About KidWrite!

KidWrite! Language Arts was founded in 2007 by Gina Hagler as a way to reinforce and build upon the Language Arts instruction kids receive in school. As a published author and freelance writer, Gina wanted to create a program that children would look forward to after a day of school. She wondered whether the same methods that fostered creativity and learning in adult writers could be applied successfully to young writers.

Gina augmented her personal experience with coursework, training, and readings on methods for teaching writing. This coursework included Teaching Writing at Johns Hopkins University, the Six Traits for Grades K-3 at the University of Wisconsin, and Distance Education at UMGC. She concluded that, while each had proven merits, none was ideally suited to an after-school program. KidWrite! needed those concepts and more.

As a result, this KidWrite! site focuses on a blend of writing, literature, and vocabulary activities. The program spirals — growing in complexity as your child masters each level of skill, making it possible for children to be supported or challenged as they participate in KidWrite! It also makes it possible for a child to join at any time and to show steady improvement over one session or several.

We incorporates reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing in different mixes for different ages. The point is not to turn out writers who can fill a page with writing when they are asked. The point is to turn out writers who will fill a page with exemplary writing when they are asked because they are confident enough to express themselves in writing and are excited to share what it is they have to say.

KidWrite! brings that philosophy and experience online. Kids use the materials on their own or come together in workshops to develop the skills they need to be successful writers and insightful readers.

It’s very exciting to see how excited kids are when they see that they can be successful writers, actually like to read, and have the words they need to express themselves.