Creative Writing
Writing is a powerful tool for harnessing creativity and imagination and has countless benefits for both adults and children. As technology becomes such a staple part of our children’s lives, it is more important than ever to encourage creative writing, whether this is with pen and paper or with the help of a writing program like Word.
Reading and writing can help children to become better thinkers, improve their English language skills, and most importantly: have fun! Below we look at why creative writing is the ultimate tool for developing a child’s brain, and how you can encourage creative writing for your children or students.
Building Confidence
As children explore their creativity and express themselves through writing, you will start to see a difference in their confidence levels. Creative writing encourages children to think outside the box and create anything their heart desires. This is a great way for children to learn more about themselves and what they find interesting and fun.
When sharing their creative writing work with friends, teachers, or parents, children can gain confidence in their abilities and will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas with others. If a child shares a story with you, it is important to provide them with gentle encouragement and offer kind, constructive feedback. This will help them improve their writing without making them feel undermined or like their writing was not good enough. Not all writing is there to become a masterpiece, children often just need a creative outlet.
Improved Communication
Communication is such an essential part of everyday life, from communicating with teachers to parents, children need to learn how to talk to different people and what language is appropriate in what setting.
Creative writing can help children to develop strong communication skills, as they learn to express their ideas and thoughts effectively and clearly. These skills can be used in the real world, for better communicating and expressing themselves with their choice of language.
Empathy and Compassion
Creative writing can do more than just develop communication or literacy skills. As children write about different characters and begin to understand how different situations can affect people, they will start to develop empathy. When writing a story or a poem, a child must explore different perspectives and points of view.
This can help them to see the world through someone else’s eyes, making it easier for them to understand why people do the things they do. Through creative writing, children will develop a sense of compassion for others, learning to understand that everyone thinks and acts differently. As children, some of the most important life lessons we learn are through stories.
Critical Thinking Skills
Creative writing is just one way that children can develop their critical thinking skills, as they analyze and edit their story, making adjustments where needed. As they evaluate their work and the work of others, they will gain a better understanding of how to critically analyze, which is a skill they will need throughout their life, especially during high school.
Reduced Stress
Stress is bad for the body and the brain and can reduce a child’s ability to thrive and grow. Not all children can express themselves through talking, as they are still learning to understand their feelings and emotions. Creative writing is therefore a therapeutic activity for many children, as they can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety through the thoughts and feelings of their characters. The arts in general are a great way for children to express themselves and reduce stress.
Improved Literacy Skills
Through creative writing, children can improve a wide range of literacy skills, which will help develop their brains. With regular creative writing practice, children can develop literacy skills such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This can also help in the future when children are required to write essays for class.
The longer a child has been writing, the easier they will find it in the future to write. By encouraging creative writing at a young age, you will set your child up for an easier time in school in the future. Writing, just like any activity, is something that gets better with regular practice.
Organization Skills
As children, organization is something that often goes over our heads. We cannot understand that a day out or a trip away only happens through thorough organization. With creative writing, there is a lot of thought, preparation, and organization that must go into a well-written piece.
This part of the creative writing process is great for a child’s development, as they learn to organize their ideas in a more streamlined way. They can then organize these ideas further, building a character story and plot that will improve their writing for the better.
How to Encourage Creative Writing
Creative writing is a refined process that takes time to perfect. Give a child a blank piece of paper and ask them to write a story, and most children will become flustered or give up before they’ve even started. Instead of just expecting children to be able to write whatever comes to mind, you can use writing prompts and writing activities to get their creative juices flowing before working on a creative writing piece.
Writing worksheets such as these for second-grade students from https://studentreasures.com/teachers-lounge/lesson-plans/second-grade/ are the ultimate tool for teachers looking to encourage creative writing in the classroom.
Another way to encourage creative writing is by reading books to your children, and buying age-appropriate books for them to read as they grow. All writers need to get their inspiration from somewhere and most creative writers find their niche and get the best ideas when reading books. If you are a teacher, consider starting a book club or reading a story to your class at the end of every week.
Creative writing is the ultimate tool for developing a child’s brain for many reasons. From improving communication skills to helping kids develop a sense of empathy and compassion, there are many benefits to encouraging children to start a creative writing class or program.
