Supporting Young Writers at Home: Tips & a Handy Checklist
- Abbie Cameron
- Feb 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 11
Writing can be challenging for many children, especially those with learning differences, but with the right support at home and school, along with the right tools, every child has the potential to become a confident writer. Writing is a powerful way for kids to express their thoughts, ideas, creativity, and understanding. Plus, it’s closely linked to becoming a strong reader. In this blog, we’ll explore practical strategies, helpful tools, and personalized approaches that can make a significant difference in helping your child develop essential writing skills.
Establish a Writing Routine
Building strong skills takes consistency. When writing becomes a regular part of your child's routine, their confidence and abilities will grow over time. One way to encourage this is by also creating a dedicated writing space - whether it is a small desk, a cozy corner, or a bin of fun writing supplies. Having an inviting environment makes writing feel more enjoyable and accessible, especially with our "reluctant writers".
Here are some examples of how you can weave writing into everyday activities in meaningful and fun ways:
Ask your child to write out the grocery list before going to the store.
Ask them to journal about their day every evening before dinner time or keep a gratitude journal.
Encourage them to write letters to close friends or family members.
Suggest writing a story - this also fosters creativity.
Ask them to write instructions on how to take care of the family pet.
As them to help you write recipes down.
Make signs for things around the house.
Write to a pen pal.
These small writing tasks reinforce skill building in a natural, low-pressure way.
Building Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is an essential part of developing strong writing skills, but the fear of misspelling words can often hold kids back. This can lead some children to limit themselves to a small set of words they feel confident spelling or even avoid writing altogether. Encouraging young writers to take risks without worrying about perfect spelling helps them expand their vocabulary and gain confidence. Here are some fun vocabulary games you can try at home with your child:
Read together every evening.
Create a word jar - write a new or interesting word on slips and place them in the jar. Each day encourage your child to pick from the jar and use the new word in conversations throughout the day.
Display a word for the day in the house.
Explore a variety of experiences and talk about what they see around them.
Get a kid's dictionary and each day go to a new page (or even more fun- fan it out and have them pop a finger into a random page!) and come up with silly sentences using one (or a few) of the words.
Break it Down
Breaking writing tasks down can help children feel less overwhelmed, especially for children with ADHD or learning difficulties. It is important that young writers understand that writing is a process and not a task that should be done in one sitting. Writing should be broken down into small chunks to ensure clarity of ideas, reduced frustration, improved organization, and a stronger final product.
Here are ways you can break lengthy writing tasks down:
Start with a brainstorming session. This can be done by drawing or creating a mind map.
Create an outline with beginning, middle, end.
Break the task into smaller writing segments.
Go back and revise with fresh eyes.
In addition, students can benefit from using a writing checklist. It can be a game changer! A checklist will guide them through each step of the writing process. This is helpful for all ages!
With clear and manageable steps, children can feel more confident and supported in their writing. Checklists promote independence but also reinforces that writing is a process!
Take a look at our handy checklist for young writers (Grade 1-4).
Click here to access the downloadable
young writers checklist.
Get Creative
For some children, especially for those who struggle with traditional writing exercises, writing can sometimes feel like a chore. The frustration of getting ideas onto paper, organizing thoughts, or worrying about spelling and grammar can make writing seem overwhelming. However, making writing fun can help children develop a greater love for expressing themselves through words. There are many creative ways to keep things interesting:
Examples:
Create a writers space
Daily journals
A picture is worth 1000 words - they get to choose any photo that they have in the house and they are to describe the photo in any way (describing the photo, creating a story for the photo, journaling about the photo...)
Writing a song, poems or comic strips
Use colourful writing prompts
Use story cubes
Create writing challenges
Use technology to dictate stories
Use story building apps or cards (here is an example of cards that many kids enjoy for story building)
Writing with different materials such as - markers, chalk, magnetic letters, tablets, white boards, wide lined paper, or fun pens.
Lastly, encouragement is key to building both skill and enjoyment in writing. It’s essential to provide positive reinforcement to help kids develop confidence as they work on their writing skills. Rather than focusing solely on the final product or perfection, celebrate their creativity, effort, and progress.
Important to Note:
Writing isn’t just about spelling and punctuation—it’s a way to share ideas, express creativity, and tell stories! Whether through drawing, typing, dictation, or assistive tools like speech-to-text, everyone can find a way to bring their thoughts to life. With so many ways to write, every child—especially neurodivergent learners—can discover a method that works best for them. Keep exploring, keep creating, and most importantly, keep writing!
Take a look at our blog on Assistive Technology here, where you can also find a free downloadable resource.
If you want to get started on support first:
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#ChildDevelopment #ParentingTips #SupportingNeurodiversity #EmpowerNeurodivergentKids #ExecutiveFunctioningSkills #NeurodiversityAwareness #RaisingResilientKids #ChildSuccessStrategies #NeurodivergentSupport #PracticalParenting #GrowthMindsetForKids
IMPORTANT: Information shared by WonderTree is not intended to replace or be constituted as clinical or medical care. It’s intended for educational purposes only. Each child is unique, and the information provided may not be applicable to your specific situation. If you need support, please establish care with a licensed provider so that they can provide tailored recommendations for you or your child. This blog is non-monetized.
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