At a young age, it can be challenging for teachers to encourage elementary students to write stories. Some students may find writing uninteresting or difficult. But writing is an essential skill that kids have to develop while they’re young. It can help them to be more competitive when they get older.
Here are three ways to help your students develop stronger writing skills.
1. Nurturing Students’ Creativity is Vital
People are born creative, a study suggests. The problem, however, is that creativity declines as people age. The education system can also affect the development of everyone’s “creative genius.” As a teacher, you can nurture your young students’ creativity, which is important in storytelling.
Researchers explain that having a question-friendly environment helps students learn more information, ideas, and beliefs. Let your students ask questions to minimize their fear to speak up. Their curiosity can contribute to better learning and growth.
You should also consider giving your students time to generate more ideas. This activity helps their creativity to grow stronger and more efficient over time. The more students practice creating ideas, the more they can come up with original ideas. Try giving your students pre-writing worksheets to prepare them in writing their stories.
2. Games Can Help Students to Write More
Kids love to play, which can cause a distraction while they write. Take advantage of this to encourage them to write more. Think of fun games where you can incorporate writing. Instead of telling your students about doing a “writing game,” tell them that you’ll play “a game.”
When planning a game, think of your students’ interests. If your students like dinosaurs, your game should be related to these creatures. You may ask several questions to help them generate ideas. You can also draw together or create story maps for students to remember their ideas.
Remember that your activities should be appropriate to your students’ ages. Otherwise, they may struggle to keep up or find the activity not challenging enough. The topics of their stories should also match their level to make it more interesting for them. The complexity of the writing prompts should increase as the students’ level gets higher.
Encourage students to recall important memories and use them in their writings. Your students also shouldn’t feel that they’re forced to write. Make sure to incorporate this activity into your games naturally. Not every student is willing to sit down and write.
3. Publish Your Students’ Works
Once your students have written several stories, make them feel proud of their works. You can compile their stories and publish them into a book. It’s an excellent opportunity to share their outputs to other people, like parents, faculty, and fellow students.
There are different ways to publish your students’ works. It can be through your school publication. For instance, select the best work from your class and submit it to the campus paper. Being chosen can boost the student’s confidence.
When encouraging your students to write, allow them to make mistakes. Give them the freedom to express their ideas, regardless of the technical errors they commit. You can teach the writing styles once they are comfortable generating and working on their ideas.
Improving students’ writing skills doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and patience, both for teachers and students. Work together to achieve the desired results.
