Tips for Parents to Encourage Student Writing
* Coach – don’t write – for your child. Question, listen, and talk about writing together. Students need to do their own drafting, revising, and editing with you at the sidelines.
* Look first for what is done well in the writing and offer praise. Writing is a challenging task. Children need encouragement to be successful.
* Focus on ideas and content first. Save editing until the ideas are clear, complete, and focused.
* Listen attentively as your child reads writing to you.
* Encourage even the youngest writers to “read” their writing aloud whether it is scribbles, drawings, or strings of letters. Talk about the story.
* Read aloud to your children – no matter the age. Discuss good examples of writing from newspapers, magazines, poetry, descriptions from travel brochures, and instructions on toys, games. Read from fiction and non-fiction.
* Let your child SEE you write.
* Share your own writing with your children. Ask for their feedback on your effort.
* Turn off the TV.
* Visit the library.
* Read, read, read! Better readers make better writers!