One great way to help your children, starting at a very early age, is for you to act as their scribe. Kids are generally able to tell stories with an amazing amount of detail and creativity, but they can lose that detail and creativity when they have to do all the writing. If you allow your child to tell you the information, and YOU write it down, the transition from story telling to written verse becomes much more clear and attainable.
One of my favorite activities is to start with a picture of something. It can be the photo from an old calendar, something you print out from your computer, or even a photograph you have taken. Glue that image onto a piece of paper and ask your child to tell a story about it. As they are telling the story, you write it on the paper below the picture, adding additional pages if you need. Encourage your student to name the characters, to think of problems that might arise, discuss how problems are solved, etc. You will want to help them to edit information as they speak and practice tying all the details together to come up with a wonderful ending.
For example, you might have a photo of a puppy sitting on a bench under a tree. Questions you can ask include:
- What is the puppy’s name?
- Who owns the puppy?
- Why is he under the tree?
- Where is the bench located?
- What is the pup waiting to do?
- Does the puppy have friends?
- Are they dogs or other animals?
- Who is the puppy’s favorite person?
- What do the person and the puppy like to do together?
But don’t ask questions unless your student gets stuck. You want to lead your child’s creativity but let the story be theirs; you are only there to gently guide and assist if needed.
To teach more informational writing, perhaps you would want a photo of a well-known person, or a place or animal. As your child tells you all they know about the subject of the photo, record their information. Encourage them to share the information in a correct timeline if applicable. Help them brainstorm to recall information they may have forgotten. As an example you might have a photo of the Statue of Liberty. You would encourage them to tell what they know about the structure, ask what metal it is made from, etc. Take time to look up facts if your student is unsure, then help them to restate the information in their own words.
This is also a great way to introduce the correct writing formats as you help your child come up with an introductory sentence such as, “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Nocturnal animals can be very interesting.” And then help them finish with a summary and closing statement, whether that is to state that “they all lived happily ever after” or that “you should never startle a skunk!”
Have fun with it! Make a folder of their story starters. Show them to friends, relatives or even elderly neighbors. Who knows, you might brighten their day and learn something new in the process.