Writing is one of the most effective ways of communication in today’s world. And when I say writing, its not just limited to books and a paper, but even e-mails and various other social mediums need content to be written. Let’s find out how to encourage writing in children?

The best writers are avid readers. Read to your child every day. You say your child’s in middle school? Read to your child every day. Pick a book above your child’s reading ability, or take turns reading pages in a book of his choice. When your children are young, tell stories in the car, the doctor’s office, or when you’re pushing the stroller. Above all, talk to your children to encourage writing in children.

When your two-year-old scribbles and calls it his name, he’s writing. When your child writes a string of letters and tells you what it says, he’s writing. And when your little one draws a picture and adds a single word, she’s writing too. Call it that. Celebrate it!

So, how to motivate a child to write? When you’re in a rush to head out the door and are scribbling down a grocery list – and your tiny tot hangs over your shoulder and asks what you’re doing – take a second. Show him. Let him watch you make lists, send e-mails, write thank you notes, and compose a note for his lunch box.

Writing doesn’t just happen. It’s a skill that develops slowly after much practice. When parents provide an environment that encourages writing, their children are motivated to write. What kinds of things can you do at home to boost writing development in early childhood? Here are a few simple suggestions for preschoolers, middle and high schoolers, and writers of all ages.

Preschool

• Give your children appealing writing supplies. Show them the right 4 year old writing examples.
• Put a chalk or dry erase board on the wall at your children’s eye level to encourage them to write.
• Write down the stories that your preschoolers tell you.
• Encourage your children to make birthday and greeting cards for friends and relatives.

Middle School

• Put a wipe-off board up in the kitchen to serve as the family message center.
• Children can make their own Family newsletter and write about their experiences about activities done with various family members.
• Encourage your children to keep diaries or journals.
• Have your child write the grocery list or thank you notes!
• Let your children see you write.
• Thinking about how to teach a child to write letters? Encourage them to write letters to relatives, friends and help them post it.

High School

• Set up a 10-minute period twice a week when you and your children communicate only through writing.
• Encourage your children to use e-mail and chat with friends on the computer under your supervision.
• Children can use a word processing program with a grammar checker.
• Talk about great writers and what inspires you about their writing
• Frequent writing assignments in school could help in the development of imaginative skills and writing skills for kids.

All Ages

• Encourage your children to read as it will teach them about sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary. Good readers normally become good writers.
• Show your children that you value their writing. Praise content rather than focusing on errors.
• Encourage your children to revise and rewrite until they are truly satisfied with the results.

Hope this helped you get some engaging ideas for how to encourage writing in preschool, middle school and any other age. Try the tips out and perhaps these tips would encourage writing in children.

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In recent times, parents have realized that they just don’t want their children to be academically inclined but want to have an all-round development of their children’s personality.  And the foundation to this starts with learning the right skills in school.

Since children spend half their time at school. And during that time, they experience certain events which cause them to come to conclusions about who they are, their role in the world, and their value.

It’s fantastic to see that some schools have already acknowledged the importance of life skills and have made it part of their curriculum. Teaching ‘Personality and Values’ as a core subject. They have started teaching life skills in primary school only.

Most schools have realized that success is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics. It doesn’t matter how many degrees children have. Without a healthy self-image, confidence and great communication skills – their success will be limited. They will suffer from a fear of failure and rejection. Meaning they will never go for the things they want. They won’t take risks. They will avoid social situations or opportunities to shine. They will constantly doubt themselves at every turn. They will continuously compare themselves to others, believing they will never be enough. Or, driven by insecurity, they will become angry, rude, arrogant or obnoxious and sabotage their success by not being able to build good relationships. Or make a good impression. It’s high time schools understand how to teach life skills to students.

Hence, it is imperative a school should include certain Life skills, skills that children learn with intentional daily activity. Here are a few skills learned in school that is useful in the job and further life:

1. Focus and Self-Control

Children thrive on routines, which not only create a feeling of security, but also help children self-control and focus. Talk with your child about what to expect each day. Organize your home so your child knows where to put shoes, coats, and personal belongings. Engage them in puzzles which help them to focus for longer hours without getting distracted.

2. Perspective-Taking

Emotional Intelligence is one of the most important quality that children can develop in school and one of the life skills every child should know. Thinking about another’s point of view doesn’t come naturally to most children, but it can be developed. Discuss characters’ feelings and motivations in the books you read.

3. Communication

Children need high-touch personal interactions every day to build healthy social relationships including the ability to understand and communicate with others. While the pace at which they develop these skills may vary, children need to learn how to read and listen carefully. They must consider what they want to communicate and the most effective way to share it.

4. Making Connections

The more connections we make, the more sense and meaning we make of the world. Young children begin to see connections and patterns with basic household items like toys and socks. Simple acts, such as choosing clothing appropriate for the weather, helps them build connections.

5. Critical Thinking

We live in a complex world in which adults are required to analyze information, make decisions about myriad things every day and gain life skills activities for students. One of the best ways to build creative thinking is through playtime. Make sure your child has time each day to play alone or with friends. This play might include taking on roles (pretending to be fire fighters or super heroes), building structures, playing board games, or playing outside physical games, such as tag or hide-and-go-seek. Through play, children formulate thoughts, take risks, try out their ideas, make mistakes and find solutions—all essential elements in building critical thinking.

Times are changing but with schools incorporating changes in their teaching methods we can raise the next generation to be better people – and the world could be a better place with the child development skills list.

Finding the right school for your child that provides a balance of academics and overall development can be a tiresome job. Moreover, it should also be acknowledged if the school ensures the development of skills other than academics too. Edustoke can help you make the process easier. Talk to our counselors for genuine advice on school search. Connect for a free counseling session today!

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If you have been a good reader all your life, you would probably want that for your children. But when you see your children opting for a silly video on YouTube or preferring to play video games instead of grabbing the next Hardy Boys, Nancy drew or even an Enid Blyton book, you know you might have to intervene. Here are 5 tips that might help in the development of reading habit in children:

The importance of reading can’t be stressed enough. We all know that reading does not only increase the child’s vocabulary but also expands their knowledge. It enhances their imagination and even makes them good listeners but needless to say the digital world is giving the old school habit of reading some serious competition. However, all is not lost if you make reading a fun activity for kids.

Here are 5 ways to encourage the reading habit in your child:

1. Be a Role Model

A child will always grow fond of taking up an activity which they see at home. If you read in front of them and share stories of what you read to them, they will grow to be fond of books too as they will watch how much joy and happiness you derive from reading books.

• Set up a reading corner

Children are often fascinated by their surroundings. Setting up a cosy, full of books nook could encourage them to keep coming back to their nook to read. You could also set up a fortress by putting a blanket on two chairs which would fascinate them enough too. The more creative their surrounding the more they would look forward to read in their creative nook.

• Help bring books to life

When kids see what they read in actual life that helps them get a clear picture in their head. For example, if your child reads a book on the ugly duckling, you could take them to a zoo and they could actually see a duck and the beautiful swan in real life. This extends their reading experience.

• Read the book and then watch the movie

You can always give an incentive to your child to watch a movie on the book they read. For example, if your child has read a book on Cinderella, you could set up a movie night and watch the movie together. It’s a great way to motivate reluctant readers.

• Read-a-Loud

“Reading aloud is both educational and social, so there are layers of value there,” Plus, children learn to read best—and to love it most—when they hear countless stories over many years in a meaningful context (think cuddling on a parent’s lap). Listening also gives tired readers a break. So, keep reading aloud once in a while and encourage your child to do the same.

A child’s reading skills are important to their success in school as they will allow them to access the breadth of the curriculum and improve their communication and language skills. In addition, reading can be a fun and imaginative time for children, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them. 

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