How To Support Writing At Home:
- Help your child find a "sweet spot" that is his/her special place for writing with little distractions
- Equip your child's writing spot with tools (paper, pens, markers, pencils)
- Leave "literary gifts" for your child in the child's writing spot (newspaper clippings, magazine articles, cards)
- Read to your child daily noticing what good writers do (strong beginning, vivid verbs, precise vocabulary, descriptive language)
- Encourage your child to notice writing in the real world
- Have relatives and friends write to your child
- Play word games to build vocabulary (Boggle, Scrabble Junior, Word Concentration)
- Subsribe to children's magazines (Highlights, Ranger Rick) and have your child point out favorite articles
- Talk to your child about childhood memories and have them retell memories
- Listen to your child's retellings and say often, "That would make a great story" or "Your should write about that"
- Leave notes for your child in his/her bookbag, around the house, etc.
- Discuss your favorite authors
- Encourage your child to take their Writer's Notebook on trips to record what they see and do
- Include your child in everyday writing (grocery list, phone messages, to-do-list)
Resources for Families To Support English Language Arts 