TIPS AND TRICKS TO DEVELOP EXCELLENCE IN CREATIVE WRITING
Creative writing is a tool that helps one express their ideas and thoughts in an imaginative way, with the goal of writing being to entertain a reader while also promoting cognitive thinking skills. Being creative and having the platform to express it is part of being a human but for some, it may take a little more encouragement. At times, children may have difficulties putting their ideas and words down on paper for assignments in a timely fashion. Hence, creating an environment at home that fosters these skills can help them become a successful writer.
SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD
Being a creative writer and excelling at it is something that requires practise and foremost, interest. Supporting this process will require you to set up an environment at home that best provides the tools needed to develop the interest and skills needed. Having writing materials that are interesting and readily available is of utmost importance as it will allow your child to have a consistent medium to express their ideas and words. Another way to foster interest is for children to carry around a writing journal that they can use to capture everything they see and feel as they explore their surroundings.
People say images provide the sparks to start the imagination process. Exposing them to interesting and engaging images is a method parents can use to prompt writing when their child needs encouragement or inspiration. To do this, parents can create a Pinterest board or make a physical scrapbook with their children filled with various images to inspire writing prompts. Encouraging your child to look through the pictures and write down how they feel about the pictures or what they think the picture represents can be a great way of overcoming writer’s block and become prompts to start writing stories or poems to express their thoughts on the images.
DEVELOPING AND IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS
Building the foundation to ensure that your child has the best starting point to begin their creative writing processes starts with reading. It’s a lot harder for them to get the hang of using words to express their thoughts and ideas creatively and with skill if they don’t have references to start their own story drawing board. One way to ensure that your child is never short on ideas is to expose them to books of all genres, from mystery to comedic. Even comics can be a great source of inspiration for children! It is recommended that parents allow their children to explore all kinds of writing; stories, poems, jokes, riddles, comics songs and more. This allows them to use and develop their own “Voice” and writing style unique to them.
In writing, literary devices help one illustrate vivid images and create imaginative worlds and scenes using words, all of which are integral to good writing. Metaphors, Similes, Imagery and other figures of speech can help your little writers create impactful images in their writing that boost creativity and paint powerful pictures in their minds.
When parents support children in a creative environment, their creative writing skills and imaginative thinking processes will become a part of their everyday life and become natural. Creative writing requires practice and supports at all ages. As parents, it’s your job to provide materials, time and strategies to help them feel confident in their skills so that they can grow as writers. Creative writing can be a window into children’s minds and thoughts!
This article was brought to you by The Global Citizen Education Group.
