Writing

It can be difficult to get your school-aged child to practice writing at home, because it may seem like a chore to her or appear irrelevant if it isn't assigned by her teach.  Thus, a fun way to practice writing skills for children is to write poetry.  This allows them to be creative and offers a snappy way to practice writing skills as poems are typically on the shorter side.  Encourage your child to write poetry, and she can practice printing, grammar, spelling, organization, vocabulary usage, etc.

It can be hard to get started.  So, I recommend reading some simple poetry and using that to inspire her.  The first type of poetry that children are exposed to is typically nursery rhymes.  Try re-visiting nursery rhymes with your child, and ask her to re-write the poem in a different way.  By referring to another poem, it will provide her with a good framework for writing.

For example, I quickly took the nursery rhyme "London Bridge" and made it Pittsburgh themed.  See below:

Smithfield Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
Smithfield Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.

Patch it up with paste and glue,
Paste and glue, paste and glue.
Patch it up with paste and glue,
My fair lady.

Paste and glue will melt away,
Melt away, melt away.
Paste and glue will melt away,
My fair lady.

Patch it up with sticks and stones,
Sticks and stones, sticks and stones,
Patch it up with sticks and stones,
My fair lady.

Sticks and stones will wash away,
Wash away, wash away.
Sticks and stones will wash away,
My fair lady.

Patch it up with needle and thread.
Needle and thread, needle and thread.
Patch it up with needle and thread,
My fair lady.

Needle and thread will wear away,
Wear away, wear away.
Needle and thread will wear away,
My fair lady.

Patch it up with brass and bronze,
Brass and bronze, brass and bronze.
Patch it up with brass and bronze,
My fair lady.

Brass and bronze will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away.
Brass and bronze will be stone away,
My fair lady.

Send a team to watch all night,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Send a team to watch all night,
My fair lady.

Suppose the team should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep.
Suppose the team should fall asleep?
My fair lady.

Give them a TV to watch all night,
Watch all night, watch all night.
Give them a TV to watch all night,
My fair lady.

Tip: Using special paper or writing instruments can also encourage children to write.