How to Help Children Through Writer's Block
We all have a problem with writer's block from time to time, and your children are no exception. When they have writing assignments to complete for school and they can't seem to get beyond the first paragraph, there are ways that you can help.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
How to Help Children Through Writer's Block
-
1
Figure out what is causing the child to be unable to write. It could be outside distractions such as television, the internet, computer games, or the baseball game going on at the playground. Or it could simply be a genuine lack of interest in the subject matter. Whatever the cause, try to eliminate it as much as possible so there are fewer distractions getting in the way of the assignment getting finished.
-
2
Make a game of it. Tell the child you are going to play a game of 'hot potato' writing where the child has so many seconds to get started and must write something within five minutes or he loses the game. You should play too, with your pen and paper, and hold a contest to see which one of you can think of something to write first.
-
-
3
Ask the child questions about the topic he is writing about. For example, if he is supposed to write about George Washington, ask him what year Mr. Washington became President, or some other relevant question. This gets the child thinking about the topic rather than having his mind wander to some other subject. Keep asking questions until the child's interest is perked up. Then he will be ready to start the writing process.
-
4
Encourage the child by giving assurances that he or she can do this, that you believe in the child's abilities, and you cannot wait to read the finished essay, report or story. This will make the child excited and more willing to get the project started as soon as possible.
-
5
Give praise to the child for his or her good ideas, so that when the writer's block hits he or she will feel more secure about the abilities he or she has. Become excited for the child when he or she finishes a writing assignment so that next time the child will be less reluctant to start an assignment.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Be persistent with your techniques and keep at it until success is achieved.
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
This is wonderful! I am a kid who is writing a book, and with my amount of homework and my brothers for distractions, I feel I'll never finish. But this gets me confident about my book.
