More on how parents can help improve their child’s writing    074

This entry summarises some of the main methods parents can use to make a difference to their child’s writing. There’s nothing hard; most of the methods are things you may already be doing. Just do things a little more consistently.

1) Borrow two or more quality books each week from the school and/or council library. The more books the better and there must be a variety. They don’t have to be finished or even started. What is important is that there is a period of undisturbed reading on at least five days a week.  Talk about what your child is reading.

2) Turn off the TV, computer etc. The less screen time the better. Children need to spend time doing things and growing their own minds. Children should not need to be constantly entertained. Imaginative children can amuse themselves for hours with almost nothing because they create things in their minds. Other children complain of being bored in minutes.

3) Take children out every one or two weeks to an interesting and new place. A ferry trip to Manly costs very little, for example, and provides a wealth of experience.  See, do, talk and create. The world is more exciting than your child’s bedroom and his or her brain needs an outing!

4) Be an interested reader of what your child writes. Do not say that the writing is not good enough. Do not suggest, for example, that better words should have been used. Do not place emphasis on spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. Writing is all about the pleasure of communicating, not about getting it right.

5) Writing improves when children think about it before they start. Sometimes they need to jot down a few ideas first. It is very important to then improve those ideas by moving them around, adding and deleting. Parents should not help with ideas—your child must learn this for him or herself.

6) Once writing starts children should not stop or change anything, not even a full stop or capital letter. Writing continuously in this way improves flow, creativity and confidence. Of course there is a place for children to revise, edit and proofread—but in general this is best left to the teacher.

7) Do not over use baby talk. In general, use normal adult vocabulary and sentences when speaking to your child. Talk to your child as often as possible—don’t waste the time you have. Parental speech is a major source of language development for children and over time it adds up to a very noticeable difference in what your child can do.

The general task for parents then is clear—to help give opportunities for children to gain ideas, create and then communicate. What you do at home is just as important as what happens at school.  Remember that education is very much a team game—children, parents and teachers all working together.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services