How to Motivate Your Students to Write

When you give your children a writing assignment, do they complain and whine about it? I had the same problem, until I discovered something last summer which made all the difference - when my children had a purpose for their writing, they were more willing to complete the assignments. Along the way, my kids learned the process of writing format through publishing.

All three of my children are published authors. For example, my son wrote an ABC jungle book at the age of 8. It took him a full year studying the jungle and its animals to choose the best plants and animals for his book. He then wrote a paragraph for each letter, referring to the Excellence in Writing style checklist to make sure his writing was of professional quality.

Of course, he didn't work on his book for eight hours a day, every day for a year. After all, he's just a kid! The amazing thing is that he remained motivated all year long. Because of his efforts, he was able to complete his book at the beginning of June.

There were a couple of reasons for his motivation, which ultimately led to a successful book launch. To start, he was fascinated by the jungle and its creatures, so he was researching something that was already interesting to him. It rarely felt like work! He was also thrilled at the thought of becoming a published author, earning money by writing and publishing his own book. Having a purpose for writing is the key to motivation.

Of course, most writing assignments aren't done for monetary gain. There are other motivators besides money. For example, you can encourage your child to write letters to friends and relatives; write a story or poem to enter in a contest; write a news article for the family newsletter; relate a funny story on something that happened to them - practically any clear purpose can make writing assignments more enjoyable and effective.

Once your child has a purpose for writing, he needs to put his ideas down on paper in a thoughtful, cohesive manner. There are many writing programs on the market, but best source I have found to teach your child "how" to write is Excellence in Writing. This course deals with the "hows" of writing instead of "what" to write about.

You can give your child(ren) a great reason for writing when you use the process of writing format through publishing. Try to integrate writing into any subject you are studying with your child. Writing should never be treated as a separate topic, since it is a valuable skill that transcends the subject material. By encouraging your child to write on a range of topics, he (or she!) will understand the purpose that writing has in all aspects of life.