Teaching Teens


Discover A Method To Motivate Kids To Write

This summer I’ve been posting reviews of our writing products as well as some articles about writing. This is an article that I wrote last summer that I thought you might find helpful.

The most common complaint I hear from parents has to do with their child's approach to writing. It's quite normal for children to resist writing assignments. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way. By providing your child with a clear purpose for their writing lessons, you will boost their motivation and encourage them to do their best work. Through the process of writing format through publishing, my kids do better work, and are happier about it, too!

A few years ago, all three of my children wrote books which are now available for purchase.  My son worked for an entire year studying about the jungle and choosing just the right animal or plant to include in his ABC Jungle Book.  After making these choices, he wrote a paragraph about each one, using a writing stylistic checklist.




Of course, he didn't work on his book for eight hours a day, every day for a year. After all, he's just a kid! The amazing thing is that he remained motivated all year long. Because of his efforts, he was able to complete his book at the beginning of June.

He was highly motivated for a couple of reasons.  First, he chose the topic of jungles himself so he was quite interested in the topic from the beginning.  Secondly, the idea of making money from his writing project and publishing a book was exciting.  This project gave him a purpose for writing.  Not every writing project will end in a money-making project, but each writing assignment should have a purpose.

Not all writing assignments lead to a money-making opportunity - there are many other ways to introduce purpose into your child's writing. Experiment, and look for new reasons to write. Perhaps your child can write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper on a preferred topic; enter a poem or story in a writing contest; share news in a letter with family or friends; or write a story about an incident in their life. Be creative, and find new reasons for your children to write - they will approach their writing with a fresh outlook and increased enthusiasm.

Here’s a video review of some of our writing products,
“Medieval History Based Writing.”

After your child has a purpose for writing, they need to get their ideas out of their head and onto paper. Ideas have to be arranged in a logical order, and then the writing process can begin. Teaching Writing: Structure & Style is the best product to teach kids how to write. It teaches your children to write for a variety of purposes like letters, stories, and essays.

Using the process of writing format through publishing automatically gives your child a purpose for writing.  As you look for a writing program, look for one that uses writing with whatever subjects you are studying.  Writing should not a separate subject in and of itself.  That's the way life is...writing is part of all aspects of your life and your students should be able to write in many areas.  Writing in a variety of subject areas will also show your students that writing has a purpose in all of life.

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Copyright Kerry Beck, 2009
You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below.

Kerry Beck encourages homeschool moms and teachers with elementary writing. Get her free mini-course about Teaching Writing Easily at http://www.howtoteachwriting.com today.

11:07 AM - Jul. 28, 2009 - post comment


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Teaching Teens Blog is designed to encourage parents who are raising teenagers. Not only will we address academics, but also practical life skills, spiritual issues and entrepreneurial ideas for teens.
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