Children typically have difficulties writing compositions because they don’t know how to start or are not motivated to do so. Below are 5 simple tips which parents can use to help your child write better compositions.

1) Using visual scaffolding

For children, it sometimes can be difficult to start writing without seeing an image in their head. To help you child form such a mental image, you can use actual drawings to stimulate their brain. This can be done via a physical drawing or through some online tools like the KooBits Editor which allows children to first create the story using images. When the drawing is done, children can start to write about them simply by describing what they see in the drawing. This is a much easier way for children to write, rather than forcing them to write out of thin air if they are not good at it.

2) Using list of keywords

Beside using images, you can also pre-select a list of keywords for each paragraph of the composition. These keys will let the child understand what is supposed to be written for that paragraph. You can mix and match the keywords such that some are nouns while others are verbs. This mixture can better enable your child to sketch their writing ability.

3)  Use their favorite characters in the stories

Using their favorite cartoon characters can have a strong motivation effect. For example, if you boy loves Power Range, use them as characters in the composition. This will help them in a couple of ways. First, he can visualise how they look like, and what are their characteristics which they can use in their writing. Second, he can recall stories about these characters that can be incorporate into the composition and make them more exciting. Lastly, it will motivate the child to create a better story since his favorite characters are in it.

4)  Use a small reward system

We have discussed about using small reward system before in our previous article.  You can read about this technique and use them to motivate your child in their writing. Sometimes, it is not about the abilities. It is about not having the right motivation to kickstart your child’s desire to write better compositions.

5)  Start with their interest

It is easier for children to write about something that really interest them. If your child loves nature, start with topics around this area. It is very hard for a child who loves nature to start writing about moral behavior because the interest is not there. Once your child become comfortable in writing the things they like, you can then start to venture into other topics which might not interest them that much.