10 Writing Tips for Parents of Elementary Students: One of the most challenging tasks a parent has to do is helping their children improve their academic writing. Mostly, students turn to such professional essay services as CustomWritings.com to take control of their studies online, – but parents also take part in this process.
The best way to do so is a constant practice. Sadly, children especially in the elementary stage are very likely to be reluctant to do any extra homework. Writing has been linked with increased learning and reading capacity in a recent report by Carnegie Corporation of New York. The key here is to give them writing exercises that are fun as well as beneficial. So, whether it’s for homeschooling, summer practice, or simply to help your children improve their capabilities, these 10 writing tips and ideas are for you.
1.  Create a Creative Space
A good way to stimulate your child’s creativity is to help them personalize their own writing space. First, you need to agree together on a space that could be a desk or a room. It doesn’t matter where space is, what’s important is consistency in order to build a routine. Another important thing to consider is to keep that space as minimal and clutter-free as possible. There are many things you can do to organize the space for your child to be as stimulating as possible without distractions.
2.  Fun Writing Materials
While writing on an old-fashioned pen and paper may seem like the best way to practice writing, you can still mix things up a little while remaining unplugged. For example, you can buy different kinds of colourful paper, or a notebook that they are drawn to. A good idea might be to get a whiteboard and let them write the grocery list for example. Children at that age have a very short attention span and will definitely get bored with writing exercises if they are monotonic. Remember to avoid making their exercises feel like homework at all costs!
3.  Write About Things They Love Doing
Most children in elementary school do their math homework, but not all of them actually like math. It’s the kids who actually find something enjoyable about a subject that is capable of excelling in it. Therefore, it’s important for parents to let their children write about things they enjoy. However, not all kids like the same things. For example, some kids enjoy reading fiction or magazines, as a parent, you can let them describe their favourite character, or write about why they love that particular book. On the other hand, you might find some kids are passionate about movies or video games. Let the child choose what to write about as long as they’re writing.
4.  Journal Writing
A personalized daily journal can really help children’s ability to express themselves. It doesn’t have to be a full account of their day, but instead, let them write a simple thing about the day. A good way to stimulate them is to ask them to write down 3 things they did today, or even what they had for lunch at school. It doesn’t matter if it’s something remarkable or mundane, the important thing is that they write something different each day.
5.  Writing How-tos
One of the best ways to keep your child stimulated is to ask them to routinely write a detailed instruction manual on how to do something. It can be something as simple as how to make their favourite sandwich or how to make a Facebook profile. This kind of exercise will help kids be more focused on their writing. When they remember all the small details that make a simple task and translate that to words they learn to be more attentive in day to day life and in their writing.
6.  New Vocabulary
It’s more than likely that students in elementary school will learn new words or phrases every day. A good exercise for them can be to keep a glossary journal. In that journal or notebook, they can write all the new words that they learned and their definitions. This will not only help them remember the definitions for school but it will also add to their vocabulary which they can use later in everyday writing.
7.  Arts and Crafts
In order to avoid the repetitiveness of having children write essays every time they practice writing, you can mix writing with arts and crafts. For example, you can have them create their own comic book and draw illustrations as well as write dialogue. Another idea can be to do simple DIY projects and have them write about it in their journal. There are a ton of arts and crafts for children online and you can easily use them as fun but stimulating a break from conventional writing exercises.
8.  Letters
One of the best ways to improve your child’s English writing skills is to write regular letters to each other. This will help them learn the formal voice and how to properly utilize it to describe everyday events. You can even take it a step further and have them write letters to relatives or friends. You don’t even have to send it if that could embarrass them. The important thing is that they learn how to write a letter and properly express themselves.
9.  Describe the Picture
This is a simple exercise you can do with your children that won’t cost a thing. You can download an image from the internet or get it from any source and have them describe what they think is going on in the picture. This will both help them develop their writing skills and stimulate their imagination.
10.   Patience
There are a million ways for parents of elementary students to help their children practice their writing skills. However, the most important thing is for them to be patient and positive with their children no matter what. In the end, the slightest sensation of reluctant obligation from the child will cause your efforts to backfire and might even make the child lose interest in writing completely. Even if the child’s writing is relatively weak, it will get better over time if you keep an encouraging and supportive attitude.
