Creativity is an art. It can be in the form of stories, paintings, drawings or even poetry. Creative writing is that writing that is outside the bounds of professional, journalistic and even academic forms of literature.
Have you ever read a story book or novel and wondered how amazingly the author has described every character and how perfectly each scene is set. Sometimes it so well-written that you can imagine exactly how everything might have happened. Creative writing is a skill that can be polished. English being the second most used language, it would not be an exaggeration to state that giving your child the creative writing in English would be an investment.
Writing can be a very valuable skill. Below are a few tips to help your child develop and improve their English creative writing skills.
A few steps our teachers follow:
1. Encourage students to read:
Reading and writing go hand in hand. You cannot develop one skill without the other. We can get your child to read, the chances of improving their creative writing skills increase. Encourage them to read English newspapers, story books, short stories. This will not only improve their vocabulary but will also develop an interest in writing.
2. Give them time for reading and writing:
With today’s busy schedules of both the parents and the children, it’s wise to take time out for reading and writing. Make your student read English stories before bed, ask them about it next day in class. Set some time aside during class to do creative writing.
3. Focus on creativity!
The most important thing to become a good creative writer in English is the creativity. Since English is not their first language, do not discourage them for not having a grasp on the proper grammar. The teacher in the English creative writing classes should help bloom the creativity.
4. Make it exciting
Play games and activities that encourage writing. Crossword puzzles and word games are great for everyone. Little ones will especially like the “write the word” game: where they search for items and write down the word when they find each item.
5. Make writing worksheets
For young children just learning to write, try creating a worksheet where they can trace letters and words. Write out letters and words, place another piece of paper on top, and have your child trace onto the blank piece of paper. You can also create a connect-the-dots game by having your child trace along dotted lines and then tell you which letter or word they find.
6. Write letters
Today, writing letters is a bit of a lost art. Encourage your child to write letters to friends or family members. Distant family members will especially love receiving handwritten letters and it’s a great way to work on improving writing skills for kids.
Having penpals are also a fun idea, or you can even write letters to each other and leave them around the class to find. You can make students write letters to their classmates too.
7. Utilize technology to your advantage
There’s no getting around the fact that technology plays a huge part in our lives. Use it to your advantage by having your child create a blog. This can help your child work on improving his or her writing skills by encouraging frequent writing habits.
8. Generate story prompts
A fun way to improve kids’ creative writing skills is to have them write short stories. Cut out pictures from a magazine with different characters or locations, or write down different words. Place these in a container or glue them to cards to use as writing prompts for creating a unique story. This also makes a fun activity for the whole family to join in.
9. Praise their efforts
The most important thing for a student is appraisal. Show lots of interest in your child’s writing and stories. Ask questions, celebrate when he or she brings home a good piece from school, and encourage his or her writing as much as possible. Appreciation, especially from the teacher can do wonders for the students’ self-esteem. This will definitely help them improve their creative writing skills.