Exploring creative writing with your child is about more than just spending a few odd hours here and there showing your child how to write in a fun way. There are in fact many benefits to children learning how to master creative writing from a young age. It helps improve their handwriting, broadens their vocabulary, introduces them to different genres and styles of writing and expands their imagination. Who would’ve thought one activity could help a child so much? There are many things that can be done at home with your child to help them explore their creative writing. Here is some advice from a private nursery in Hitchin on how to get started.
Encourage reading from a young age
Encourage reading from a young age. Reading is what will help your child to understand different genres and introduce them to different writing styles too. The more child reads, the better they will become at writing as well. This is because they will become familiar with different sentence structures and spelling and grammar. Encourage them to mix up the genre of books that they read such as fiction and non-fiction, until they find something that they truly enjoy to read.
Write a review
Once your child has finished a book, set them a project to write a review. Ask them to use various types of adjectives to describe the positive and negative aspects of the story. Ask them to include how the book made them feel and what kind of emotions experienced while reading it. Did they have a favourite character? At the end of the book review, get them to rate the book. Who would they recommend it to as well.
As your child gets more comfortable with their writing, a task that you can give them as to rewrite the ending of a book they have previously read. Sit down together and explore how small changes can make the biggest difference to the end of the story and lead to a completely different outcome. This is an easier way than starting off a story from scratch because the plot and characters have already been set in stone.
Use mind maps
Use mind maps when needed. This is a great tool for when your child comes to writing their own pieces from beginning to end. This can be used to build on plots and characters or to simply jot down any passing thoughts that can be added into the writing later on. The ideas are endless.
