Guest Author - Terrie Lynn Bittner

Writing a composition is now a required part of the dreaded SAT tests, so it’s likely to become more important in the schools. However, the limited amount of time given to children in which to write is not sufficient to turn them into skilled writers. While you don’t want to assign compositions and give grades (unless you’re homeschooling, of course), you can give your children opportunities to put their thoughts on paper and to learn to enjoy writing. The more words they write, the faster their writing skills will improve. Following are some ideas for helping your children improve their writing and live the gospel at the same time.

1. Keep journals. Journals are one of the very best ways to improve writing ability. While a child won’t be having the journal read by others or graded, he will learn to translate thoughts into the written word. Encourage him not to keep a list of his daily activities, but to actually record how he feels about the events, Encourage him to use all his senses as he tells what happens. What was the weather like? What did he smell, hear, taste and sense?

2. Write letters and emails. Most young people are fairly comfortable with email, but real pencil and paper letters are also wonderful ways to keep in touch, and there is something special about having a letter appear in your mailbox—something much more exciting than just seeing an email in the inbox. On Sunday afternoons, write letters to grandparents, friends and pen-pals.

3. Write plays and puppet shows. Encourage your children to write simple scripts for Family Home Evening. These scripts can be performed with stuffed animals acting as puppets if you don’t have puppets, or your children can make their own. They can also act out short plays they write themselves. If there aren’t enough people for all the parts, let children wear signs or hats that represent a specific character and change them as needed.

4. Write talks. Encourage your children to write their own Primary and Sacrament Meeting talks instead of letting you write them for them or finding an article in a magazine. If they want to tell a story, they should write their own.

5. Create a family magazine. Study the Friend and other magazines your children enjoy. Over the course of one year, have your children write stories and articles for the magazine. They can illustrate these stories as well. Teach them to type and edit their stories. At Christmas, type the materials, scan in the drawings, and design a cover. Print it using your computer’s printer, hole punch it and put it in a notebook, and distribute the copies as gifts to relatives and friends.