Parents can help their children learn how to build writing skills

By November, most of our students, even our youngest students, are busy practicing their writing skills. Learning to write is an important part of each child’s education. Children need to understand how to organize their ideas and put them down on paper in a precise and logical way if they want to succeed as students in later years. Even colleges have recognized the importance of writing skills and require writing samples and essays when students submit college applications. As a parent, you can help your children learn to write well and to enjoy writing. The following ideas and activities will help you get started:

• Make sure your children have a well-lit area for writing. Have many different writing supplies available including paper, envelopes, post cards, pens, pencils, markers, etc.

• Suggest that your children keep lists to help them organize thoughts and actions.

• Visit the library. Reading the writing of many authors as well as enjoying various types of writing is often the first step in writing.

• Encourage your children to write letters and thank-you notes to relatives and friends. Have blank greeting cards available so that your children can write their own messages inside.

• With the holiday season approaching, a variety of age-appropriate word games are available for purchase to help children learn to write and spell, such as Bananagrams, Scrabble, Boggle, crossword puzzles, computer games, anagrams and flash cards.

• Encourage your child to keep a journal or diary.

• Let your children see you writing in order to demonstrate the importance of writing in everyday life

Writing is an important skill that will help your child throughout life. Giving children relevant opportunities to write helps them to become better writers.

To contact Kirby, call (937) 237-6300 or e-mail william.kirby@

huberheightscityschools.org.

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