Creative writing exercises for kids give them an edge above others and enhance their skills. Read the Penlighten article to find some helpful tips and exercises that will make them do more than just think.
Holding a pen in your hands, a blank paper staring back at you, and… endless possibilities. Making words appear on that blank paper is nothing short of magic. Being able to create something powerful with word, a small piece of your imagination written forever; now that’s incredible. But what makes even more interesting is when a child wants and has the ability and desire to write, it can bring more than mere joy to the parents.
It doesn’t matter which creative thinking and writing stage they may be on, implementing a few writing activities is always beneficial. No doubt that writing in fact is one of the exercises, mixing it up with other exercise techniques is only going to aid them furthermore.
Writing Exercises for Children
Whether your child likes to write about real-life incidents (and likes to alter it as per his thinking) or come up with completely out of the blue (distinctive), it is his/her way of creating a new world that the readers can be in. Here, we will go over a few exercises that will help, inspire, and encourage them for all their future endeavors.
Write in a Journal
This may seem like a cliché, but it still works. A journal is something your child can keep with him/her at all times, and have the freedom to write his/her thoughts without prompts. A journal gives them a safe haven, some place where no one can read or penetrate through their thoughts. In here, they can write whatever comes to their mind; it doesn’t necessarily have to make sense. They can go off topic and start something completely different; and that’s the beauty of it.
Write a Letter
Have your child write a letter on a regular basis. This letter could be addressed (not in actuality) to a friend, you, any other family member, his favorite actor/actress, music band, sports personality, etc. In this letter, they have to explain the reason and motive behind writing a letter to that individual. And if need be, you can give in some prompts as well; just to nudge them in the right direction.
Don’t Just Write, Read As Well
Creative writing isn’t only about, well, writing. A person has to understand and acquire knowledge as to what exactly goes behind writing. Knowing the intricacies of building a plot, engaging characters (if any), chronological formation, and most of all, climax. All these elements need to be placed accordingly to develop the essence in storytelling. So along with actual writing, reading books in different genres should also be included in their lesson plan.
Write in the Present
Before they can develop the know-how of how a back story works, stick with the present and the upcoming future. A story that keeps moving forward is much easier to master. Seeing and believing in a particular plot or incident in the story will take them further ahead with more ease. This is a helpful exercise for our young writers.
Read What you Write
Finally, read what you wrote. Sometimes, while writing, we can’t realize where our train of thought is leading us. This creates a huge issue when it is a story which needs to be continued forward. Going over a small piece which you have worked on and making sure that “what you wrote” is “what you intended” is the right way. You don’t want to confuse your readers by switching gears (happens naturally) every now and then.
The biggest key for improvement is―to write regularly. This can include writing each day, during weekends, in summer, or while on vacation. The more concentration time they spend on writing, the more structured their writing will be. There is no right or wrong way to enter the world of creative writing. It’s just you, your imagination, the desire, a creative mind, and a computer or notebook.