Creative writing is a fun and educational activity to explore with children. It can help to increase vocabulary, improve handwriting and boost creativity. Parents can help to develop their child’s imagination using creative writing exercises at home.
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Encourage reading
Reading supports writing, so try to read with your child as often as possible. This will not only improve their vocabulary and grammar skills, but it will also introduce your child to a world of knowledge and new literary genres that will support their creative writing.
Experiment with endings
A fun and simple creative writing exercise to try with your child is experimenting with story endings. Ask your child to pick a favourite story and then explore how simple changes to the storyline could create a completely different ending. Try this challenge together and then share your different endings to see who has the best imagination.
Choose a favourite topic
When practicing creative writing at home, it is important that your child chooses a topic that really interests them. This will help them to enjoy the activity and motivate them to write more. It will also be much easier for your child to write about a topic they have personal experience with.
Create a ‘mind map’
Teach your child how to ‘mind map’. The best way to do this is by writing down descriptive words that relate to your child’s favourite topic. Ask your child to think about how this topic might affect their senses? For example, a story about the jungle might include seeing green trees, hearing bird song and feeling hot and humid.
Write the first line
Writing the first sentence of a story is often the hardest part. Help your child to get their story started by looking at other books for inspiration. The first line should always aim to grab a reader’s attention, so try to include lots of descriptive words and emotive language.