How to Help Your Writer

Materials Needed

It is best to have a special place to write with good lighting and a flat surface.

Some suggestions for materials to have handy are as follows: Pencils, pens, markers, paper, notebooks, envelopes, stapler, staple remover, crayons, markers, colored pencils, a special place to jot down story ideas

Get Your Child to Talk

If they can’t say it they won’t be able to write it.

Discuss things you do as a family.

Everyday activities and events.

Have your child answer in full sentences.

Discuss possible story ideas.

Connect Reading and Writing

Discussing stories and the author’s craft is key to connecting reading and writing. The following are examples of what you can discuss:

Point out what the author did to show the character action or thinking.

Discuss character feelings and how the author conveyed the emotion.

Discuss how the writer used pictures to convey meaning.

Discuss how the writer ended the story.

Talk about the author as real person.

Tell your child that he or she can write just like their favorite author.

Use Vocabulary as Used in the Classroom Setting

Stretch the story across the pages.

Stretch out the word to hear the sounds.

Add some detail to the story, such as feelings, actions, thinking parts.

Write about a small moment.

Add a “close in” ending.

Get a movie in your mind.

Tell the most important part.

What was the very next thing that happened?

Tell me about your story.

You can make a book about that.

Other Helpful Hints

Encourage your child to take risks.

Let your child stretch out words.

Don’t spell words for your child.

Try not to correct incorrect spelling until your child is a reader and knows the word does not look right.

Ask your child to read back their work to check for understanding and to make revisions.

Emphasize that all stories have a beginning, middle and end.

Check on writing through questioning: “Tell me about your story,” “Who is in the picture?”

Celebrate all the positives in the writing!

Make writing a part of everyday life by having your child keep a journal.

While away on vacation, write letters or note to friends and relatives.