What to do When Your Kid Hates Writing
We’ve all been there. Your kids is complaining, sighing, maybe even growling in frustration a little at the mere thought of writing something down. We know writing skills are important and will serve them in the future, but to our kids it just seems like WORK. How do we make writing an enjoyable (or at least tolerable) experience? Here are a few tips that could help.
Ask the Experts
If writing is a severe and ongoing problem for your child, you may want to have them assessed for dysgraphia by a professional. Also, if the physical act of writing is painful or difficult, an O.T. assessment may be in order. Finally, if your child finds it difficult to concentrate for the length of time it takes to write something, it is possible that attention issues need to be addressed. These issues are beyond the scope of this blog post, but feel free to continue reading because many of these ideas may still be helpful while you seek professional opinions.
Get Specific About the Problem
What is it about writing that your child hates? Is it the physical act of holding and moving the pencil? Is it coming up with ideas? Is it organizing her thoughts? Does the topic seem boring? Each of these issues has potentially different solutions. Try to explore with your child what it is that he hates, so you can see what will help.
They do the Real Writing, You do the Physical Writing
Yep, you read that right. The real writing is the expression of ideas in an organized format, not the physical act of moving the pencil along the page. Try having your child dictate what he wants to say while you do the physical writing. You may be surprised by how many great ideas and long stories come out!
Use the Computer
If you have a whole classroom full of kids or your child is older, you may not be able to scribe for your child. One thing you could try is using the computer - either by the child typing or by using text-to-speech technology. Many kids who hate writing find it easy to type. If penmanship is an issue, typing can also be easier for other people to read. Many people like how easy it is to change and reorganize writing that is on the computer as well. Just make sure to teach your child how to save often or turn on the autosave feature on the program they are using.
Write in Short Bursts
Sometimes the issue is that writing seems like a lengthy chore. You can still teach writing skills, but in short bursts. This can mean setting a timer and having a quick write of a few minutes. Or, you can take a writing skill and focus just on that skill for a quick lesson. For example, if you are learning similes, try writing a list of as many similes as possible rather than writing a story that has one or two similes. Lists, bullet points, poems, letters, and other writing assignments that are shorter may be an easier way to get the writing going.
Fill in the Blank
Rather than staring at a blank page, sometimes writing is easier when the structure is already in place. Let’s say your child is learning to write a paragraph. Sometimes even having boxes titled “topic sentence” “detail one” “detail two” “detail three” and “conclusion” can be helpful. To take this idea further, you can give structure to each sentence such as having the topic sentence partially filled out: “_____ is like _____ because ______.” This gives kids a place to start and can be less overwhelming.
Give Examples of Great Writing
The next time you are reading to your child, pause a moment at an interesting part and share what you like about the writing. It may only take a few seconds a day, but the idea that writing moves people is so important. Use phrases like: “Wow, I never thought of it that way” or “I love how the author described that” to show the power of writing.
Explore Topics of Interest
Is your child really into science? Have them write up an experiment that other kids could try. Does your child love cats? Have them write a report all about interesting cat facts. Having interest in the topic can really inspire excellent writing. If you are stuck on a topic of interest, I’ll give you a hint: kids often love to write about themselves. Ask them to describe their favorite things, their LEAST favorite things, or try to persuade you about something in their real lives (for example, why they should be able to stay up 15 minutes later than their current bedtime!).
Share Their Writing
Have your child write letters to family or emails to friends. Send a copy of their best story to someone important to them. Hang their writing up on the wall or let them know that you can’t wait to share it with someone you know. Children are much more motivated to write when they have an audience, rather than writing for writing’s sake.
Make it Fun
Many kids would never equate writing with fun! But there are ways to make writing more enjoyable. Try having your child draw first. This is often fun, uses fine motor skills, and gives kids ideas of what to write about. Making a comic is a fun way to combine drawing and story writing. Another idea is to take a well-known story and write it with a fun twist. Imagine if Cinderella’s stepmother was actually the good guy - maybe we didn’t hear the whole story. Or maybe write “Jack and the Beanstalk” from the perspective of the giant. Writing based on established stories can be a little easier because the setting and characters are already in place.
Write Without Writing
There are many ways to practice writing skills without the act of writing. Put up a tent, grab a few flashlights, and make up scary stories in the dark. Put on an impromptu play and improv your way through it. Discuss something you read and mention what part of the book made you think a certain way. Talk about characters in movies and what may have motivated them to do or say something specific. Follow a recipe and note the organization of the steps. These activities and many more can strengthen writing skills without physically writing anything down.
Keep Going!
For some kids, their hatred of writing is a phase that is temporary. They may find enjoyment in writing as they mature, or at least find it more tolerable. Have empathy when your child complains about writing, but also keep showing them the importance of the written word.
Looking for some help with making writing enjoyable? Take a look at our high interest draw and write prompt worksheets including themes such as all about me, family, pets, friends, school, humor and mysteries. We hope these inspire kids to enjoy writing and improve their writing skills along the way.
