Q: Motivate kids in writing, how?

Reading, writing, math – these are all subjects that children either seem to grasp or don’t. Unfortunately, they are necessary academic skills in today’s school system. If your child approaches the task of writing kicking and screaming, here are some ideas to motivate them:

• Make a writer’s kit.
  Make writing fun by creating a writer’s kit for your child – include fun notebooks and pens. You can even find these materials related to their favorite shows or characters. By personalizing it, you’ll make something that is special to them.

• Write with them.
  Grab a pen and paper and have your child make up a story as you write it down. Collect the stories and read them together later on.

• Focus on their interests.
  If a child doesn’t care about frogs, for instance, then they are not going to want to write about frogs. Have your child write about things they care about.

• Write letters.
  For some reason, children love receiving mail (likely because they don’t have to deal with adult things like bills). Find a pen-pal or relative for your child to write letters to.

• Praise and display.
  Make sure you praise your child for their writing efforts and display their work for family and visitors to see. Having positive attention will motivate them to continue writing.