Help develop your child’s writing skills at home

Your child will most likely experiment with writing before learning to read.

While most children will master the art of writing at school, here are some ideas for teaching and practising writing with your child at home.

• Let your child watch you write a shopping list, thank you note, or e-mail. Ask your child what to add to the list or what to include in the thank you note or e-mail.
• Allow your child to narrate stories. Encourage your child to tell you a story about where the cars and trucks are going or who lives in the Lego house while you play together.
• Help your child make special occasion greeting cards. Provide paper and crayons or markers so children can create cards and then help them “sign” their names on the cards.
• No matter your child’s age, encourage a love of reading. The more a child reads, the more they will be exposed to new vocabulary in context and the more words they will learn.
• Collect various types of paper, envelopes, pencils and pens, crayons, stickers, and labels. Place them on a shelf near a desk or table, and let your child use them regularly.
• Support all writing efforts. Make writing a part of your children’s daily lives at home! Remember, those first scribbles are significant because they are the first step toward learning to write.
• Play word board games with your child that teach words and vocabulary, such as Scrabble or Pictionary.