Nurturing a Writer
If you are fortunate enough to have a young child that is articulate and has an imagination you can easily nurture their writing talent by taking dictation. This form of modeling the writing process affords the child an opportunity to see their ideas come to life without the frustration of the task of writing. It is never too early to start if your child has language and is already expressing ideas. Modeling the writing process is a powerful and empowering process for a young child.
When a child sees their words on paper written with purpose and intention, the glee in their voice and smile on their face will provide a moment to capture their creativity and nurture the writer inside them with the first in a series of baby steps.
Here are 8 tips to nurture the writer in your young child.
1.Print the words your child dictates legibly. Make a big deal about directionality. Show them how you start from left to right and top to bottom as you are writing the words. Stretch the individual sounds as you are spelling the words.
2. Record the exact words as your child offers, please do not edit yet. Over correcting will squelch their voice.
3. Offer a prompt or encouragement as needed. Model thinking out loud with your ideas for a jump start.
4. Read the finished creation out loud and point to the words as you read them.
5. Have your child provide illustrations for the text.
6. Date the work and have your child sign her name as the author. The ownership of the text is important.
7. Use a tape recording device to replay sentences as the ideas of your little one grows larger.
8. Have fun, laugh and celebrate the story.
Cindy
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I did many of these with my kids and I now have two wonderful writers! These are great tips, Cindy, and they really work.
janice’s last blog post..Take Time to Treasure What’s Important
Thanks Janice. We have a new wave of parents that we need to bring on board as their children are 21st Century Learners. Writing is a part of the language process that does not get the attention it needs and deserves in our public education system. As the first teachers, parents have a huge responsibility to provide support in an academic area that barely scratches the surface during the school day. It is a fun and meaningful way to connect with children no matter what their age.
cindy platt’s last blog post..How to Nurture a Writer
I loved these tips! As a mother of a reluctant reader/writer I learned early on, the importance of not over-correcting. My son is gradually learning to “accept” writing because he knows I will love whatever he wrote, even if it’s “palees” for “police” and “trakter” for “tractor.” I also don’t freak out when his stories are about guns, bombs, and explosions. I just say, “Some illustrations would go well with this.” (Tip #5)
I learned that the best way to correct when I need to is to tell him that I want to print out a “professional” copy on the computer, and does he mind if I correct his spelling for the professional copy? He loves seeing his work in print and doesn’t get discouraged about corrections that way. I tell him that’s what editors are for and that great writers have an editor.
Randi’s last blog post..Sunday Serenity 6-28-09
Wow, I never thought about writing a narrative that was given orally by a young child. This is a great idea. I’ll have to pass this information on to my children when they have my grandchildren.
LisaNewton’s last blog post..The Los Angeles Metro is now on Google Maps
Randi: Nice tip on the “professional copy” Hope your son will submit a writing sample for any of our writing prompts this summer. The July prompt has been sent in the newsletter and we are eager for submissions from your students any time.
Lisa: Modeling and showing the expected outcome is one of the most powerful forms of teaching language and the art of story making to our youth. Glad you liked the idea.
Hi Cindy:
I stumbled across the NEA website and there’s a picture that looks remarkably like… YOU!! Is it you? http://www.nea.org/