Inspiring Wavering Writers

“Inspiring Wavering Writers” is part two of a three-part series on Helping Struggling Learners. If you missed the first post in this series discussing ways to Encourage Introverted Children, you can find that here.

Understanding the causes of our children’s learning struggles is the first step to creating a learning environment that will help them. Discouragement depresses writing. Numerous reasons cause our young writers to waver—from complex learning disabilities to simply lacking sleep, structure, or zing.

This post is about adding zing to our writing lessons.

In my twenty years of homeschooling, and teaching writing classes to homeschool groups, I’ve witnessed many students struggling with writing.

Whether it’s teaching my own struggling writer at home or a co-op classroom of twenty homeschool teens, I know my first order of business is not about spelling and grammar.

My first priority is to inspire a desire to write.

Answer the Why

Often, our struggling writers question the purpose of learning to write well. Addressing this could easily be a whole blog post on its own. But for brevity, so we can get to the fun stuff, consider the following when talking with (not lecturing-note to self) your students.

Learning to write well

• makes us better communicators.
• helps us present clear ideas.
• enables us to inform and influence people.
• gains the respect of others.
• produces results such as opportunities to further our education, use our skills, and get a job.
• gives importance to our message rather than it being ignored.

We need to impress upon our children that their thoughts, their voice, their message matter and encourage them to continually work at ways to communicate those effectively.

As a Christian parent, I also point out that God sees the value of words, of writing, and communicating well.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua…”  Exodus 17:14 (NASB)

“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and your gates.”  Deut. 6:9 (NASB)

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing to you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” Jude 1:3 (NASB)

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (NIV)

I tell my children we will not be called to add more words to the Bible. But God may use our words to point others to Him and His love. We do not know how God will use us. We must do our best to sharpen our skills so we will be able to give our best.

Utilize Their Interests

What are your wavering writers passionate about? Use their hobbies to fuel their writing. Children tend to enjoy writing about what interests them.

It may not work every time, but when possible, give them the freedom to choose the topic of their writing.

If you’re studying WWII, please consider carefully before requiring a written report on the military tactics of D-Day—unless, of course, you have a military fan.

Brainstorm with your children about possible avenues that spark their interest.

Could they research how folks made do with rationed materials; how and why clothing fashions changed; or the popularity and unpopularity of SPAM? Perhaps they could report on a few innovations of the 1940s, such as duct (duck) tape and M&M® candy.

Make It Fun!

While children must learn how to write well, we do not always have to teach them using dry, boring exercises. Consider some of the following writing options:

Rebus Stories– Write short stories. Substitute pictures for a few of the words.

Comic Strips–  Cut the wording out of the speech bubbles and ask students to fill in their own wording. Then, see if students are able to draw and create their own cartoon strip.

Family or Club Newsletters– Include music, video, and book reviews. Write an article based on an interview. Include photos with captions.

Letters and Cards– Go retro and handwrite a letter, then snail mail it! When signing a greeting card, encourage children to write a few sentences to make it meaningful. Write letters to editors, pen pals, missionaries, or celebrities.

Scrapbook and Photo Journals – Create one of a family trip including detailed descriptions.

Pamphlets – Design one about the areas of interest in your hometown.

Movie Scene– Write a short scene of a favorite movie or book. Or consider changing a scene. For instance, for Charlotte’s Web, what if Charlotte didn’t know how to spell and she misspelled a word? Use cue cards and act it out with siblings or friends.

Board Game– Write the directions and design the playing pieces.

Inventions – Develop a new use for a household item. Write an ad for it.

Dictation– Ask a friend or sibling to dictate a funny joke and write it down.

Cookbook – Interview family members for favorite holiday memories to include in a cookbook of family recipes. Type and bind them together. Sell or give as gifts.

Big Books and Little Books- Buy blank books and have students write and illustratetheir own stories.

Presentation- Ceate a power point or Canva presentation.

Poetry- Try writing in various styles.

Songs– Make up a new verse for a favorite childhood tune.

Polls and Surveys– Write a report of the findings.

Dream Job– Write a fictional want ad describing it. Then write a contract for it.

For Sale- Describe an item you own and want to sell.

Journal- Buy or make one but make it so spectacular it is begging to be written in. Read journal writings of famous people. Perhaps Mom has a journal she can share a snippet from? Show the value of recording special moments.

Writing Studio– Allow students to create their own space for writing.

Meet a book author– Meet book authors at book signings, book stores, libraries, and schools. Some are willing to speak to small groups. Some authors work at special events such as fundraisers or camps. One author speaks and teaches writing is Jenny Cote.

Writing Camp– Attend one or create your own. Make it fun! The Epic Patriot Camp held annually at the Kings Mountain Battleground in South Carolina is an example of one where students learn creative writing and hands-on history.

Funny Pictures- Write a story to accompany the picture.

Restaurant Menu– Create a menu describing the dishes in detail.

Copy Favorites- Copy one of your favorite sentences/paragraphs from a book you’re reading.

Lists- Create shopping lists for various projects and stores. For example, make a detailed shopping list for building a birdhouse.

Write a Humorous How-To– Ask a young child how they think something is done and write their answers. Ex. How to make an omelet, how to drive a car, how to clean a bathroom.

Message in a Bottle– What would you write if you were stranded on an island, or in a different country, or on a cloud?

Scavenger hunt and Treasure Digs– Create lists and clues for siblings.

Testimony- Describe how you’ve seen God working in your life or in the lives of others.

NaNoWriMo– Participate in a nation-wide, writing challenge to write a novel during the month of November.

Writing Workshops and Conferences– Get inspired and receive training from professional writers. Several conferences offer teen tracks. Two, Christian conferences that have teen tracks: Write2Ignite! and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.

Brainstorm with your children for more fun writing ideas using Pinterest and blogs on writing.

Be patient as you wait for your child to realize the value of learning to write well. Keep making it relevant and as fun as possible. Your enthusiasm will soon spark some zing!

Products I’ve Used to Successfully Inspire Wavering Writers

Institute for Excellence in Writing

Draw and Write Books

Do you have helpful suggestions to share for others with wavering writers? Please share them with us in the comments section below.

Also, be sure to check out some of the other great posts in this five-day homeschool blog hop. You’ll find plenty of help and encouragement.

CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew – 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop.

Just a small sampling of those:

• Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range – 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling
• Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase – Roadschooling with a Teenager
• Yvonne @ The Life We Build – 5 Days of Relaxed Homeschooling 
• Destiny @ Some Call It Destiny – Encouragement for the Homeschooling Mom
• Chareen @ Every Bed Of Roses – Charlotte Mason
• Amanda @ Hopkins Home School- Socialization