Opportunities for Real-Life Writing Practice

I hear from a lot of parents that getting their kids to write (and read!) over school vacations can be difficult, but that they don't want their child to regress in their skill development because they're not practicing. This regression can be a danger for kids of all ages and performance levels, but kids who are already struggling to internalize and generalize skills at the same rate as their peers, are especially at risk. 

To combat the chance of a backslide during school vacations, and to provide authentic opportunities for your child to continue practicing a skill set he is learning in school, try out one or more of the following suggestions:

1. If your child is asking for something you're reluctant to give her, whether it's a material object or a privilege, ask her to write a persuasive essay about why she deserves the privilege or purchase. This could be handwritten or typed; the important thing is that she is practicing the skill of using language to convey ideas and for a variety of purposes (in this case, persuasion).

2. Along with just being good manners, having your child to write thank you notes for gifts he may have received over the holidays or notes expressing gratitude to people who hosted him for a party or celebration,  is an excellent way to practice writing. If your child is old enough, he should write a multi-sentence message, thanking the person specifically for what they did or gave, how he enjoyed or will enjoy it, and some personalized details. If you help him to make a list of who he needs to write notes to, and spell out any tricky names or words for him, he should be able to do the rest! If your child isn't yet at the age where writing a multi-sentence note is a realistic expectation, he could practice writing his name on each card, trace over whole words or specific letters, or simply verbalize what he would like each note to say while you scribe for him. 

Letting kids make or pick out their own stationary for thank you notes can be an added motivation sometimes too.

3. If your child has an idea for making money over the school break (e.g. shoveling snow for neighbors, babysitting, or doing small cleaning/organizing jobs beyond her household chores), encourage her to write a brochure or other marketing material. The brochure should include a description of services being offered and prices for each, her qualifications or prior experience, and possibly a testimonial or two from any past clients. Offer to help her get copies made once the brochure is in "final draft" shape and distribute them in the neighborhood! Maybe this could even morph into an opportunity for her to practice writing a small business plan or proposal for money from investors, later on!

4. See my earlier post on playing around with "magnetic poetry." Though it's not writing per se, it is language-generation practice and a fun way for your child to keep working on different ways to structure language in order to express ideas.