Author: Vidya Prabhakar
As I write this piece, I cannot but think of school days and summer vacations. At the end of two months of happy abandon, my mom would present me with the task of writing an essay on “how I spent my summer vacation”. Needless to say, this was the least favourite part of the vacation – especially to have to account for all the mischief I got into! Fast forward several years, I realise that my well-intentioned mom knew what she was doing. Parents often set the stage for writing early on by infusing enthusiasm and providing opportunities for children to write. Writing is not simply a useful practical skill; it is also a fine way to express ideas and feelings. It is never too early to encourage children to write.
Tips
Reading aloud is the best way to develop the interest to read and write. Writing is a natural spin off to reading. Simple things such as making shopping lists or taking down phone messages are small steps in this direction. The tools of trade, namely, dictionary, reference books , encyclopaedias and a thesaurus- to help make word choices are basic essentials to start this pattern of lifelong communication. Thoughtful and noncritical comments from an enthusiastic audience add appeal to the task.
Activities
So you have a budding writer at home. How can you engage him/her creatively? Here are some activities that can get their creative juices flowing.
- Encourage children to make a list of things such as their hobbies, favourite person, animal or things they would like to know more about. This list will provide a host of topics from which to choose, refer and write about.
- Read books aloud/ along with kids. Allow them to come up with their thoughts on the story, the characters, plot and ending. This could encourage your young book critic to write a book review!
- Dispel holiday boredom by picking up copies of old newspapers and magazines and challenging your kids to come up with captions and slogans for pictures. This is a good way to stretch imagination and vocabulary.
- Choose a classic story, say, Red Riding Hood, and let the kids give it a modern twist, retaining the same characters. You would be surprised to see versions of Red Riding Hood riding a bus or rushing on roller skates to see her grandmother in another planet altogether.
- You can even develop editing and proofreading skills in your young writer. Make deliberate mistakes while you write and ask them to go over your work for errors and corrections.
- There are plenty of ways to deal with a topic – Give your child a chance to explore this by choosing a single topic, say, “Music”. She can write about her music lessons, learning to play an instrument, review a music book, write a poem or story based on music or interview a local musician. These dimensions allow them to identify their areas of interest.
- Older children may benefit from maintaining an “observation log”. Journaling records incidents, events and feelings, which can form the basis of any future work and offer topic inspiration.
- Revive the forgotten tradition of letter writing. Encourage children to write to their grandparents once a month. A short simple letter that recounts their routine or even recrimination against parents is not just a way to bond with the family but also a great way to polish writing skills.
- Is there a wedding or a birthday celebration in the family? Make your child the official reporter of the family event. Encourage them to employ the five W’s – Why, When, Where, What and Who to compose this report. Share it with the family and seek feedback.
- Are you thinking of a fun party game? Come up with a topic idea, maybe even a simple proverb. Let one participant start a thread and allow others to add to it individually to result in a cohesive piece of writing. This lets their imagination take over and allows for collaborative writing.
Online resources for young writers
For the tech savvy, hooked-to-the-internet generation, some delightful websites offer opportunities to hone their writing skills. Here is a look at some of them.
There are several Indian magazines targeted at children. Some of these are available online and offer a host of opportunities for young writers to contribute and get published. Tinkle, a popular magazine has a simple registration process that allows children to write and contribute to their regular features. Click here to know more and participate in the Tinkle contest. Chandamama, another popular children’s magazine comes up with monthly writing contests based on a given theme. Click here for contest details.
Wacky web tales is a website that offers children 7 years and older, a wide variety of topics to choose. They can then fill a list with nouns and verbs. Thereafter, simply click to see a story with all the words that they have used. Monster motel is yet another interactive site that allows children to create characters, come up with instant stories and ideas.
Getting their words out there
Your youngster has come up with a great piece of work- it is time now to get it published. There are several ways to find real readers for their projects. Make a scrapbook out of the writing, add visual aids such as pictures, data, maps or charts , bind it together hand them out to family and friends. Submitting the write up to a local kid’s magazine or a local newspaper is yet another idea. Submitting entries to writing contests offer an opportunity to get their work recognised. School magazines and newsletters are good place to share their writing. Chillibreeze solutions Pvt. Ltd offers you a chance to publish your child’s writing in the form of an eBook that keeps their work alive forever!
Encourage your children to grab a pen and get their words together. It will be the start of a lasting passion.
For more information about publishing your child’s story, contact epublishing@chillibreeze.com
About the author:
Full Name: Vidya Prabhakar – Vidya is a Chartered Accountant and a Psychology postgraduate. She has worked in finance, banking and the content development industry. Reading, writing, baking and needle crafting are among her many pursuits.
Please Note: Chillibreeze does not endorse techniques or views mentioned in the articles here. The articles listed here are provided as reference material for writers as a support service.
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