Encourage a Young Writer

There are so many things in the world children can do. They are resilient and spontaneous. They believe they can do or be anything and we should help them accomplish their dreams. Writing isn’t a hot topic for young children, but once in a while you get that one that wants to be a writer when they grow up. Don’t discourage them, encourage a young writer to be the best they can be.

Did you know there is a whole day dedicated to encouraging a young writer! The awesome thing is you don’t have to wait for that day to come to encourage young writers, you can encourage them all year long! No one knows how Encourage a Young Writer Day came to be, but we are so thankful it has some recognition. Children need encouragement to follow their dreams no matter what their dreams are.

Children become good writers by, you guessed it, reading! So encourage your kids and students to read. Reading helps with their creativity and vocabulary. Creating great stories takes time, but reading books can help them spark their imagination into gear.

Tips for Young Writers

1. Give them time to write. Having the time to spend on writing helps them get more creativity on paper, even if they change it later, they started and that is the hardest part.
2. Don’t give up on them. Show them you care about what they are writing, give them advice when they ask for it and encourage them to keep going.
3. Encourage them to write daily, even if it’s in a journal and it’s just about their day or what happened as school or how they feel about a situation. All that writing will give them practice on writing their story.
4. Suggest writing short stories or poems as an activity or exercise.
5. Encourage reading to them, they will get so much more out of reading and opening their minds to the possibilities of their stories.
6. Read their story and give them advice and constructive criticism to help them along the way.
7. Offer them examples or books on writing and authors to help them with the writing process.
8. Show them that starting small is a good thing and gradually add more so they don’t put too much on their shoulders at once.
9. Encourage them to join writing competitions, contests, or their school newspaper. They can also do word games, memory games, and use writing prompts.
10. Suggest they take some writing classes or workshops to help them with the process.
11. Make sure they know that the process of writing is a long process, and it might be tough, but the outcome will be worth every second.

How to celebrate Encourage a Young Writer Day

1. Gift a journal, or make a journal.
2. Gift a book on writing
3. Encourage reading
4. Offer resources on writing
5. Offer your time to help with proofreading.
6. Participate in writing classes or workshops
7. Talk to another author, or go to an author visit at your local library!
8. Join NaNoWriMo’s Young Writiers Program

Always encourage kids to follow their dreams of writing, there is so much to offer them on their journey. Advice, encouragement, and support will go a long way to a child. Be the one to help them achieve their goals. The feeling the both of you will feel in the end is an amazing feeling.