Mama Life || Exploring Creative Writing with Your Child

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Children are natural storytellers. They tell stories all the time – when they make up games alone or with friends and when they daydream. The key to helping children to begin to become confident writers lies in helping them to gain the confidence necessary to let loose and enjoy sharing their ideas without fear of judgement. This prep school in Surrey helps children to become confident in all aspects of enjoyment by fostering an atmosphere of inclusivity free from judgement.

Reading is at the heart of writing. Exposing your child to as many different types of writing as possible via books, magazines and online will be a great way for them to begin understanding the different types of storytelling and which is their favourite. Discuss the difference between a novel and a short story, a poem and a song – open their mind to the possibilities of them becoming a writer themselves.

Making a start

Some children will come naturally to the idea of writing their own stories, articles or songs. Others might need more encouragement. If your child is keen, then that’s a great start!

First of all, explain to them the main rule of telling a story – that a story always has a beginning, a middle and an end. Discuss these aspects of story in relation to their favourite books. Where does the beginning end? When does the adventure start?

Another top tip is to discuss the idea of ‘the problem’ in all stories. Let them know that the most exciting stories involve a character with a problem that must be solved. Often, there’s more than one problem but the main problem is what drives the story and introduces all the others!

In ‘The Railway Children’, for example, the main problem is that the children’s Father is in prison for a crime he did not commit, and the children’s Mother has no money. This brings up all kinds of issues for the children which they must find their way around. Once your child grasps this idea, they will find all sorts of stories begin to reveal themselves in their imagination.

Start small

While your child might feel they’re ready to write a full-length novel, it’s important that they start small to avoid being put off by the task of writing a big project. Poems and short stories are a good place to begin. 

A deadline can help so to this end, look around for creative writing competitions for children. These will usually include a theme and narrowing down their choices can help to focus a child’s imagination.

Provide your child with a PC or laptop and a quiet space in which to work. Whether they write for fun or more seriously, it’s a wonderful way to engage in a quiet and fulfilling activity which will stay with them for a lifetime.