Family Support of Writers - B

Family Support: Expanding Writer (ages 7-9)

  • Read chapter books aloud to your child. Reading provides a model of story structure.
  • Talk about lovely language, descriptions, and details in the books you read together.
  • Point out the beginning, middle and end of stories. Discuss the exciting parts or parts that made you want to read more.
  • Provide empty notebooks or blank books to use as journals or diaries.
  • Keep Post-it notes in the car and around the house for notes and messages.
  • If you have a computer, provide writing programs (such as Creative Writer, Writer Rabbit).
  • Give your child a children’s dictionary.
  • Discuss the types of writing you do at home and at work (such as checks, lists, and memos).
  • Suggest writing topics (things you’ve done as a family, family stories, trips).
  • Make books together about trips, events, holidays, and your family.
  • Encourage your child to make books about his or her interests (such as soccer, horses).
  • Encourage your child to write to friends and relatives who will answer promptly.
  • Respond to the ideas and content first when your child shares his or her writing.
  • Point out patterns in English as your child tries to spell challenging words.
  • When asked, help your child by focusing on one skill at a time (for instance, only discuss how “y” is changed to “ies” when making a plural word like “babies”).
  • Be encouraging as your child tackles longer writing pieces and begins to revise and edit.
  • Be a supportive audience for your child’s writing.

Family Support: Bridging Writer (ages 8-10)

  • Read chapter books aloud to your child. Don’t stop reading aloud when your child can read independently! Introduce your child to new authors and genres.
  • As you read aloud, talk about the author’s style and what makes powerful writing.
  • Provide blank books for a personal journal (the ones with a key are particularly appealing at this age) as well as stamps, stationery, and writing materials.
  • Purchase a dictionary and thesaurus and show your child how to use them.
  • Point out words that are related (such as “sign” and “signal”).
  • Talk about root words, prefixes, and suffixes that help children see the patterns of English spelling.
  • If you have a computer, show your child how to use email, the spell checker, and the Internet.
  • Read a poem once a week at dinner. Let family members take turns picking poems.
  • Encourage your child to write and/or perform plays at home.
  • Help your child learn how to research a topic using the computer, nonfiction books, and magazine articles, as well as the encyclopedia. Encourage your child to take notes in his or her own words.
  • Play word games, such as Jr. Scrabble, Yahtzee, or informal word games with similes and alliteration.
  • On final drafts, help your child revise for meaning first. Revision involves communicating and presenting the ideas logically. Editing for spelling and punctuation come after revision. (A secretary can edit, but rarely revises.) Leave the pencil in your child’s hands!
  • Help with a few skills at a time so revision doesn’t become overwhelming. Revising and editing are challenging for young writers.

Family Support: Fluent Writer (age 9-11)

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  • Read chapter books aloud to your child. Reading provides a model for good writing.
  • Help your child locate information on the Internet, in encyclopedias, and in nonfiction materials.
  • Involve your child in doing research before you buy a major purchase or go on a trip.
  • Encourage your child to send postcards to friends when you’re on a trip. (Gather addresses and stamps before you leave.)
  • Have your child keep the family journal on a trip.
  • Take your child to hear a children’s author speak about writing.
  • Talk about how you revise and edit your own writing.
  • Help your child revise for only one thing. Edit when asked for help.
  • Ask your child to circle misspelled words and look them up, then check the words.
  • Help your child become comfortable with writing tools, such as spell checkers, dictionaries, and a thesaurus.
  • Encourage your child to share finished writing and to talk about his or her writing process.
  • Find different audiences for your child’s writing (friends, relatives or contests).
  • Subscribe to magazines, such as Highlights, Cricket, or Stone Soup that publish student writing. Encourage your child to submit a story, book review, or poem.
  • Help your child identify his or her strengths as a writer and set realistic goals.

Family Support: Proficient Writer (ages 10-13)

  • Read chapter books aloud to your child. Read young adult novels that spark great discussions. Talk about point of view and the author’s style.
  • Help your child learn to locate information in encyclopedias, on the Internet, and in nonfiction materials.
  • Do crossword puzzles together.
  • Encourage your child to send editorials or letters to the editor with opinions, reaction, or concerns. Receiving a response can be very motivating.
  • Encourage your child to submit his or her writing to contests.
  • Encourage your child to write letters, plays, newspapers, movie reviews, etc.
  • Have your child collect family stories and make them into a book as a gift.
  • Encourage your child to write to favorite authors. (You can write to authors in care of the publisher. The publisher’s address is near the copyright date at the front of the book.) Be sure to include a return envelope and postage.
  • Discuss movies and TV shows together. Talk about the writer’s or director’s decisions and choices. Compare the book and the movie versions if available.

Family Support: Connecting Writer (ages 11-14) and Independent Writer

  • Read young adult and adult books aloud. You can begin to analyze and evaluate books together.
  • Encourage your child to take writing classes in school or to form a writers’ club.
  • Encourage your child to correspond via email.
  • Encourage your child to take writing or journalism classes or to work on the school newspaper or literary magazine.
  • Ask your child to share his or her writing with you.
  • Analyze effective writing in literature and talk about the author’s styles in the books you read.
  • Provide support as your child tackles challenging writing projects.