Why It's Essential To Be Proactive With Your Child's Writing Skills

By middle school, most teachers expect students to know how to write. And yet, many children aren’t prepared.

A majority of students lack essential writing skills, such as how to properly structure a sentence and how to correctly use grammar.

There are various contributing factors, including these:

• Many state or provincial writing tests are optional or simply don’t exist.
• Teachers can’t afford time in the classroom to devote to foundational processes and concrete steps to achieve writing excellence.
• AND, let’s face it—schools are juggling many other priorities right now and only have so many minutes in a day. (We totally get it!)

Yet still, written communication is and will continue to be a critical 21st-century skill, and employers report that more recent hires are severely lacking in written communication skills.

Now that the school year has ended, here are a few questions to ask yourself to reflect on how you think your child is really doing with their writing skills:

• How did your child managing their writing assignments?
• Did your child find writing assignments to be overwhelming?
• Is your child having difficulty expressing thoughts? Grammar usage?
• Did your child receive poor grades on projects or reports? Do they have to do any presentations, like on PowerPoint?
• Does your student feel confident reaching out to teachers via email?
• Can your child advocate their questions or confusion?

If any of those answers make you think your child could use extra support with writing, it’s OK. Focusing on writing skills NOW can make a big impact on your child’s success and happiness later—both in school and in 21st-century careers.

(Want to learn some more? Keep reading!)

Investing in a Sylvan Summer Writing Program Can Help Your Child Immensely

Whether you want to give your child a competitive edge or you simply want to help your child avoid unnecessary struggle ... You can put them on the right path with a writing program at Sylvan!

Our writing programs can help your child with these 10 things ...

1. Develop the communication and critical thinking skills needed to excel in grade school, middle and high school, college/university and a range of careers.
2. Score higher on tests.
3. Bring home better grades.
4. Hear much-needed praise from a tough teacher.
5. Feel smarter and more self-assured as tricky concepts finally click!
6. Stop butting heads with you every night over school writing assignments (yes!).
7. Make smarter use of time.
8. Discover the joy can come from effectively expressing one’s self through written words!
9. Build perseverance (no more giving up after 10 minutes!).
10. Learn to LOVE writing (yes—love it!).

And that’s just the beginning.

Here’s Why It’s So Important To Be Proactive With Your Child’s Writing Skills

Written communication skills are VALUED 21st century skills among employers

• 86% — The number of corporate recruiters who say strong communication skills are a top priority for hiring.
• More $$ — Employees with better writing skills tend to earn more money (particularly in fields like engineering & manufacturing, finance, management, legal, and sales & marketing).
• 79% — The number of organizations that have identified communication skills as a priority for employee development and succession planning.
• 72% — Number of HR managers and other executives who say written communications skills are “very important” for job success.

Unfortunately, There’s a Significant Skill Gap Between What Employers Expect … and What They’re Getting

• 81% — Number of employers who say their recent high school hires have a skill gap in written communications.
• 59% — Number of employers who say their recent college/university hires do not have proficient oral/written communication skills.

Are You Ready to Get Your Child's Writing Skills Up?

Whether your child needs to increase vocabulary, improve grammar skills or become more proficient at essay writing, your local Sylvan can provide the supplemental support that leads to greater learning and success (and less stress with writing)!

And, the slower summer pace is the perfect time to really focus on enhancing writing skills, without the pressure of trying to keep up with the class or assignments. Learn more about Sylvan's writing programs today!