How to Inspire Kids to Enjoy Creative Writing More

Whether you are a teacher or a parent, you may well have found that writing is simply one of those activities that constantly causes frustration or annoyance when kids or teenagers are asked to get involved in them. However, creative writing can be a joy and it is going to be your responsibility to lead the way and show them exactly how this is the case. So, the following blog post is going to be all about creative writing and how you are going to provide more of a sense of inspiration. Let’s look at some different ways right here and now.

Encourage a Vast Array of Reading Material

First up on the list, there is no doubt that you should be thinking about giving your kids all sorts of different reading material. This way, they are going to be able to find out the styles and subjects that they find to be particularly interesting and engaging. As well as longer forms of fiction, you should also think about how you can look at shorter forms such as newspaper or magazine writing. Ultimately, you should be trying to teach them to not be dismissive straight away of anything that they are going to be asked to read. Otherwise, it can lead to a situation in which prejudice starts to creep in along the way.

Teach About Scripting

For many kids and teenagers in the modern world, they cannot find the level of focus to sit down and read a whole book but they are more than happy to watch a video of something or other. Being able to show them the process of scripting and how everything needs to be written can help them out in a big way when it comes to creative writing. You could set them off with some creative challenges such as filming their own YouTube video. It is not going to be long into doing this task that they start to realize just how important it is for some scripting to come into play – unless they are highly talented in being able to move ahead with a stream-of-consciousness style, in which case, all the more power to them.

Start with Smaller Exercises

For the kids who have struggled with their writing, there is no doubt that some of the longer form exercises can feel like they are a major struggle to deal with in so many different ways. So, rather than having to overextend them, you can start with a task that feels so much more manageable. For example, it could be to simply write the opening few sentences of a story rather than worrying about doing the whole thing. It could well be the case that once they have gotten started, it feels much more likely that they will want to continue with what they are doing. Ultimately, even the great writers out there take on a step-by-step approach rather than ending up being too overwhelmed with what they are doing. You can also check out companies such as studentreasures.com, which can help out in a big way when it comes to the creativity that is going to be needed.

Encourage Regular Writing

One of the major obstacles that people find themselves up against in the field of creative writing is that they simply get into a situation in which regular writing has not been ingrained and it starts to feel like it is a chore that is simply not worth taking the effort over. If this is the case with a class of kids that you are dealing with or even your own children, it is certainly going to be worth getting into a situation in which regular writing is encouraged. Even if it is the case in which a diary is being kept or some morning pages which express how they are feeling, this can help to show the way and teach them that writing is not something that has to be feared. Ultimately, the ability to be able to fill up those blank pages is certainly one that is worth honing and developing as much as possible. By encouraging kids to write every day, you are building a positive habit that may well flourish in the future.

Use Props to Inspire Writing

There is no doubt that the visual elements of writing need to be taken into account and thought about as much as possible. Sometimes, it is through the simple act of bringing in some props into the classroom in which you can create the type of situation in which kids are inspired. For example, you could think about bringing in a particular object and asking the kids to create a story that is entirely based on it. You are going to end up in a situation in which there are all sorts of different stories that are created, and this is a fact that is inspiring enough on its own.

Encourage the Sharing of Stories

There is no doubt that the writing side of things is only one aspect of the overall art of storytelling and there certainly needs to be some encouragement here when it comes to sharing the ideas that have been created. Ultimately, it is going to be more than worth pushing the kids towards the sharing of their ideas. Not only this, but they should feel comfortable feeling like they can read their stories out loud to wider groups in a classroom environment that feels as non-confrontational and non-judgemental as it possibly can.

Here you have just a few of the major steps that are worth taking when it comes to creating the type of environment in which kids feel like writing is not going to be a chore, but instead, it happens to be something to relish and enjoy in so many different ways. Ultimately, this may well feel like it is a challenge, but it is more than worth taking on for the results that will be brought.