Raising a Writer: Fabulous Ways to Nurture Young Writers

So you’ve got a child who loves to write—the kind of kid who enjoys spending his spare time plugging away on the novel or screenplay that he hopes to pitch to Hollywood someday! Summer is the perfect time of year to nurture your child’s interest in writing. Not only is your child likely to have more time to devote to writing projects during the summer months: his writing skills will be in prime form when school starts up again in September. Here are some fun activities that are guaranteed to score big points with kids who love to write.

A Novel Pursuit: Encourage your child to try his hand at writing a novel. (Who says you have to be a grownup to write a novel? Novelist Gordon Korman wrote his first book when he was 12 years old!)

Do the Zine Thing: If your child is more journalistically inclined, help her to start her own ‘zine (journalistic lingo for a small circulation publication). Hint: If she wants to keep costs to a minimum, she can publish her ‘zine online. Then she won’t have to pay for paper.

Map Magic: Encourage your child to make a map of the land described in a book he just read. Whether he just voyaged to Oz, Narnia, the Land of Nod, or some other exotic locale, he can create a map that shows the locations depicted in the story.

A Day in the Life: Create a photo album that captures a day in your child’s life. Photograph your child before she gets out of bed in the morning, after she goes to bed in at night, and during every hour in between. (Set a kitchen timer so that you remember to take your child’s photo at least once an hour.) Then, when you’re ready to create your book, your child can write about what is happening in each of the photos.

Family Time Capsule: Help your child to create a time capsule that can be sealed up and then reopened in five or ten years. Your child may want to interview older relatives, write a letter to himself at age 40, include lists of his current favourites (everything from movies to books to restaurant meals), and so on.

“How I Spent My Summer Vacation”: Ensure that your child will be prepared for the classic first-week-back writing assignment by providing her with a blank journal so that she can keep track of the highlights of this year’s summer vacation. She might decide to record details about the family trip, her summer gardening experiments, or fun things she did with her beloved pet. The sky’s the limit!

What’s Cooking? Encourage your child to collect favourite recipes from friends and relatives and to write his own cookbook. He can give each of the recipes a wacky name and write a small blurb about the person who provided the recipe.

Anything-but-Bored Game: The only thing more fun than playing a board game when you’re a kid is inventing your own. Provide your child with bristol board, markers, and any other art supplies you think she might need to make a truly fabulous board game. Remind her to include a set of rules so that all the players understand how the game is played. (This is where the writing fits in!)

Sidebar: How to Encourage a Reluctant Writer

Not every child considers writing to be fun. Some kids view it as an activity to be avoided at all costs! Here are some fun ways to encourage even the most reluctant of writers to give their writing skills a workout this summer.