During the past 18 years as a first grade teacher, I quickly
discovered that every six and seven year old did not enjoy writing. Some of them struggled due to
the lack of confidence and motivation. In addition, these young students didn’t have the abilities
and background knowledge to write. They weren’t familiar with the writing process but were
determined to learn!
I knew there were many programs to assist children with
writing. I studied a few of them but never followed their writing design. I felt they weren’t
practical for my first grade writing program.
At this point, my philosophy of writing is defined by the 4
M’s. I know it looks and sounds simple and there’s more to writing than what I’m sharing.
However, view the following steps as a foundation to help your children feel positive and
energized about writing. I hope you enjoy the 4 M’s!
1) Model writing lessons for your children!
Make sure you model a specific concept or writing skill repeatedly. This is imperative!
We know many children of all ages are visual learners so let them watch and learn. Through
modeling, your children will acquire the skills and background knowledge to write. When you
feel they are ready and capable, let them compose!
2) Motivate your children to write!
a) Children need to feel excited, so introduce imagination and creativity into the art of
writing. Two ways to develop these skills are through “play” and "storytelling." First, watch and listen to your children
at home or on the playground. Many times, they are
performing a short story! Before children write, they should have many opportunities to
visualize and role-play stories. This can be taught at an early age, so begin role-playing at
home. Also, become part of their story. Have fun!
Next, storytelling is an art that fosters many abilities. In addition to imagination and creativity, storytelling develops
speaking, listening, vocabulary, writing, and confidence. Make storytelling a daily or weekly ritual. After you have
modeled, have your children tell you a story. There is a strong correlation between storytelling and writing. Just think…
as students develop into creative thinkers and speakers, their creative writing begins to blossom(Refer to my article on
The Art of Storytelling).
Then when you feel it’s time, encourage
your children to use imagination and apply it to writing. Kindergarten is the best time to
introduce and model these two skills simultaneously.
b) Children need exposure to different genres of writing. Mix it up throughout the school year.
Learn what their writing interests are. I teach my first graders: letter writing, poetry,
memoirs and fictional narratives. They love it!
c) Praise your children when they write, no matter what it looks like. Whether they write one
sentence or a complete story, compliment them. The more confident children become, the more they
will write. Furthermore, children learn and progress at different rates.
3) Make your children believe they can write!
From time to time, you may hear your children say, “I can’t write.” or “I don’t know how to
write.” Please don’t let them use these statements to avoid writing tasks! It’s likely they
are lacking confidence, motivation or a specific writing skill. If children can pick up a
writing tool and scribble write, write random letters or a simple sentence, they can write.
Be patient with them. You may need to spend more time on Step #1.
By keeping a journal of your children’s writing, show them how well their writing has improved.
Point out the following: capitalization, punctuation, grammar, handwriting, complete sentences,
writing in sequence, etc. Do this monthly! At times, children may be able to show or explain
their own progress. It may be slow but let them know they are making growth. If your child is
having difficulty with a specific writing skill, make it a writing goal.
4) More, More, More… always ask your children to write more!
I have students who will write the minimum. When they’re finished with a piece of writing,
I’ll ask them to share and write more. Most children will but the quantity and quality of
their writing depends on their skills. Every September when I receive a new class of first
grade students, many can write a very simple sentence. My writing rule for them is this:
“Every month, you need to add another complete sentence to your writing.” By the end of the
school year, most children are able to write 10 or more sentences. For the struggling writer,
if you’ve seen progress by June, that’s WONDERFUL! Additionally, don’t worry about how well
your child’s peers are writing. As adults, we like to compare and children are very aware of
what their peers can and can’t do.