A confident writer is someone who can express their thoughts on the page as well as they can express them in person. It takes practice because this ability doesn’t present itself in one big burst. You can help along the way with activities like this one for winter.
Focus on the Main Idea
Shorter days. Colder temperatures. More time spent inside. It must be winter. Why not use that time to nurture your budding writer by helping them to draw or write a bit about what happened that day?
The ability to identify a main idea is essential to becoming a confident writer because so many other things depend upon the main idea. You can help your child practice by asking them to focus on one main thing that stands out from the many things that happened that day.
Kid-Friendly Journal
A kid-friendly tool for this is a journal. It can be printer paper stapled together, a blank-page bound notebook, or something else that works for your child. As long as there is space for an image and a few sentences, you’re good to go.
Each evening, ask your kids to write about a key event. Little kids can draw a picture and dictate a sentence or two for you to add. Older kids can draw a picture and write a sentence or two on their own. Those who can write can write a paragraph, with or without a picture.
Bottom Line
Expecting a child to jump right in as a confident writer when they haven’t had any experience with the things that go into being a confident writer puts a lot of avoidable pressure on them. Give this winter activity a try. As your child realizes they can spot a main idea, they’ll see that writing is a lot of fun. And please, let us know how it goes.