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Writing Activities for Children
by Melvin Carwin
http://www.readywriting.com

Whether you're a teacher looking for activities for your
class or a parent who wants to share a love of writing with
your child, one of these children's writing activities will
fit the bill. Each one is designed to stimulate imagination
and polish skills that will carry them for a lifetime.

First, a few important rules to help stimulate your child's
love of writing. Most important of all, read to them. No
single other thing will influence them more than hearing the
written word read aloud. Pick from the best read-aloud
books, but don't stick with children's books on their
reading level. Read poetry and Dr. Seuess, recite nursery
rhymes and any other language you can find that has a well
defined rhythm. More than anything else, the rhythm of
poetry and nursery rhymes train the ear to hear the subtle
patterns that make up the best writing.

Play silly word games with them frequently. Rhyme names and
play with sounds. Encourage them to make up their own words
and rhyme sounds. You can start doing this from the moment
they're born. It will make them aware from the very start of
the sound and shape of words.

Read out loud to them. One of the most important things you
can do to foster a love of writing is to read out loud to
your child. Read from a wide variety of things - believe it
or not, even a toddler will appreciate the subtle rhythms
and rhymes in poetry that is meant for someone far older. A
particular favorite at my house: Jamaica Market, by poet
Agnes Maxwell-Hall with its strong rhythms and rhyme
patterns.

Make writing fun to do. Remember that writing begins with
scribbles. Sit down with your kids and color with crayons.
Put their name on their artwork, and encourage them to do
the same. Give them blank paper for coloring instead of
coloring books, and ask them to tell the story of their
pictures.

Play word games to pass the time. Whether we were laying in
bed on a lazy Sunday morning or traveling in the car, my
mother was prone to start a word game. It might be GHOST -
with each of us adding a letter to a word until the last
person was forced to finish it -or a rhyming game, or a
storytelling game. It fostered creativity and problem
solving skills, as well as making words fun.

Keep playing word and writing games as they grow up. Use
them to encourage creative exploration of story ideas and
problem solving. Some of the favorite games that my own
children enjoyed are:

Writing from the Beginning Bringing stories to a close is
one of the more difficult writing skills to learn. Far too
ofen, students' writing efforts just 'run out of steam'. For
this exercise, YOU provide the wrapup and let the kids
collaborate on how you got there. Just to give you an idea
how it works, try this ending: By the time the plane landed,
I'd learned my lesson. As I climbed out of the cockpit, I
swore I'd never doubt my mother's word again.

Writing Down Your World This writing activity is about as
simple as it gets. Just hand out blank paper and pen with
the instruction to start writing at the word now. Write down
whatever you see, hear, taste, smell, feel or think. Don't
make any attempt to put your thoughts into sequence or even
sentences. Just warm up your writing hand and write till
you're told to stop. The point of the exercise is using
observation in writing. Try this one a few times a month
just to keep everyone in the practice of using all their
senses when describing scenes.

Encouraging a love of writing and imparting the skills
needed to be a good writer isn't a difficult thing to do.
Just communicate your own love of the written and spoken
word and you'll find that your children follow suit.

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