Writing is one of the best ways for children to express creativity, thoughts, and uniqueness. It is also the foundation to which children will learn to organise their ideas. Improving writing skills will help children become better readers and speakers.

Children who can write well can more confidently describe the things around them in essays and various forms of text media. They are more likely to observe the various styles of writing is used in our everyday lives. However, writing is a difficult skill to learn and master.

Therefore, it is essential for parents, teachers, and tutors to help children with some simple activities that can help develop writing skills at an early age. These activities can contribute to their child’s future success as a student, in addition to their personal and professional lives in the future.

Writing at home

There are various things in your home that you can use to engage your child in the writing process, including the following:

• Encourage your child to write a letter or thank you note to a relative. Although you will need to assist your child by perhaps planning out the letter before they begin. The plan might include key words and essential structures.
• Support your children to create or add to the shopping list before you go to the grocery store.
• Encourage you child to write a formal for a dish they have created.
• Find a picture in a newspaper and urge your child to write a short essay or description about it.
• Encourage your child to keep a personal diary, a baby book, or a household guestbook

Does spelling count?

Early attempts at spelling may not exceed your expectations, so you should be patient and mindful of your children’s attempts at spelling. The way they create words can give you a window into what they understand about the written language. A good teacher must understand that this is a normal learning process, and it indicates typical literacy development.

Praise your child’s attempts and gradually correct misspellings as your child becomes more capable.

What should my child write about?

It is important to help your child arrange their thoughts so they can logically organise their writing. Discuss some ideas about what they could write about. Mention things your child is interested in, so they are more motivated to engage with the task. Topics might include sport, animals, their weekend, or a recent holiday. You could even ask your child to write about negative experiences to help them make sense of, and fully process their emotions. If your children are becoming bored with the topics mentioned here, you could invest in some story cubes to help spark their imaginations.

What media to use

If your child avoids writing because they keep making mistakes, use materials and tools that may support the learning process and allow them to edit their mistakes. For this purpose, they can use the following media:

• wide-lined paper which can help your kids space and line up their letters.
• a whiteboard which will allow them to erase and try again.
• Lastly, a computer will allow your child to edit their writing.

Overall, there are many ways to help your child develop their writing and spelling skills, and you can start in the comfort of your own home.