Parents who homeschool or send children to school know students require writing practice to improve writing skills. Finding projects that engage children’s interest and provide valuable practice is a need parents often struggle to meet. If the activity is dull or does not spark the child’s interest, it will be a constant battle between parent and child to complete the activity. Finding writing projects that a child will look forward makes writing more pleasurable for all parties involved.
Flat Stanley Projects Provide Multiple Writing Opportunities
Flat Stanley evolved from an entertaining fantasy book to an educational project designed to engage children in learning about mapping skills. Stanley or some other paper version of him is sent off into the world to visit friends and family who record through pictures and letters Stanley’s trip. Many versions of this lesson have evolved and now homeschool groups and individuals who do not have a chance to do this at school are using the Flat Stanley project at home.
The writing involved in this project starts with the initial letter to the participants involved. The letter describes the project and the purpose for Stanley’s visit. As letters or e-mails return about Stanley’s adventures, this is a great opportunity for children to catalogue Stanley’s adventures. Along with keeping a map of where Stanley has been and copies of the letters received, children can keep their own journal entries about Stanley’s adventures. Some add these journal entries to the letters received from Stanley’s hosts and create their own Flat Stanley adventure.
Shared Reading Journals with Parents
Reading response journals have long been a standard in schools. Parents and children can engage in casual writing exercises on a weekly or biweekly basis to discuss reading. The goal is not to recall content, but to discuss questions readers have while reading. Posts should be short and include a question for the responder to answer. Parents can set this up as a computer or written journal format. Each can keep their own journal and exchange, or one journal can be shared and switched to add posts.
The goal of the exercise is to get children to think more deeply about what they are reading, but it can be done in fun and silly ways. For instance, when discussing fairy tales, a reasonable question to ask would be why Red Riding Hood mistook the wolf for her Grandma. The adult posting might be a paragraph on thoughts regarding the issue and a question left asking the child to respond to the same question. Adults can also address emotional issues of books that are being shared and ask a child to share their response. Again, these responses should not be expected to be long and it is best not to make spelling and grammar the focus of the assignment. Participation is the goal.
Writing to Connect With Relatives
Distance can be a factor in family relationships. Children can have challenges overcoming long distance relationships with loved ones. Encourage written communication with letters and e-mails where possible. For parents who are successful in opening these lines of communication, the rewards are great. Children and adults benefit from lifelong relationships that would otherwise be less rich.
Many children do not know how to communicate with adults. They do not know what to say and often feel frustrated with the process. Change this problem by doing prewriting exercises. Parents should brainstorm writing ideas with their children. What has the child been doing lately that would be of interest to someone else to read? What activities have been going on in the family, at school, or in the community that would be worth sharing? Children should write down a list of possible topics and then choose the best ideas to include in the letter. This will improve writing skills and relationships.
While it can be challenging to get children to write, it is worth the effort by parents. Children become stronger writers and develop new skills. Parents have the opportunity to engage in personalized writing activities in ways teachers cannot. These are just a few starting points for parents to consider. Researching writing activities gives parents more choices for working productively with their children.
 |
