Tricks that Encourage Young Writers

I often hear from homeschooling moms who ask me how to motivate their kids to write and to enjoy writing. What is the trick, they want to know. There are a number of things that could contribute to their dilemma and many ways they can begin to implement good habits leading toward inspiring children to enjoy writing.

Writers learn by writing.

Perhaps young students have been pressured into writing before they were ready. Maybe the required writing activities held no real interest or meaning to the child. A lack of a good read-aloud diet and good oral skills could be the cause of immature language development. Kids are not made from a cookie cutter mold but there are some tricks (if you prefer to call them that) that will help your students become more interested and engaged in writing pursuits. Let's look at these closer.

Writers are comfortable writing.

Writing is hard work. Kids need plenty of time to get comfortable with writing—even the use of a crayon or pencil. Aren't most little kids pleased as punch with their new discovery in drawing (writing): You find your child's pictorial portrait on the wall or creative signature on the side of the house, crayon marks on the curtains, and marker stains on clothes and skin, etc. But some kids haven't had enough time to develop before they are suddenly required to make these neat little lines and circles and stay between the lines—and it's simply boring. Boring to those that already have a good grasp on things and boring and frustrating for those just starting to form letters and understand the process. Don't rush the process too soon if met with defiance.

When my guys were small most of them had a great vocabulary but slowly emerging writing skills. We did a lot of oral narration. I would write down what they dictated to me. This could be in the format of a letter to Grandma, a story that we made into a book, or a funny poem to be shared or just a retelling of something they learned or experienced. Oral "writing" is a prelude to the writing process. Once they get good at oral communication, the next step is getting what's in their brain onto their paper. Copywork can be used effectively here, as they copy what you have written down for them.

Writing takes patience and lots of practice. The best writers tell us the more they write the better they write. Give your kids time to practice their wonderful new language skills with plenty of encouragement. Help them brainstorm for ideas when appropriate. Editing is also a major part of writing which they learn as they go, but be careful, too much criticism too soon will only backfire. Let them get those thoughts down without worrying about spelling and correct punctuation just yet. Find positive things to say about a funny word or interesting thought or sentence that they used. Keep the atmosphere a lighthearted one.

Writers are good readers.

I mentioned a read-aloud diet. The avid reader is most always a better writer; they go hand in hand. I found this to be true in my own family. My oldest son learned to read early at age five, was fluent by seven, and adored reading. He was also a natural writer. The two middle boys were late readers who weren't fluent until ages 10 and 11. My last son was sort of average and in between the others but he was slower in language development—it just did not come easily to him. For all the boys, reading aloud offered them the ability to hear the words and gain proper grammar and excellent language syntax in which to base their internal linguistic processes. It all certainly pays off big time in creating a love for the written word and its capabilities. Kids who are not read to often and who may be less than great readers will most certainly be far behind their peers who are.

Writers are curious minded, and good communicators with many interests.

What excites your child and what interests do they have? How can you develop these into a writing passion? You don't want to stifle your child's natural curiosity and many kids get turned off in school subjects by having to digest and spit back endless amounts of information that have no real interest or meaning to them. I don't know who makes up those elementary scope and sequence charts or who writes those snippety texts, but I refused to follow their classroom focus. Instead search out real living exciting books that grab interest. Look for colorful language and stimulating detail about the subject matter. Let them get their hands dirty. It could make a huge difference in how your children view learning and their desire to learn more and to express themselves through words and writing about those interests. Hey, if you haven't given lapbooks a try, I highly encourage you to give it a whirl.

Writers write for a reason.

My boys always wanted to know the relevancy behind what I asked them to do. It wasn't good enough if I said, "because I said so," plus I could see their point. Why not make the things I asked them to do useful? What is relevant? How can I turn this writing assignment into something useful in the real world? After all, isn't that what I was preparing them for—the real world?

Writers need an audience.

Everyone has something to say, in their own unique voice. Keeping a journal is wonderful in and of itself and I certainly encourage kids to do this, however, it makes a big difference when they are able to share their writing and impact an audience other than themselves. Getting feedback on a job well done is important and the encouragement will spur them on to continue writing and consider other projects. There are many ways to do this, from reading a paper to Dad and sending a thank-you note, to getting a poem published in a magazine, or even publishing your own E-Book.

Over the years we made homemade books, wrote book reviews (Amazon.com and the local newspaper), started the Homeschool Gazette and participated in other newsletters for kids, wrote letters to family, sent anonymous Scripture notecards, made scrapbook pages, narrated, participated in homeschool classes, blogged, entered contests, wrote letters to the editor, made up written tests for friends and family, acted out stories, gave oral presentations, participated in a local theater workshop and wrote play scripts, wrote letters to companies about their products, and much more.

Writing is habit forming. 

Make it special, make it fun, and write everyday if possible. Enjoy, and remember that parents should share what they write with their children also. That's one of the best models children can have, to see Mom and Dad enthusiastically engaged in writing.

Writing is not a school activity, it's a lifestyle habit that is necessary, pleasurable, and rewarding.

Motivating Boys to Do School

I responded to an e-newsletter about this subject when a frustrated mom said her boys "do not want to do their schoolwork, and it is a battle come school time." Her slightly older daughter was a different story. I thought I would share my perspective here:

I've been a homeschooling mom of four sons for the past 17+ years and I think I've learned some valuable lessons. I know that this is not necessarily a "boy" problem, though it may be more prevalent since boys tend to mature slower than girls. Some personality types adore all the paper work and attention to details while some students (especially some boys) just aren't impressed. All children however should have a natural curiosity and be excited about learning which can be expressed in a number of ways—other than writing or filling in workbooks etc. If you use a "canned" curriculum that is meant for a classroom of kids, there is no way that you will be teaching to your individual child's strengths, interests or abilities.

We approached school as an enjoyable learning time and "lifestyle" together—very flexible. My desire to learn along with my sons meant that I was always very involved. I made time to do more fun things together, tap into their interests, utilize more oral (rather than written) expressions of learning in the earlier years, along with many hands-on activities. We always read aloud and discussed many great books together. Unit studies worked very well for us. I had two very late readers who eventually caught up. I had a gifted son who needed very little from me, as well as two sons with delayed abilities which meant doing math together for many years, lots of spelling games, and utilizing hands-on learning. My advice is to tune into your children's needs and wants.

How do you get them to care and become self motivated? You have to spark their interest. They have to see a relevancy in what you are making them do. Here are some ideas: Find more practical and interesting writing assignments—a letter to Grandpa, a friend or the President! Keep notes about observations for a science project; design a game and write the activity cards for it; create true/false questions about a subject you are learning and test Dad and your friends; dramatize a story; let them dictate a story or poem to you and make it into a real book to be shared; write a review on a book they liked for a kid's magazine or Amazon.com; make a recording of a story complete with sound effects; enjoy scrapbooking as a family writing captions for photos or each member can tell their side of the picture story presented. Project oriented ideas can be wonderful motivators adding a fun element. (see my list of many more ideas in a previous posting)

Help children to take pride in their work. Offer encouragement and praise for each little success they show. Take it one step at a time. It may be that your expectations are too high. Help them form good new habits and enjoy expressing their ideas. Learn to enjoy your boys and their unique perspective on life and don't be afraid to ask them what they'd like to learn and follow up on it. Pray, pray and keep on praying for God to guide you in this awesome journey of living and learning with your precious children.

Photo Credit: Benjamin takes a different look at Jeremiah who is reading a creative story he wrote to a class of other homeschoolers.

A Job Well Done

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." -Ecclesiastes

The packed auditorium was buzzing with excitement as we sat among a few scattered parents and dozens of children of all sizes and ages. It was Jeremiah's turn to audition for his first full length play, Seussical the Musical. He had been given a page of script in which he had just a few minutes to review and then gave a "cold" reading. Pretty good.

We waited some more. Time to sing. Wait a minute, can Jeremiah sing? His chosen song was the humorous parody Cats in the Kettle sung to the tune of Cats in the Cradle as written by Weird Al (If you've never heard it, look it up on the web). The audience was tickled with his antics and his voice, and I think that's what won him the part of The Grinch. He also played a double role as the eagle.

Though on stage for most of the production, his speaking (and solo singing) parts were relatively small. He went to almost all of the practice days of which there were too many, often having to wait long periods for his turn to come up. He really gave his all to each of four performances.

Well the play has been long over for months now, but several lasting friendships resulted, and so many good things have transpired as part of that experience. (A dream of mine was for the boys to be able to participate in the realm of drama or perhaps speech in some way.)

A few weeks ago Jeremiah got notice in the mail that he was nominated for an award and to please come to the awards ceremony which was last Saturday night. We went not expecting anything but a good time, but we were pleasantly surprised. The very first award given was for "Outstanding Performance By a Supporting Actor in Children's Literature" (of which all nominations were from Seussical) and Jeremiah won! He went up on stage and received his award and said his thank-you.

This unexpected delight was recognition of a job well done that somebody(s) had noticed. It amazed us to think of the large cast of characters in the play and that he was chosen. A speaker for the Arts Council summed it up this way: "Their role may or may not have been a big one, but their performance was such that when you walked out the theater door, their character made a definite impact on you."

Congratulations again to Jeremiah for a job well done!

Delighted to be Homeschooling

I retrieved a few old pals from last year and mixed in a few curious new friends from my overcrowded bookshelves, prioritized which subjects to study, thoughtfully listed some favorite want-to-read-alouds, bought some colorful notebooks and pens, found my surprise box of zoology microscope slides that I saved, and I'm rarin' to begin our adventure. I'm excited! Today was our first day to ease back into a homeschool schedule.

I say schedule even though we tend to be very flexible and relaxed. Everyone needs an agenda and I'd be lost without my weekly plan book where I write down every thing we do and plan future projects. I have a well intentioned but forgetful mind so I have to include safeguards here and there that help snap me back where I knew I wanted to be.

I love learning with the boys. It's a favorite activity! If you read this blog long enough you'll find me repeating those statements again and again. Is there anything better than relating to your child about something wonderful that God had made or revealed to you? This is what we deal with every day in our unique learning environment.

I'd love to say that my younger two boys are so independent in their learning, but they are probably pretty typical guys. They like critters, computer games, movies, playing chess, telling jokes and arm wrestling. They do each have their different interests, but they can use a good nudging and a lot of inspiration at times, and I do see time wasters flashing their lights in my direction a bit too often. We haven't "enjoyed" regular TV or even cable for twenty years, but the VCR and computer came into our lives early on. I can't go back and change those things but I feel happiest when schooling is in session.

Jeremiah, 13, also likes photography and I'm very impressed that he has pursued this interest somewhat this summer (the photos are his). I'm trying to figure out a way to have this be a part of his studies also, doing an insect/creature book or writing descriptions with scrapbook pages and to learn more about design and composition.

Benjamin, 16, has been working part time and that is a BIG change in his life where he is learning all manner of responsibility and work ethics. I am impressed with him also. A devotional book I plan to use is Bob Shultz's Created For WORK - Practical Insights for Young Men, and I'm sure Benjamin will have some first hand experiences to share with us. He's a wonderful reader with an auditory learning style and real living books continue to be the gist of our eclectic education. We don't typically use a formal subject textbook, but have found the Apologia sciences quite interesting. Ben will be doing the Exploring Creation with Biology and possibly getting together with a few other students for the experiment labs. I hope it works out.

Every year (for last 17 years) we've been doing things just a tad different. The boys change and I change. Subjects that do bear repeating can be done with a new twist to keep it interesting. I switched Jeremiah to a new math program just this morning. Book collecting has been a long term hobby which I love but I have found that having too many choices can make me crazy. It's better for me to select fewer options to focus on, but it's always nice to know my friends will be there for me.

I have many writing programs and seem to always be looking for the BEST. Probably any that I use would be fine. I am putting an emphasis on creative writing this year because it's a special interest of my own, I've been reading a lot and writing more myself, and think we need to share our loves & interests with our children. And I know that they have so much inside just waiting to be expressed in a creative writing sort of way. I continue to delight in seeing their written expressions (selves) come to life!

Recently on an email list the members were asked, "What books have most influenced your thinking with homeschooling?" I thought I would share my list here with some highlights I've uncovered that have helped me along our journey.

• The Relaxed Homeschool and The Joyful Homeschooler by Mary Hood, Ph.D.: So many new homeschoolers think their child has to cover every subject, complete every page in the book, and pass every test with A's - and they attempt to imitate with their children the education that they endured as a child. I found good, practical advice, tips for relaxing and trusting God, and following His individual plan for our family. Reading these were very encouraging to me that it was OK to be my flexible, creative self and apply it to my homeschool. It's also OK to follow a different format based on your child's individuality and needs. The multiplication tables don't have to be taught in third grade and there are going to be gaps in your students' education. I don't have to cover everything. Textbooks that try to cram so much in a small book don't do justice to the topics it shares. Reading a real book on a certain subject allows the child to really grasp a subject and internalize it for later use. I started thinking more along the lines of “What is God wanting us to learn and do?” and listening closely for His guidance.

• Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto: This past New York State Teacher of the Year showed me why typical, compulsory education is really anti-child education. He confirmed to me what I had already believed, though it was inspiring to hear it from a public educator who dared to radicalize the system and re-engage his students toward natural curiosity, independence, love of learning and community involvement. Each year I reassess if home schooling is the right choice for us at this time and in the back of my mind there is Mr. Gatto shaking his head at me and saying, "Your boys deserve the best you can give them. A collective institution that is designed to produce obediently functioning, intellectually dependent cogs, is contrary to the spirited, individualized expressions of learning that you can provide them at home in your care." I realized that imitating the public school system was out of the question and I appreciated the strong language, openness and kick in the head where I needed it!

• The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Dr. Raymond Moore: Pushing children (especially boys) too hard, too soon into formal learning is a “don't do”! They need those early years for exploration, play and natural growth to maturity. Since my two middle sons were very late readers I identified with this good wisdom. It didn't inhibit them in any way and in their own God given time frame, they caught up and advanced quickly. Homeschooling is more like a stress free family adventure built around your child's needs and interests. There are plenty of worthwhile creative endeavors like games, projects, crafts and work that young children should be involved in. There's a bounty of fabulous ideas, encouraging personal stories and support for everyone that loves the idea of family oriented education.

• The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola: I own quite a number of books on the Charlotte Mason style of learning and I love them all. This is the one I refer back to the most, however. Ms. Mason's ideas for narration, copywork and dictation stood out for me to include in our education which I have delighted in and continue to use. Having the teacher mind that I do, I used to write up many of my own lessons similar to the ones in the Learning Language Arts Through Literature curriculum. This one book (along with use of a library) is the best and only book someone needs to have to homeschool effectively. Easy read, easy implementation and great results!

• Teach Your Own by John Holt: Here was an early private school educator and granddaddy homeschool guru who knows all about education and children. His friendly wisdom can persuade like no one else I've read. It's all packed in here. The chapter on dyslexia was an eye opener for me, and taught me that children with labels are smart indeed! Every parent is a facilitator and capable of teaching their own children and "watching the miracle of natural human development take off on its own." (quote from a fan)