I’m Anna from The Measured Mom, and I’m thrilled to be guest posting for Becky at This Reading Mama!
Today I’m posting about reading’s partner: writing.
I’d like to show you how to motivate your child to write. I’m going to share something simple and inexpensive that will get your child excited to put words on paper… whether that’s writing a letter to put on Mom or Dad’s desk, composing a thank you note, or writing an original story.
Create a Writer’s Toolbox!
Maybe your child has her own personal writing space and churns out story after story.
Maybe she does her writing schoolwork completely, but not creatively — she’s neat and accurate, but the story sure doesn’t keep your attention.
Or maybe she does her writing assignments kicking and screaming.
Perhaps you’re homeschooling your child and aren’t sure where to begin teaching her how to write. You set a writing prompt in front of her a few times a week, but don’t know where to take it from there. You’re both tired of the same routine.
Or maybe you’re like me. You know that whether or not you homeschool your children, their education begins and ends with you. You want to schedule daily writing time at home to help foster a love of writing and promote a stronger relationship with your child.
Even though my children attend our church’s parochial school beginning in kindergarten, I want to write with them at home. But I don’t want this to be a chore. I want it to be something they’re excited about.
So for my daughter’s sixth birthday I gave her this:
I bought a 12 x 12 inch plastic lidded box from a craft store. Then I added:
- a bright spiral notebook
- twistable colored pencils
- blank notecards
- her own return address labels (for those thank you notes!)
- new mechanical pencils
- a personal spelling dictionary (you can print one for free here)
- colorful sticky notes
Other ideas for a writer’s toolbox include:
- stickers
- stamps and a washable ink pad
- a picture dictionary
- a children’s thesaurus
- pictures glued on cards to spark writing ideas
You can make a writer’s toolbox as simple or fancy as you choose. As the parent, you know just what materials will inspire your child.
This summer I’m going to carve out regular writing time in the afternoons. My 6-year-old (and her 4 1/2-year-old) brother will join me at the kitchen table for some mini-lessons and writing sessions. They’ll pull out their writer’s toolboxes, and I’ll teach a simple mini-lesson and model by doing some writing myself. Then they’ll have a period of time to write on their own.
What are these mini-lessons, you ask? I’m so excited to announce that Becky and I will be collaborating on a series of writing mini-lessons beginning in August!
In the meantime, be sure to check out Becky’s 25 ways to make writing fun.
And hop over to my site to find out how to get your kids to love writing.
~Becky
Anna taught for eight years and received her Master’s in Education with a focus on literacy. In 2007 she began her career as a stay-at-home mom. Anna has a daughter (6) and three boys (4,3, and 1). She enjoys teaching them at home and after her daughter’s morning at kindergarten. You can find her blog at www.themeasuredmom.com.
What a cute gift idea! I know that would motivate me to write. 🙂 Have fun writing this summer!
What a wonderful idea. It makes the idea of writing seems like fun. I like the idea of having it in a box. I think a mobile box would work great for my kids because they can write on the go.
Yes, the box makes it perfect for mobile writing. 🙂
This is such a fun idea! Fortunately my kiddos really enjoy writing and sending thank you cards, but I know there are many that are looking for fun ways to encourage this. This is such a neat post! Encouraging and motivating by easy and FUN you make it! 🙂 Something extra we do for our kiddos is take them to the post office and let them pick out their own stamps. My 5 year old LOVES this as she sees it just as exciting as picking out stickers, and my 8 year old son loves it because it allows him an individual choice. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this bit of encouragement! Amanda
Love writing kits for kids. The one you created looks like fun!
This looks so fun even I want to write something! I definitely need to do something like this for my son’s 5th birthday that’s coming up. He is just getting into the stage where he likes writing and I want to capitalize on it. 🙂
I like the idea of making it a birthday present. I know he’ll enjoy that.
That’s a cute idea. My kids don’t have a writer’s toolbox, but they have access to all of these types of supplies. I keep them low so they can reach and in the middle of their play space. They draw pictures all the time.
I have a reluctant writer on my hands. Interestingly, she writes fine in school, but at home she balks despite a similar writing box that I put together for her some time ago. It only worked for the first week, but maybe the problem is as much with me as it is with her – to her it’s a chore that she has to get over with. I am looking forward to learning more about those mini-lessons!
My 8 year old son is one of those who resists any form of writing with a passion! This summer I gave him a nice journal and asked him to write a page about his day every evening ending with a question that he’s wondering about (modeled on Sam Beaver’s diary from “Trumpet of a Swan”). So far he’s been quite regular, I love reading his observations and comments on the day and he hasn’t complained! Keeping my fingers crossed for the next school year!