6. Use technology to improve writing. Encourage your child to send an e-mail to a friend or publish a story online with a program such as Little Bird Tales.
7. Allow your child to observe you writing on your own. Be a good role model and smile while you are doing it, too! Take time to share your writing with him or her and talk about how you use writing in your personal and professional life. Show a variety of different written work such as a written letter, business communication or journal page.
8. Connect writing with your child’s passion. If your son is interested in the Magic Tree House series of books, encourage him to write a letter to Mary Pope Osborne. If your daughter is interested in mysteries, have her create a scavenger hunt with written clues to find a hidden treasure.
9. Celebrate writing in a variety of ways. You could:
- Host a family “open mic” night once a month and take turns reading poems or stories written by family members out loud.
- Tape completed stories to the refrigerator.
- Do a happy dance together with your child when a completed writing project comes home from school with a positive note.
10. Last, but not least, it is important to provide time to write daily. In order for writing skills to improve, students must spend time writing. Add it to your family’s daily routine and build it into the schedule. This will help your writer to practice and gain confidence in his or her writing.
For additional writing tips, check out Sylvan's writing programs! Our expert tutors can create an individualized writing plan, share tips and guide your child through writing prompts he or she sees on a regular basis. As millions of successful students and their families will tell you, a little writing help at Sylvan goes a long way.