Getting my kids to write was slightly less painful than delivering them into the world, but a lot more frustrating. Because it goes on for years and years and years …
When I tell people that Dark Omen wrote a novel and is now working on the sequel, they give me this knowing look, like, Well, of course! What did you expect? You’re a writer!
If they only knew.
None of my boys (ages 8, 10, 12) enjoyed writing when they were younger (in the case of Mighty Mite, we’re still in that nooooooo stage of the writing experience). But I’m a patient mom (er, sometimes), and in the spirit of my Twelve Tips for Reluctant Readers post, I’ve pulled together Ten Ways to Get Kids to Write:
When the boys were little, we had a mini-easel that was chalk on one side and marker on the other. It spread chalk dust like crazy and we were always having to clean it, but having writing materials easily available (Way #1) meant we could stop and draw letters or cats (lots of cats) at any time. Later, when they were in school, there was lots of writing time during the year, but during breaks and summer, I stapled together pages of writing paper with a construction paper “cover.” This “book” was theirs to decorate, but they had to write a sentence (or paragraph or page, depending on the age) in it every morning, setting a regular time for writing (Way #2) – interestingly, Dark Omen still does most of his writing in the morning. Sometimes I gave writing themes (Way #3), like Christmas lights or going to the pool, but mostly I let them write whatever they wanted (Way #4), even if it was only “I hate writing.” (They thought this was the height of funny.)
When they were older and could write longer passages, I enlisted the help of writing workbooks (Way #5) – get the good ones, they’re worth it – with worksheets on grammar as well as narrative writing. To mix it up a little, I also gave them assignments (Way #6): write a letter (from a list of our relatives), write a poem, write a song, write a recipe. Here it helped to have a variety of writing supplies (Way #7), from index cards to fancy stationary. The most inspiring writing materials were consistently any notebook or writing material of an odd shape or texture or origin (Way #8), whether tiny spiral bound notebooks or giant sized, cardboard-latched binders. My boys even spent one hilarious night writing secret notes on the backs of fortune cookie slips.
As long as they were writing, I was happy.
Note: most of the time I was not happy because they were not writing. I tried to give them a journal (Way #9) – not a diary – but that was met with scorn. My final Way is not really a technique, but an attitude: cultivate patience and don’t give up (Way #10). Kids all develop at their own rates and it may take time (a lot of time, years worth of time) before they reach the milestones you want. But just like reading, writing is an essential skill that will wither if not actively encouraged.
Now, I have to pull Dark Omen away from his spiral notebook that he relentlessly fills with words and characters and stories. I have to tell him to eat breakfast before writing, to make sure it gets in him before he has to run to the bus and Junior High. And if I had told my younger-parent self that my oldest son would some day be a novelist, I would have had a good laugh.
And I probably needed it, too.
If that’s not enough ideas to keep you from tearing out your hair, Imagination Soup has ten more writing activities for kids.
May the Odds be Always in Your Favor.*
*Getting kids to write isn’t quite as brutal as the Hunger Games, but somehow the analogy seems apt.
What Ways have worked for you?
p.s. Thursday is Blog Hop Day on the Omnific site (open to non-Omni authors as well). Join or Hop, as you wish!
Thankfully two of mine enjoy writing. I'm still working on the third. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
TOTALLY bookmarking this! (as always) 🙂
wonderful, encouraging list and thoughts for parents and teachers! Thanks, Susan. Wonder if #2 and 3 will follow in Dark Omen's footsteps??
Great list and I really like the way you incorporated it as a story and not just a bullet point list. Although I have an appreciation for lists, this is a more creative ways to share them.
I have a variety of writing supplies, but the writing…still working on that with my chipmunk 🙂
That sounds just like me! I've got my headphones on while I write and my mom has to call me about six different times trying to get me to go eat breakfast which is NOT anywhere near as fun as writing! I wake up at 6am now and write until 8am when school starts 🙂
Trying to get my little sis to write and it's not working so well though…
@Joanna I'm glad you liked it! Please spread the word to fellow parents – I wish I had known these when I started out! And we can only home Mighty Mite and Worm Burner will get there. 🙂
How great that you used such enticing, but never boring ways to get your boys to write. I'll definitely share these with parents I know.
Great tips, my parents could never stop me writing I was addicted from an early age. Praise and encouragement works well :O)
I'm going to fall back on the old and trusty whips and spurs. Heeyah, wee reader, heeyah!
Great tips! My eldest child loves loves LOVES to write. She's been writing since 5th grade and started off with a play. 🙂 She completed her first novel last year–so exciting.
I wish I could say the same for the rest of the kiddles. :/
♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥
Can Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?
YA Paranormal Romance, Darkspell coming fall of 2011!
@Elizabeth Congratulations to your daughter!! 🙂 My son did the same – did you see the post where I self-published his novel (for his grandma, teachers, friends)?
This is brilliant! You're such an awesome mom Sue!
Thanks, Susan! This post is made of awesome.
HI Susan .. great ideas – I can't remember writing etc .. but I must have done and loved getting pencils and drawing materials as a kid.
I usually give them as presents .. always welcome – thankfully someone else's walls get the drawings!!
Writing thank you letters – now that I do remember!
Cheers Hilary
I don't have kids, but this was interesting. How often do you get them to write?
@Hilary Thank you notes! How could I have forgotten those? We (try to) do a rash of those for every birthday and Christmas gift extravaganza. 🙂
Having the materials available and keeping it in manageable chunks sounds totally doable! Like you said, during the school year they're writing a-plenty, but I'll have to keep this in mind for the summer months.
Great ideas, Susan. I have one of each – a daughter who has to ask what the UPPER limit is on her writing homework (trees quake in her presence), and a son who sticks to the bare minimum. Both are good writers, so once I get my son writing, he does a good job, but it can be like pulling teeth.
One thing I found is that my son doesn't really like the physical activity of writing. Computers have been a huge help for him, and as he gets faster at typing, the push-back against writing has diminished quite a bit. So that's another little tidbit that might help some.
I'm glad to say we have something in common. I was at a presentation at the monster's school yesterday where he presented a project on what he wanted for his future. He talked about writing Alternative Universe Fanfiction in the past and told his team he is writing a book and will be publishing. I was told he must get it from me. lol. So we both have kidlet writers. My experience of encouraging him to write is different, he doesn't need any. He would write morning to night with no break if I let me. He has always been that way and we have stacks of paper and notebooks filling every inch of space. At least now he uses word and backs everything up online.
Great post! My son (13) loves to read, but writing? Uh, no. It's just not something he's all that interested in. I'm going to try out some of your "ways"!
Wonderful ideas!
@Robin trees quake LOL! And YES Computers are an absolute god-send for writing-challenged boys. I can't believe I forgot that one! 🙂 Thanks!
@Natasha Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Good ideas! I'm sure the theme "I hate writing" had them snickering, little weasels. 😉
My kids don't like to write either. But four of the five are adults or teenagers now, so I'm trying to make sure my twelve year old has a different outlook on writing. My rule with her is that she cannot go outside or play until she writes me a paragraph every single day, weekends included. Sometimes I let her write whatever she wants and some days I give her a theme. Yesterday the theme was write a paragraph using twenty words that are atleast 9 letters long. It helps her broaden her vocabulary and learn to use a dictionary.
Love your blog. I'm a new follower.
@Lena That sounds like a great routine – I think a little bit of something, regularly, can make a huge difference. Hopefully it will take! Thanks for the follow! 🙂
That's awesome that Dark Omen is working on his second novel! Kudos to you for being persistent and coming up with all these different tactics. Great ideas. Writing secret messages on the back of fortune cookies is my favorite, and I can see how that would be lots of laughs! What fun!
I don't know if you're interested in some cool writing prompts, but there's one blog I follow, and every Wed. his "Designing from Bones" post comes out. He researches all kinds of cool things that tie in with archeology, mythology, and other things that can appeal to boys. Then he offers ways to use some of the strange creatures or people in a story, in different genres. I just love those posts, and my post from yesterday features this blogger, mainly for his insight re blog awards, but I praise his writing prompt posts and have a link, so check it out if you think it might interest your boys!
Mine love to write. Getting them to actually contain content rather than just detail after detail and lots of pointless dialogue, well, that's another story.
I'm a new follower! Glad to meet you through your comment on my blog:)
@Laura Every writer (especially young ones!) have to start somewhere! 🙂 Thanks for the follow and for stopping by!
Ooh, great tips! (And the comments are amazing!!) 🙂
@Jolene I have the coolest commenters! They really make the conversation awesome. 🙂