after a session and we were both tired. But even then, I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was wondering if writing was a worthwhile enterprise. What she wanted to ask was, should I even encourage my child to write and publish books and stories?
I patted her clasped hands reassuringly and said, “Before we discuss techniques for teaching children creative writing, I would like to convince you that it is important to encourage your children to write.”
I told her about a mother in the USA who had decided to homeschool her child primarily because the school had removed creative writing from the curricula. Clearly, the woman understood all that the child to get from learning to compose his/her own stories. She understood that storytelling wasn’t just a game, but that it was a fantastic learning opportunity. She might have been worried that the child would be ill prepared to handle composition writing at an advanced level. I also told this broadcaster about the architect who had hired me to teach and mentor his children in critical and creative writing.
How Does Writing Affect Children in General?
When children compose stories orally or on paper, their brains learn to translate previously learned information and knowledge into words. There is no better way to train your child to be a creative thinker.
Again, the world has changed a great deal. Your children can easily develop their writing skills by getting daily practice in their diaries and journals, reading books and even aspiring to publish their own books. Book publishing is no longer as complicated and expensive as it used to be. With online publishers such as Okadabooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc., your child can publish their books and sell them for next to nothing.
There is no reason to discourage that budding writer from following their dreams. Children have very imaginative minds. The world needs to read about the worlds and characters they want to create. If Anne Frank hadn’t written those vivid epistolary stories about her family’s experiences during World War II, the world would have missed out on her unique insights into those historical events and places.
There are many reasons to encourage your young children to write. For the purpose of this article, I will share the top 4 benefits on my list:
- To Develop and Enhance Creativity and Discipline In the Child.
Like I said earlier, little children are very imaginative. They express themselves often without fear. But creativity is a muscle that needs to be continuously exercised and strengthened. Children need to keep writing often so that they can get better at it.
Encourage children to write daily diary or journal entries. Let them write about the things they experienced throughout the day. Not only will this help improve their academic performance, it will help strengthen and sharpen their imaginations and critical thinking skills.
- A Fantastic Way To Boost Language Development.
Writing is the best way to enhance your child’s lingual skills and to enrich the child’s vocabulary.
When the child is being encouraged to write and publish stories, one can expect that the child will get a lot of writing practice.
You probably have a bookshelf at home. Why not encourage the child to add to that bookshelf. Encourage them to write their own stories, add illustrations and bind the books for future reading.
Don’t forget that they will need to write a lot of essays and applications for examination bodies and employers to evaluate. Regular writing practice will give the child opportunities to explore words more confidently. This will also make it easier for them to overcome the anxiety and difficulty most students face when they have to do any kind of academic writing in school.
- Writing and Publishing Helps Children Develop Healthy Self-esteems.
Most children struggle with a lack of self-confidence. This explains why some succumb to peer pressure, drug abuse and other disruptive behaviors.
A writing culture can help boost the child’s self esteem. Teachers and parents might need to offer kind words of encouragement and reassurance as the child learns to write more independently.
Even as an adult, I feel exhilarated whenever my stories or books get publolished. As a teacher, I can safely say that even children feel a great sense of pride when they have invented a story worth reading.
If you want to boost your child’s self-esteem, encourage them to invent their own stories. Let them know that their stories count.
- An Effective Way to Inculcate a Good Reading Culture and A Love of Words and Language in the Child.
One can argue that the best gift you can ever give a child is a love of words, linguistics and reading. Think about it: all the important milestones in life will depend on their levels of expertise in the aforementioned areas.
Every important profession rewards people who have excellent writing and verbal skills, especially in this age of the internet. Writing jobs have become very lucrative and plentiful.
Parents can step in as their children’s writing mentor and/or tutor.
- You can start by simply telling oral stories and asking the children to tell you theirs as well.
- Be invested in your children’s stories. Ask about their setting, the characters, their likes and dislikes, their fears and motivations for their actions. Such discussions are likely to develop their child’s critical thinking skills.
- When they seem to be having writer’s block, give them picture prompts or story suggestions. Don’t forget; the children are still learning.
- Buy diaries and journals for them and encourage them to make daily entries.
- Reward excellent work and secretly enter their stories for writing contests. I say secretly, because the children might be crushed and discouraged if they don’t win. If they don’t even know they entered, then they won’t have any loss to mourn.
Don’t wait. Start encouraging your child to develop their writing skills today.
Bio: Chioma Iwunze-Ibiam runs an educational resource and literary news blog for creative writers. She has published tips on how to teach children creative writing and other writing tips. You can follow her on Twitter.