4 Surefire Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Writing
I love writing. I mean, I love it in a nerdy, weirdly passionate sort of way that makes me very sensitive to statements such as, “I hate writing,” and, “Writing is boring.” For me, comments like that border on blasphemy.
But, then again, sometimes it seems we do everything in our power to make writing as dull and laborious and overwhelming for our children as humanly possible, and then we grieve when they hate it.
Hmm. Could it be there are some problems with our strategy?
I realize writing will not always be a fun, joyous experience for our children, and there’s no question it will be more of a challenge for some kids than for others. But it’s also very, very possible for us to unwittingly contribute to our kids’ hatred of writing. Here are five surefire ways to do exactly that:
1. Force unnecessary writing, and force it EARLY!
I know sometimes we have to make our kids do things – take baths, go to bed, eat vegetables instead of cookies – but those things are actually needful, and from a young age. But is it really necessary for a 5-year-old to complete a personal narrative or for a 6-year-old to write a research paper? Is it at least barely possible these are skills they could learn quite efficiently later on?
If you have a child who is itching to write at a young age, by all means, encourage it! But if your little ones are in tears because you’re forcing writing assignments they simply aren’t ready for, or even if you have high schoolers and you’re reporting, essaying, and research papering them to death, then you’re likely doing more to make them hate writing than to actually cultivate their writing skills.
2. Make sure all writing assignments are long and dull.
While there may be some kids who love writing about topics that aren’t of their choosing, most do not. Even opinion pieces and personal letters, while maybe allowing kids an opportunity to express themselves more naturally, still aren’t likely to make for interesting writing.
No, every writing assignment doesn’t have to be fascinating to the child, but fully expect your kids to despise writing if the only things they ever get to write are mournfully long essays about things they find dry and boring.
3. Never make time for creative writing.
I can’t promise you that a little creative writing will turn your reluctant writers into bestselling novelists, but it may help them dread writing a little less, and maybe even learn to enjoy it a little more!
Journaling is a great way to let kids think and talk on paper, whether it’s recounting personal events and emotions or responding to random writing prompts. Some kids thrive when it comes to creating their own characters and stories, and sometimes a student just needs a writing assignment that is a little more outside-of-the-box. For example, their eyes might glaze over at the suggestion of a book report on the book they just read about apple orchards, but ask them to create an advertisement for their own make-believe orchard, and suddenly the response may change!
4. Obsess over the rules.
Now this may be where I lose some of you because I’m going to look lax on the subject of grammar and spelling, which is anything but the truth, as my children would most certainly tell you.
But sometimes it doesn’t hurt to let kids develop a flow in their writing – to learn to put thoughts and words to paper in a clear, coherent manner — without us ripping their every effort to shreds because of little mistakes.
Listen, I was once the ultimate grammar zealot, editing papers for friends in high school and Bible college with ruthless abandon until their essays and research papers were a spider web of red lines and arrows and scribbles. I was good at showing them where they had broken the rules, but I realize now how little I really did to help them become better writers.
Being gifted with a dyslexic child has done much to open my eyes! For her, spelling is nightmarish and grammar rules seem senseless, and hounding her for her mistakes does little to encourage her in her writing. Allowing her creativity to flow, however, and giving her the chance to find her writing voice without my nitpicking has been the best thing I could ever have done to help her improve her writing. Then I’ve been able to come alongside her and gently reinforce spelling and grammar, without hampering her writing by overwhelming her with details and constantly demanding rewrites.
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I wish I could offer you four easy steps to make your child adore writing, but, the truth is, not every kid will fall in love with producing the written word, just as I’ve never fallen in love with algebraic equations. (Sorry, you math people.)
But there are certainly steps we can take to keep our children from HATING writing. And the more they can learn to love this valuable communication skill, the greater their odds of future success!
What ideas do you have for instilling a love for writing in your children?
