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Creative writing is great for young people, because it provides them with a way to express their thoughts in an imaginative way. At the same time, it helps a child develop various key skills, by expanding their vocabulary and improving their spelling and grammar. It helps them learn how to think outside the box and become better communicators. Some children struggle with putting their thoughts down on paper in a coherent manner, which is why it’s a great idea for parents to explore creative writing activities with them at home. Here are some tips from an independent prep school in Buckinghamshire.
Before your child starts a creative writing project, help them get in the right mindset by preparing a ‘writing environment’. They’ll need a desk/ table, a writing journal, and lots of pens or pencils. Encourage them to brainstorm some ideas of what they might like to write about and consider printing out some images to help spark their imagination. Mind maps are also great, because will encourage your child to start thinking about some key words and phrases related to the theme of the story. Look up some writing prompts or sentence starters online to help get the writing process started, like “Once upon a time…” for example.
If they are struggling to know what to write about, perhaps encourage them to start with a simpler task, like re-writing the final chapter of an existing book that they have enjoyed reading in the past. This will be easier than writing their own story from scratch, as the characters and plot have already been established. Creative writing is all about freedom of thoughts, so try and encourage them to get some ideas down on paper before they start finetuning their spelling and sentence structure. The editing can come later.
Promoting a creative environment at home will help your child with their writing skills and can potentially provide a window into their little mind’s. You’ll probably be surprised what you can learn about your child through these kinds of activities.