Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/182037
All kids...can become better writers by doing more of it. WRITING PROMPTS For older, elementary-aged kids who are beginning to engage in creative writing, give them some starting points to get their creativity going. Read one of the following writing prompts and encourage them to write a paragraph. After you've gone through them all, think about your kids' interests and come up with some tailored prompts just for them. • If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be? What do you look like? What moves can you make like flying or climbing trees? Where would you live and what would you eat? • Imagine you are riding on a flying carpet. This magic carpet could take you anywhere in the world. Where would you go? What would you see and do? • If you can have the ability to fly like a bird or swim like a fish, which one would you chose and why? PEN PALS Sending out a letter and waiting for a response promotes patience in our world of instant gratification. Kids of all ages can benefit from an exercise in patience while growing their communication skills. Grandparents, relatives or a friend who has moved away are good choices to exchange handwritten correspondence. Not only will it give them a fun way to write, it will be good practice for spelling, punctuation and capitalization. LET IT OUT For tweens and teens, their emotions are on a whirlwind. Writing down their feelings will give them a good outlet for their emotions. These writings don't have to go public. Getting in the habit of writing about personal experiences will make the often-dreaded college application requirement seem effortless. The more effort your kids put into writing, the better they will be at it. Writing well is a valuable life skill that will benefit your children now in becoming better overall students and later for being effective communicators throughout their lifetime. Sara Kendall is a freelance writer and mother of two daughters. www.FredParent.NET 21