Most children learn to write very early in their education, usually between the ages of 4 and 7. But it’s never too late to start teaching your kids to write! In fact, kids who learn to write early on become some of the most successful writers of all time. So it’s a great idea to start teaching your children how to write as soon as you can. But it can be hard to know where to begin, especially since there are so many different types of writing out there. Your child will need to learn to write creatively as well as apply the rules of grammar correctly. So it’s a good idea to break down the different elements of writing so that your child can learn the basics and then build on those foundations as they get older.
The Elements of Writing
Writing is made up of several different elements, including grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. Depending on your child’s age and educational background, you may decide to teach them one element at a time or split their attention between several different components. For example, if your child is learning to read but still can’t write, it might be a good idea to start by teaching them to be more specific with their letter formations and words. Once your child is confident using the right letter formations and words, then you can move onto other elements of writing like grammar and spelling.
Grammar
Grammar is simply the way we use language. For example, if you want to write a sentence, you would use proper grammar to do so. In general, grammar refers to the parts of speech, or words and phrases, and their correct usage. The most basic rule of grammar is to use ‘to’ and ‘from’ withing a sentence.
Spelling
Spelling is the ability to spell words correctly. This can be tricky for kids, especially since it requires a lot of practice. Like grammar, spelling also refers to the parts of speech and their correct usage. One of the most basic rules of spelling is to match the sounds of the words you’re spelling. So instead of ‘colour’, you would write ‘color’ if the word ends in a ‘ck’ sound, or ‘coal’ if it ends in a ‘g’ sound. Many children also have difficulty understanding the rules of spelling so it can be helpful to review and explain those rules to them until they can memorize and apply them independently. Some words are also spelled differently depending on the context they’re used in. For example, if you want to write a formal letter, you would write ‘colour’ as ‘colour’ but if you want to write a children’s story, you would write ‘colour’ as ‘colourful’
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the word or phrase you will use when writing. It is made up of two parts, root and suffix. You can start by teaching your child just a few words that they will use frequently within a context. For example, if you want to write an alphabet letter to a teacher, you might start by teaching your child the letters ‘a’ to ‘z’ and then extend it to include words like ‘alumni’, ‘binder’, ‘capris’, and so on. As they get older, start having them look up words in the dictionary and learn to apply the rules of grammar and spelling to their own sentences. You can also look up words that you know your child will encounter while reading and teach them how to spell those words correctly. Your child will need to learn to distinguish between words that are regular and those that are irregular. For example, ‘assimilate’ is a verb and ‘assimilated’ is a noun. While ‘assimilate’ can be used as both a verb and a noun, ‘assimilated’ can only be used as a noun. This can help them become more confident in their writing. When they are older, you can have them proofread their work to help them become independent readers.
Creative Writing
Creative writing is any type of writing that isn’t factual (like an encyclopedia or dictionary). It is made up of several different components like metaphor, simile, personification, and allegory. If your child is into art, you can have them use their art skills to make up imaginative stories and then write them down. Have them write down their stories in the first person (like “I saw a red car”) or the third person (like “Carol saw a red car”). If they want to write a poem, let them use whatever words and phrases they want in their poem and don’t worry about getting it right. You can also help them brainstorm ideas for their creative writing and then choose one to work on.
Applying The Basics
Once your child is competent in the above mentioned elements of writing, it’s time to move onto more advanced elements like sentence structure, punctuation, and planning. Once again, it depends on your child’s age and educational background which elements you will tackle first. For example, if they are learning to read and have trouble with words that end in ‘-ity’ endings, you may want to start by teaching them how to make sentences out of words. Once they can do that, then you can move onto other elements of sentence structure like the correct usage of ‘to’ and ‘from’ when referring to places and times. It is also a good idea to review the basics of grammar and spelling every month or so to keep their learning fresh in your child’s mind.