School is one of the first places where children can learn essential skills, such as writing. If you want kids to learn how to do it, you have to encourage them to do so, both at home and in the classroom. Here are some of the fun ways to teach children to love and appreciate analog writing.
Let Them Read
Children respond remarkably well to positive reinforcement. When you show them that you appreciate their writing, you tell them that it’s a good activity that bears repeating. Since you’ll be a source of inspiration, you can also show them you’re capable of producing content that they can appreciate. If you’ve written a story for kids before, you can help them publish a children’s book for free and use that as an example of good writing.
Make It Physical
Writing is not just an intellectual activity. It’s also experienced physically. Take advantage of your students’ natural curiosity and show them how a book is made. There are many tutorial videos on how to create a journal, notebook, or sketchbook on content-sharing sites such as YouTube. You can quickly learn how to make them once you’ve found the right video to cater to your needs. You can also teach them how to make writing tools, such as melted crayons, quills, or even reed pens. Children begin their learning journey through repetition, so practice it as often as you can.
Play Word Games
Young people rarely find pleasure in a purely academic approach to learning anything. They get distracted easily and can lose all interest if something is too serious when presented to them. Instead of sitting them down and telling them about the importance of reading and writing, think of fun games and activities wherein they can write new words down. When people write down a new idea, the brain associates recollection with the physical movement, making recall easier to perform when you map it out with your hands.
Show Them How You Write
Teaching by example is an effective tool. It’s much easier for others, especially children, to emulate someone rather than be told how to perform an action or complete a task. When you show them that you write, whether it’s in a short note or an entry in your journal, you’re setting an excellent example of writing’s emotional and practical benefits. Show them your love for writing by making it a point to tell them what you’re doing. Whether they understand the importance or complexities of the act, they’ll remember and apply it into their own lives.
With all of these things in mind, you can slowly integrate writing into your children’s lives. Just remember the key ideas of making it fun instead of a chore, keeping it consistent through example, and appreciating their output. As they learn to do it for themselves, they’ll remember how good it feels to use their journals, take down notes, and write and send letters to their friends and loved ones.
