Writing Problems – How To Help Your Child

Do’s and Don’ts for Struggling Young Writers

Every parent knows that sometimes getting their child to complete work can be challenging. Whether you are teaching your children at home or in school, some kids just refuse to write. They might have various reasons for this reluctance. This article will look into why some children are reluctant to write and ideas on how to create more enthusiasm for writing..

Why Do Some Children Struggle to Write?

Make no mistake, writing is a difficult and in some ways a miraculous skill. There’s a reason there’s even a writing program called Writing WIthout Tears!

Learning to write first and foremost requires enough mastery of the language to be able to spell words, apply grammar conventions and put together meaningful sentences. Then there’s the physical skill of marking the letters on a page in a straight line. And that’s before your child even thinks about what to write.

These skills are developed by:

• Listening
• Reading
• Writing

Listening

Not only to build a vocabulary of words to use, but also to take in how words are put together (grammar and syntax) and how arguments are made, statements made, etc. For many children, this ability to analyze language structure does not develop for many years. Primarily, they have underdeveloped language-processing skills that make deciphering words a big effort, let alone having the brain capacity to analyze grammar conventions and sentence structure.

Reading

If your child is not a reader, she will not be a writer.  In fact, if your child is not a reader, your writing focus should start there, with intervention programs for struggling readers.

Reading is a language skill. It’s where the language you hear is translated into a visual text format.  It’s where spelling is learned, and where grammar conventions and sentence structure are observed.

However, as with listening, if your child is not an automatic or fluent reader and decodes words slowly and deliberately, chances are there isn’t much brain capacity left to notice and learn spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.

And if your child is not taking in grammar and sentence structure, how can she write? If the process of reading is difficult and sometimes humiliating for your child, writing is just an impossibility. It’s torture.

Writing

We all know, practice makes perfect.  Once your child starts writing, compares what they write to other reading material, and receives hopefully constructive feedback on their writing, a positive cycle can start.

Good Writers Are Good Readers

Reading and writing are interconnected skills that reinforce and complement each other. Reading is passive, while writing is more active.  So much is learned by observing how others write when reading, but there’s also nothing like learning by doing, and writing is just that – putting the language skills developed from listening and reading into practice.

Here is how reading and writing connect and reinforce each other:

1. Language Development: Reading exposes individuals to a variety of vocabulary, sentence structures, and writing styles, which they can then incorporate into their own writing. Similarly, writing offers a way to practice using language creatively and expressively.
2. Comprehension: When individuals read, they must comprehend meaning, including its main ideas, details, and nuances. Writing, on the other hand, involves conveying ideas and information clearly and effectively. Both require critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation of written material.
3. Grammar and Mechanics: Reading helps individuals internalize grammatical structures, punctuation rules, and writing conventions. Well-written texts help children subconsciously absorb correct grammar usage, sentence construction, and spelling patterns. This informs their own writing.
4. Modeling and Imitation:  You can think of reading as modeling good writing skills for your child.  When your child reads high-quality literature or well-crafted texts, she observes effective writing techniques, storytelling strategies, and rhetorical devices she can use in her own writing.
5. Critical Thinking and Analysis: Reading engages active interpretation, evaluation, and synthesis of ideas. Similarly, when individuals write, they must analyze their own thoughts, organize information, and present arguments.
6. Creativity and Expression: Reading inspires individuals to explore their imaginations and ideas. Exposure to diverse genres, themes, and storytelling techniques encourages individuals to experiment with different writing styles, genres, and voices.

Overall, reading and writing are reciprocal processes that reinforce each other and contribute to individuals’ literacy development, communication skills, and intellectual growth. Engaging in both activities regularly enhances individuals’ abilities to comprehend, analyze, and communicate ideas effectively in various contexts.

Writing is a Gateway to Other Learning

Writing will help your child experiment with and get comfortable with sentence and paragraph structure. It feeds back into reading comprehension. We know that writing is also a way to organize thoughts and ideas into coherent sentences and paragraphs that make sense.

Here are six reasons to share with your child on why writing matters. Writing:

• Reinforces all their other lessons
• Teaches them new things
• Improves their reading comprehension
• Helps them think critically
• Increases organizational skills
• Develops communication skills

Encouraging Your Child to Write More

The school has its timetable for getting children to write, but every child is unique. You don’t want to pressure your child to write too early. You risk a lifelong poisoning of writing for your child if it is connected to conflict (with you), humiliation, and defeat.

And if your child is not reading with any kind of fluency, chances are your child is not ready to write. Whatever the school says. Your best plan is to start there or stay there and keep the focus on the reading. Then, once your child is sufficiently fluent to recognize word patterns in the text, etc., then writing will come more easily.

Make It Easier Physically

When your child is ready to write, though, here are some practical strategies to make the actual skill of writing easier:

• Use wide-ruled paper, graph paper, or paper with raised lines to help with letter and word alignment.
• Try pencil grips or other writing aids for comfort.
• Typing on a computer might develop early writing flow.
• Establishing a writing space – a comfortable chair, a clean desk.
• Squeezing a stress ball can help hand-muscle strength and coordination.

Create a Writing-Conducive Environment – Mental and Physical

Encouraging a good attitude to writing is almost as important.

• Acknowledge your child’s writing problems – be empathetic.
• Don’t criticize untidy work. Instead, find something to praise authentically, e.g., the effort.
• Be aware of the writing assignments – avoid topics your child does not understand or care about.
• Consider rewards for good work or on-time completion.
• .Be patient because getting your child to write may take time

To help make writing more natural and associate it with fun, make it part of something that is fun. For instance, play games that require writing down answers or clues. Or work on word searches or crossword puzzles. Another idea is to create a list of words and have your child choose two words at random and write down the first thing that comes to mind when they read them. This will help associate writing with thinking and make the process fun.

Most importantly for young writers, keep your child reading with a steady diet of “just right” books.

Final Note

Writing is not easy. Thinking, composing, and writing take a lot of brain power and effort, and many skills need to be in place before writing feels comfortable for your child. There are checklists of writing skills by age you can use to keep track of where your child stands, but these are guides only. Children develop so differently, and remember, the longer-term goal here is a love of writing, so patience is key.

If your child falls too far behind, here are explanations of the most common reading problems that might give you a way forward.  If you suspect a learning delay, call Gemm Learning for a free consult.