how to teach a child essay writing

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How to Teach Kids to Write in 9 Easy Steps

Step 1: Develop Fine Motor Skills

Step 2: introduce prewriting skills, step 3: teach letter recognition, step 4: practice writing letters, step 5: connect letters to sounds, step 6: encourage writing words, step 7: introduce writing instruments, step 8: expand writing contexts, step 9: encourage reading.

Ever felt a mix of joy and worry watching a kid clutch a crayon for the first time? If you’re nodding, you’re not alone. Figuring out how to teach kids to write is a common puzzle for many of us. It’s that first big step from messy lines to meaningful words.

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Surprisingly, teaching kids to write doesn’t have to be a head-scratcher. With some simple steps and fun activities, it can become an exciting journey for you and your little one.

In the following sections, we’ll dive into a detailed step-by-step guide on how to teach kids to write. Each step is crafted to build upon the last, ensuring a solid foundation is laid for your child’s writing skills. By the end of these strategies, your kids will be equipped with the tools to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and creatively.

9 Easy Steps to Teach Kids to Write

Fine motor skills are the foundation of learning to write. They involve using small muscles in the hands and fingers to perform tasks like holding a pencil, turning pages, and eventually writing letters and words. Developing these skills is crucial for teaching kids to write because it directly impacts their ability to control writing instruments and make the precise movements required.

When to Start:

The journey to develop writing skills begins long before a child ever picks up a pencil to write. It starts as early as toddlerhood. Children can begin engaging in activities to enhance their fine motor skills from as young as 18 months old. Starting early is important to ensure they have a strong foundation to build upon as they grow.

How to Do It:

• Engage your child in activities that encourage using their hands and fingers. Play with clay, finger painting, and threading beads are excellent ways to strengthen these muscles. Using safety scissors for cutting simple shapes out of paper is another beneficial activity.
• Incorporate fine motor skills development into daily tasks. Encourage your child to help with buttoning clothes, zipping up bags, or using child-safe utensils during meal times.
• Provide toys and tools that promote fine motor development. Puzzles , building blocks, and age-appropriate art supplies or online fine motor skills games are great choices.

Here are some fun fine motor skills games to get started:

Key Milestones:

• Initially, focus on your child’s ability to grasp and hold objects. This is the first step towards holding a pencil correctly.
• Children should be able to manipulate objects more precisely as their skills advance, such as turning pages or unscrewing lids.

Prewriting skills are the early writing skills children need before they can form letters and words. These skills include drawing lines, shapes and eventually combining these to make letters. Introducing prewriting skills is critical in teaching kids how to write because it helps children understand the basic strokes involved in letter formation.

Children are ready to start developing prewriting skills around the age of 3. This is when they typically have enough control over their hand and finger movements to begin drawing basic shapes and lines.

• Begin with simple shapes like circles, straight lines, and curves. These shapes are the building blocks of letters.
• Use tracing worksheets or apps that allow children to trace lines and shapes. This helps them understand the motion of writing and builds their confidence.

Here are some fun shapes worksheets to get started:

• Being able to draw circles, lines, and crosses is a sign they’re developing the necessary control for writing.
• Successfully tracing over dotted lines or shapes shows they’re ready to start forming more complex figures, like letters.

Letter recognition is the ability to recognize and name all the letters of the alphabet. It’s a fundamental aspect of learning how to teach kids to write because recognizing letters is the first step towards understanding that letters represent sounds, which combine to form words.

Letter recognition can begin as early as age 2 or 3, alongside or shortly after introducing prewriting skills. At this stage, children are usually curious about letters and eager to learn more about them.

• Using alphabet books is a great way to familiarize children with letters. Read together and point out each letter, discussing its shape and sound.
• Engage children with games that involve finding and naming letters. This could be as simple as a letter hunt around the house or structured games like alphabet puzzles.

Begin with these letter games:

• Naming each letter, both uppercase and lowercase, is a key milestone in letter recognition.
• Recognizing letters not just in books or games but also in the world around them, like on signs or in their favorite storybooks .

Practicing writing letters is a crucial step in teaching a preschooler to write. It’s where the physical act of writing starts to take shape, moving from recognizing and drawing shapes to forming actual letters. This stage is essential for children to learn how to express themselves through writing.

Once children are comfortable with prewriting shapes and have a good grasp of letter recognition, usually around ages 3 to 4, they’re ready to start practicing writing letters.

• Motivating children by teaching them to write their names first is a powerful tool. It makes the learning process personal and engaging, giving them a sense of pride in their writing.
• Providing worksheets for tracing and writing letters helps children understand the form and structure of each letter. Start with uppercase letters, which are generally easier to write, and then move to lowercase letters.

Begin with these letter tracing games :

• Being able to write their own name is a significant milestone for preschoolers.
• Moving from tracing to independently writing letters shows progress in their writing skills.

By introducing letter sounds, children begin to understand that letters are not just shapes but symbols that represent sounds. This understanding is crucial for developing reading skills and is a fun way to teach writing as it makes the process more interactive and meaningful.

This step can begin concurrently with practicing writing letters, typically around ages 4 to 5, as children’s understanding of the alphabet solidifies.

• Introducing letter sounds with phonics games and flashcards makes learning dynamic and engaging. Phonics activities help children make the connection between letters and sounds, a critical step in learning to read and write.

Start with these letter sound games:

• Start forming simple words to emphasize the connection between writing and reading. This can be as straightforward as writing C-A-T and sounding it out together. It reinforces the idea that combining letters creates words with meaning.
• Being able to associate specific sounds with their corresponding letters.
• The ability to write and sound out simple words marks a significant advancement in their writing and reading journey.

Encouraging writing words is a pivotal step in how to teach kids to write. It transitions them from understanding individual letters and sounds to recognizing and forming whole words. This stage boosts their confidence and demonstrates the practical use of writing in communication.

After children are comfortable with letters and simple phonics, usually around the age of 5 or when they show interest in creating words, it’s time to introduce this step.

• Teaching common sight words for recognition and writing is essential. Sight words are frequently used words children are encouraged to recognize on sight. Start with a small, manageable list and gradually expand as they become more confident.

Begin here:

• Encouraging the formation of simple sentences helps children see how words come together to express ideas. Begin with sentences that are relevant to them, like “I like my cat” or “The sun is hot.”
• Being able to write and recognize common sight words .
• The ability to string words together to form basic sentences.

Introducing a variety of writing instruments is crucial for children to explore and find what they are most comfortable using. It’s also an opportunity to teach the proper grip, which is essential for writing efficiently and avoiding hand fatigue. This step is about refining their physical skills for writing and offering writing tips for kids to enhance their writing experience.

This can be introduced as soon as children start showing interest in drawing or writing, and should be continuously adapted as they grow and their skills develop.

• Allow children to experiment with different writing tools such as pencils, crayons, markers, and chalk. Each tool offers a different grip, resistance, and experience on paper, helping them develop a versatile skill set.
• Teaching the correct way to hold a pencil is fundamental. Show them the “tripod grip,” which is holding the pencil with the thumb, index, and middle finger. This grip controls the pencil, making writing easier and more comfortable.
• Experimenting with Different Tools: Children should feel comfortable trying out various writing instruments and expressing a preference.
• Mastering the Tripod Grip: Successfully using the tripod grip when writing or drawing is a sign of developing fine motor control and readiness for more advanced writing tasks.

Expanding writing contexts is about broadening a child’s understanding and application of writing across different genres. This step is crucial to improve writing skills as it exposes children to a variety of writing forms, structures, and purposes. It encourages them to think creatively and apply their writing skills in diverse ways.

This can be introduced once children are comfortable writing sentences and simple paragraphs, typically around ages 6 to 8.

• Introduce various writing forms such as stories , letters, poems , and reports. Discuss the structure and purpose of each genre. This variety keeps writing exciting and shows its practical uses in real life.
• Use prompts to inspire creativity and interest in different topics. Prompts can be questions, pictures, or scenarios that spark ideas for writing. This is one of the effective ways to improve writing skills for students by making them think and write creatively.
• Successfully writing a simple story, letter, or poem.
• Being able to create a coherent piece of writing in response to a given prompt.

A strong reading habit is foundational to writing well. Reading regularly exposes children to a wide range of vocabulary , sentence structures , and styles, enhancing their language skills and understanding. This, in turn, significantly improves writing skills as children learn to emulate the structures and styles they encounter in their reading.

Encouraging a love for reading should start as early as possible, even before a child begins to write, and continue throughout their education.

• Foster a love for reading by sharing books together, visiting libraries, and discussing stories. Encourage children to explore books on topics that interest them, which will keep them engaged and motivated to read more.
• Talk about the books they are reading. Discussing characters, plots, and what they enjoyed helps deepen their understanding and appreciation of writing.
• Establishing a routine where reading is a daily activity.
• Being able to talk about what they read, including story elements and what they liked or didn’t like.

How SplashLearn Can Encourage Children to Write

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SplashLearn is a fun and interactive platform designed to make learning an exciting adventure for children. When it comes to writing, SplashLearn offers a variety of resources and activities that can significantly encourage and improve children’s writing skills. Here’s how SplashLearn can be a valuable tool in your child’s writing journey:

• Interactive Writing Games: SplashLearn includes a range of writing games that are not only engaging but also educational. These games are designed to teach children the basics of writing, from letter recognition to word formation, in a fun and interactive way. 
• Personalized Learning Paths: One of the key features of SplashLearn is its ability to adapt to each child’s learning pace and style. This personalized approach ensures that children are not overwhelmed or bored but are constantly challenged in a way that’s just right for them. This tailored learning experience can help children progress in their writing skills more effectively.
• Rewards and Motivation: SplashLearn uses a system of rewards and achievements to motivate children. As they complete writing tasks and games, they earn points or badges, which can motivate young learners. This positive reinforcement encourages children to keep practicing their writing, helping them improve over time.
• Parental Involvement: SplashLearn also provides tools and reports for parents to track their child’s progress. This feature allows parents to see how their child is advancing in their writing skills and identify areas where they might need extra help. It also offers suggestions for activities outside the app that encourage writing practice.
• Educational Resources: Beyond games , SplashLearn offers a wealth of worksheets to support writing learning at home. These resources can be used alongside interactive games to provide children with a comprehensive writing learning experience.

5 Benefits of Teaching Kids How to Write Effectively

• Writing is a fundamental form of communication. Teaching kids how to write effectively helps them express their thoughts, ideas, and emotions clearly and confidently in academic settings and their personal lives.
• Good writing skills are crucial for success in school. From completing homework assignments to writing essays and taking notes, the ability to write well can significantly impact a child’s academic achievement and future educational opportunities.
• Writing offers children a unique outlet to explore their creativity and imagination. By learning to write stories, poems, or even journal entries, kids can develop their creative talents and discover new ways of seeing the world.
• The process of writing involves complex thinking skills such as planning, organizing, and problem-solving. Teaching kids to write effectively helps enhance these cognitive abilities, contributing to overall intellectual growth.

Conclusion 

Learning how to teach kids to write is a journey filled with opportunities to enhance their communication, creativity, and cognitive development. By embracing this journey, we can help our children build a strong foundation in writing, setting them up for success in school and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best age to teach a child to write.

The best age to start teaching a child to write is around 3 to 4 years old, beginning with basic prewriting skills and gradually moving to more structured writing tasks.

How should a 4 year old be writing?

A 4-year-old should be practicing prewriting skills such as drawing lines, shapes, and beginning to recognize and attempt writing letters, especially those in their name.

Should a 3 year old be able to write their name?

While some 3-year-olds may start showing interest in writing their names, it’s more common for them to recognize and trace letters rather than write their names independently.

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Tips to Teach Essay Writing to Your Children 

As a parent, you want to give your children every opportunity to succeed in school and life. One of the most important skills they will need is the ability to write well. Essays are a crucial part of education from elementary school through college. Teaching your children how to write effective essays from an early age will help them immensely as students and bolster their communication abilities. If you find yourself needing extra support, the Academized service can be incredibly useful. Academized.com offers professional writing help that can guide your children through the essay writing process, ensuring they develop strong writing skills and a better understanding of how to write effective essays. 

While the task of teaching essay writing may seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be. With patience, practice, and these helpful tips, you can guide your kids on their journey to becoming skilled writers. Let’s get started! 

Start with the Basics  

Before diving into essays, make sure your child has a solid grasp of the fundamentals of writing. This includes proper grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. Encourage them to read often as this will improve vocabulary and help them understand how full thoughts are expressed coherently. 

Work on these key skills through written exercises, writing games and activities, and having them write about their experiences and interests. The stronger their basic writing abilities are, the easier it will be to construct a well-written essay. 

Explain the Essay Structure  

Sit down with your child and explain the basic structure that all essays follow: 

• Introduction paragraph 
• Body paragraphs 
• Conclusion paragraph 

The introduction should capture the reader’s attention, present the main idea or thesis of the essay, and give an overview of what will be covered in the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should focus on one main point that supports the thesis. The conclusion should summarize the key points and restate the thesis in a new way. 

Incorporating examples from the best literature review writing services can provide valuable insights and enhance your children’s understanding of effective essay writing techniques. Have your child try outlining a simple essay using this structure before they begin writing. This will help them understand the logic and flow an essay should follow. 

Start with Narrative Essays  

Since children love telling stories, a narrative essay is a great way to get them started with essay writing. A narrative essay tells a true story from the writer’s life and follows the same structure of introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Have your child think of an interesting or meaningful personal experience, like a fun family vacation, an achievement they are proud of, or a lesson they learned. Guide them through outlining the key points of the story, and then have them write it out in essay form. 

Focus on Descriptive Writing  

To make their narrative essays (and all essays) more engaging, teach your child the importance of using descriptive writing with lots of sensory details. Have them include specific details that appeal to the five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch when describing people, places, and events. 

For example, instead of saying “My grandmother gave me a cookie,” they could write “My grandmother took the warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven and placed it in my eager hands. The sweet scent of melty chocolate and vanilla filled my nose as I took a big bite, the soft dough and crunchy chips melting together in delicious perfection.” 

Introducing sensory details and vivid descriptions will make their essays stronger and more interesting to read. 

Practice Expository Essays  

Once your child has worked on narrative writing, move on to expository essays. These essays are about explaining or describing a person, place, thing, or concept. The format follows the same three parts of introduction, body, and conclusion. 

For an expository essay, guide your child to start with an interesting, attention-grabbing fact about their subject in the introduction. The body paragraphs should explain the main points or aspects of the subject, with supporting details. Have them think of a creative way to summarize or reword their thesis in the conclusion. 

Good expository essay topics for kids include explaining their favorite sport or book, describing a beloved family tradition, or discussing what they want to be when they grow up. 

Teach About Arguments and Research  

When your child is ready for the next step, introduce them to argumentative essays. These essays state an opinion or claim (the thesis statement) and provide evidence from research and facts to support that claim. 

Explain that their introduction needs a clear, specific thesis statement that reveals their argument or stance on the topic. The body paragraphs should each state a reason or piece of evidence that backs up the thesis. Teach them to use transition words when moving between points, like “additionally,” “in fact,” and “for example.” The conclusion should restate their argument in a compelling way and express why their side is important or correct. 

For topics, you could have them form an argument about whether their school should have a longer recess, why a favorite book should be required reading, or if kids should have set bedtimes. Have them conduct research from reliable sources to find facts and information that help support their position. 

The Five-Paragraph Essay  

As your child progresses in their writing skills, you can teach them the popular five-paragraph essay method that many teachers follow. This structured approach has: 

• An introduction paragraph with a thesis statement. 
• Three body paragraphs that each discuss one main point or reason that supports the thesis. 
• A conclusion paragraph that reinforces the thesis and main points. 

While teaching this method, stress the importance of having a clear, specific thesis. Guide them to develop three strong arguments or main ideas that directly relate back to and support the thesis. Encourage them to use transition words between the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion to create smooth flow and cohesion. 

Outline, Draft, Revise  

No good essay happens with just one quick draft. Teach your child the importance of the writing process: outline, draft, and revise. 

First, have them outline their essay with main points and supporting details before writing. Creating an outline provides a roadmap to follow and ensures their essay has a clear structure and purpose. 

Once they have completed their first draft using the outline, it’s time to revise. Show them how to review and improve their work by: 

• Rereading their essay and checking that each paragraph relates to the thesis 
• Ensuring that they have used plenty of details and examples to support and explain their points clearly 
• Checking that all sentences are properly structured with correct grammar, spelling and punctuation 
• Reading their work aloud and listening for areas that sound confusing or need better flow 
• Asking parents, siblings, or teachers for feedback and suggestions 

Encourage your child to revise their essay multiple times until they feel it is strong, clear, and error-free. Writing improves through practice and reworking. 

Let Them Write About Their Interests  

One of the best ways to get your child engaged in essay writing is to let them write about things they are excited about or interested in. Give them freedom to pick topics from their favorite books, video games, sports, or hobbies. When kids can write about subjects important to them, they’ll be more motivated. 

Their interests can also inspire more creative and engaging types of essays, like book reviews, persuasive essays promoting their favorite pastime, or an expository essay that explores the history of a beloved video game series. Let them get creative while practicing their skills! 

Give Feedback and Encouragement  

Throughout this process, remember to build up your child’s writing abilities through regular feedback and encouragement. Celebrating their efforts and pointing out areas of progress will boost their confidence. 

When providing feedback, make sure to highlight the positives of what they did well before suggesting areas that could be improved next time. Be patient and remember that mastering essay writing takes time and practice. 

With your guidance and their diligence, your child will become an effective communicator through the written word. And as they grow, these skills will benefit them not just academically but personally and professionally as well. Essay writing teaches critical thinking, clear communication, and creativity—invaluable tools for success. 

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Teach Your Child Essay Writing in 6 Steps

Start with the basics.

Before you dive into that essay you’ll want to make sure your child has a good grasp on basic writing concepts. Grammar and spelling are the foundation on which you can help your child build that first essay. Once you’re satisfied with their understanding of these concepts, begin teaching them what a thesis is, and how to write one. “A lot of kids have trouble writing in a focused way, so help guide them and keep them on track. You’ll probably want to reinforce the idea that the thesis guides everything else they write in their essay,” recommends Paul Winston, educator at PaperFellows .

An outline is a plan or a description of the essay, showing the most important parts of it. Every essay includes an introduction, exposition, and conclusion. Outlines help people get organized when writing, and this should help your child as well. Write down the topic and their main goal which helps them clearly identify their main idea and their opinions about it. There are plenty of outline types out there, so you can easily find one that best suits your child. Then all you have to do is pull it together – creating a list of all the parts that will be in the essay.

Get them practicing

Kick start your child’s creative process by giving them some examples. It’s a lot easier to show them a concrete example, rather than trying to explain what you want them to do. As they practice they will get closer and closer to where you want them to be. Practicing is where the real improvement will come from, but be sure not to overwork them. Give them breaks and reward them for their hard work.

There are plenty of ways in which they can develop their essay writing skills. You just have to find something that sparks their interest. For instance, if your child likes video games, you can ask him to write a report on that. If they like books or comic books or TV shows, ask them to write reports where they'll compare two similar stories etc.

Encourage reading

Reading is a great way for your child to soak up all kinds of information about vocabulary and how sentences work together. The more you read to your child , or they read on their own, the better their writing will become. If they’re just not showing an interest in reading , explore your child’s favorite things in order find the right material. Once you get them interested and reading on their own, you’ll notice them picking up new words, which can be very exciting and rewarding for a parent.

Harness the power of technology

Technology gets a bad rap for distracting kids (and adults) from reading and writing, but technology can be a useful tool in enhancing your child’s experiences with the written word. Pinterest can be useful for the writing process. Your child will be identifying lots of topics and resources they may want to use for their essay, and Pinterest is a fantastic way of organizing those ideas. Just create a few boards and show your child how to pin sources onto a board. You might even find that the reason your child is struggling with an essay is because they prefer using an iPad to writing on paper or a laptop.

Try out these resources for extra help teaching essay writing

Writing can be tricky, and so can teaching writing to children. Check out these online tools for help teaching your children essay writing:

• StateofWriting & Studydemic

These are grammar resources you can use to check over your child’s writing for grammatical mistakes.

• Boomessays & Essayroo

These are online proofreading tools, listed by Simplegrad , you can use to make sure your child’s essay is polished and error-free.

• ViaWriting & Academadvisor

Check out these academic blogs for ideas and suggestions on how to teach your children essay writing. There are lots of posts here by parents who have successfully helped their children with essay writing.

• Academized & UKWritings

These are editing tools, recommended in Academized review , you can use to go over your child’s writing for typos and other mistakes.

• My Writing Way & Writing Populist

Check out these essay writing guides for help improving the writing in your child’s essay. If you struggle with writing yourself, these guides can prepare you to help your child with their essay.

Though there might be challenges as you teach your child the methods of essay writing, do your best to make the learning process fun, and eventually your child’s understanding will grow to excelling at essay writing.

about the author... Grace Carter is a teacher at  Big Assignments  and  Assignment Help  services. She teaches academic writing and curates edtech processes. Also, Grace tutors at  OX Essays  writing website. 

Essay Writing: A complete guide for students and teachers

P LANNING, PARAGRAPHING AND POLISHING: FINE-TUNING THE PERFECT ESSAY

Essay writing is an essential skill for every student. Whether writing a particular academic essay (such as persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository) or a timed exam essay, the key to getting good at writing is to write. Creating opportunities for our students to engage in extended writing activities will go a long way to helping them improve their skills as scribes.

But, putting the hours in alone will not be enough to attain the highest levels in essay writing. Practice must be meaningful. Once students have a broad overview of how to structure the various types of essays, they are ready to narrow in on the minor details that will enable them to fine-tune their work as a lean vehicle of their thoughts and ideas.

In this article, we will drill down to some aspects that will assist students in taking their essay writing skills up a notch. Many ideas and activities can be integrated into broader lesson plans based on essay writing. Often, though, they will work effectively in isolation – just as athletes isolate physical movements to drill that are relevant to their sport. When these movements become second nature, they can be repeated naturally in the context of the game or in our case, the writing of the essay.

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Planning an essay

The Boys Scouts’ motto is famously ‘Be Prepared’. It’s a solid motto that can be applied to most aspects of life; essay writing is no different. Given the purpose of an essay is generally to present a logical and reasoned argument, investing time in organising arguments, ideas, and structure would seem to be time well spent.

Given that essays can take a wide range of forms and that we all have our own individual approaches to writing, it stands to reason that there will be no single best approach to the planning stage of essay writing. That said, there are several helpful hints and techniques we can share with our students to help them wrestle their ideas into a writable form. Let’s take a look at a few of the best of these:

BREAK THE QUESTION DOWN: UNDERSTAND YOUR ESSAY TOPIC.

Whether students are tackling an assignment that you have set for them in class or responding to an essay prompt in an exam situation, they should get into the habit of analyzing the nature of the task. To do this, they should unravel the question’s meaning or prompt. Students can practice this in class by responding to various essay titles, questions, and prompts, thereby gaining valuable experience breaking these down.

Have students work in groups to underline and dissect the keywords and phrases and discuss what exactly is being asked of them in the task. Are they being asked to discuss, describe, persuade, or explain? Understanding the exact nature of the task is crucial before going any further in the planning process, never mind the writing process .

BRAINSTORM AND MIND MAP WHAT YOU KNOW:

Once students have understood what the essay task asks them, they should consider what they know about the topic and, often, how they feel about it. When teaching essay writing, we so often emphasize that it is about expressing our opinions on things, but for our younger students what they think about something isn’t always obvious, even to themselves.

Brainstorming and mind-mapping what they know about a topic offers them an opportunity to uncover not just what they already know about a topic, but also gives them a chance to reveal to themselves what they think about the topic. This will help guide them in structuring their research and, later, the essay they will write . When writing an essay in an exam context, this may be the only ‘research’ the student can undertake before the writing, so practicing this will be even more important.

RESEARCH YOUR ESSAY

The previous step above should reveal to students the general direction their research will take. With the ubiquitousness of the internet, gone are the days of students relying on a single well-thumbed encyclopaedia from the school library as their sole authoritative source in their essay. If anything, the real problem for our students today is narrowing down their sources to a manageable number. Students should use the information from the previous step to help here. At this stage, it is important that they:

●      Ensure the research material is directly relevant to the essay task

●      Record in detail the sources of the information that they will use in their essay

●      Engage with the material personally by asking questions and challenging their own biases

●      Identify the key points that will be made in their essay

●      Group ideas, counterarguments, and opinions together

●      Identify the overarching argument they will make in their own essay.

Once these stages have been completed the student is ready to organise their points into a logical order.

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

There are a number of ways for students to organize their points in preparation for writing. They can use graphic organizers , post-it notes, or any number of available writing apps. The important thing for them to consider here is that their points should follow a logical progression. This progression of their argument will be expressed in the form of body paragraphs that will inform the structure of their finished essay.

The number of paragraphs contained in an essay will depend on a number of factors such as word limits, time limits, the complexity of the question etc. Regardless of the essay’s length, students should ensure their essay follows the Rule of Three in that every essay they write contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Generally speaking, essay paragraphs will focus on one main idea that is usually expressed in a topic sentence that is followed by a series of supporting sentences that bolster that main idea. The first and final sentences are of the most significance here with the first sentence of a paragraph making the point to the reader and the final sentence of the paragraph making the overall relevance to the essay’s argument crystal clear. 

Though students will most likely be familiar with the broad generic structure of essays, it is worth investing time to ensure they have a clear conception of how each part of the essay works, that is, of the exact nature of the task it performs. Let’s review:

Common Essay Structure

Introduction: Provides the reader with context for the essay. It states the broad argument that the essay will make and informs the reader of the writer’s general perspective and approach to the question.

Body Paragraphs: These are the ‘meat’ of the essay and lay out the argument stated in the introduction point by point with supporting evidence.

Conclusion: Usually, the conclusion will restate the central argument while summarising the essay’s main supporting reasons before linking everything back to the original question.

ESSAY WRITING PARAGRAPH WRITING TIPS

●      Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea

●      Paragraphs should follow a logical sequence; students should group similar ideas together to avoid incoherence

●      Paragraphs should be denoted consistently; students should choose either to indent or skip a line

●      Transition words and phrases such as alternatively , consequently , in contrast should be used to give flow and provide a bridge between paragraphs.

HOW TO EDIT AN ESSAY

Students shouldn’t expect their essays to emerge from the writing process perfectly formed. Except in exam situations and the like, thorough editing is an essential aspect in the writing process. 

Often, students struggle with this aspect of the process the most. After spending hours of effort on planning, research, and writing the first draft, students can be reluctant to go back over the same terrain they have so recently travelled. It is important at this point to give them some helpful guidelines to help them to know what to look out for. The following tips will provide just such help: 

One Piece at a Time: There is a lot to look out for in the editing process and often students overlook aspects as they try to juggle too many balls during the process. One effective strategy to combat this is for students to perform a number of rounds of editing with each focusing on a different aspect. For example, the first round could focus on content, the second round on looking out for word repetition (use a thesaurus to help here), with the third attending to spelling and grammar.

Sum It Up: When reviewing the paragraphs they have written, a good starting point is for students to read each paragraph and attempt to sum up its main point in a single line. If this is not possible, their readers will most likely have difficulty following their train of thought too and the paragraph needs to be overhauled.

Let It Breathe: When possible, encourage students to allow some time for their essay to ‘breathe’ before returning to it for editing purposes. This may require some skilful time management on the part of the student, for example, a student rush-writing the night before the deadline does not lend itself to effective editing. Fresh eyes are one of the sharpest tools in the writer’s toolbox.

Read It Aloud: This time-tested editing method is a great way for students to identify mistakes and typos in their work. We tend to read things more slowly when reading aloud giving us the time to spot errors. Also, when we read silently our minds can often fill in the gaps or gloss over the mistakes that will become apparent when we read out loud.

Phone a Friend: Peer editing is another great way to identify errors that our brains may miss when reading our own work. Encourage students to partner up for a little ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’.

Use Tech Tools: We need to ensure our students have the mental tools to edit their own work and for this they will need a good grasp of English grammar and punctuation. However, there are also a wealth of tech tools such as spellcheck and grammar checks that can offer a great once-over option to catch anything students may have missed in earlier editing rounds.

Putting the Jewels on Display: While some struggle to edit, others struggle to let go. There comes a point when it is time for students to release their work to the reader. They must learn to relinquish control after the creation is complete. This will be much easier to achieve if the student feels that they have done everything in their control to ensure their essay is representative of the best of their abilities and if they have followed the advice here, they should be confident they have done so.

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7 Tips to Teach Essay Writing to Your Children

Writing is one of the most important skills for your child’s education. The unfortunate thing is that classroom settings often don’t provide enough practice time to really hone those writing skills. Experts from Ace Papers can provide good lessons and instruction, but there’s still a lot of slack for parents to pick up. Follow these seven tips to teach essay writing to your children.

Refresh on basic writing skills

Before you dive into essay writing, make sure your child has a good grasp on the basic elements of writing. Make sure they know the importance of things such as proper spelling and the rules of grammar. Remember to teach them these concepts at an age appropriate level, you don’t need to deliver a huge lecture. Be patient and correct them when they make a mistake and explain what the proper way to do things is. These fundamentals are the basic building blocks that you’ll be building their essay skills on. Here is an assortment of ideas to choose research paper help , combine or alter in order to come up with the answer that works best for your kid.

Start with a thesis

“Explaining an abstract concept such as a thesis to child can be challenging, but it’s a necessary understanding if they are to write an essay. Give them clear direction and simple examples to help explain what a thesis is and why it’s so important to an essay. Provide some prompts to get them started or give them some examples of what a good thesis statement is,” writes Carolyn Kirsch, educator at Academized . Try and emphasize that the thesis is the core of an essay, everything else is built out from it.

Show them how to write an outline

Your outline is a master plan for your essay and will include all the important elements. A lot of children aren’t comfortable expressing their thoughts in writing, and an outline is a great way to encourage them and show them the logical context of their essay. Show them the basic structure, including the introduction, main body, and conclusion. Explain to them that the main body is where they will make their arguments and the conclusion should be a thoughtful summary of their main points.

Encourage them to read

One of the best ways for your child to improve their writing is simply by teaching them to love reading. Reading is great because it gives them plenty of good writing examples to soak up and learn from. Reading is also a good way to increase their vocabulary and that is key for improving writing skills. The more your child reads the more they will learn about how sentences work together and the stronger their essay writing skills will be.

Practice lots

Writing practice is very important to building essay writing skills. A lot of kids don’t get very much writing practice in the classroom. Teachers will explain the basics and give them some exercises, but the time spent writing in the classroom is very limited. Encourage your child to write at home. Help them by giving them a theme to write about for the day. The next day, you can build off that theme by having them write an essay about it.

Use technology to help your child

Chances are you associate technology with distracting your child from reading and writing. But used properly, certain technologies can be very helpful to improving your child’s essay writing skills. Don’t be afraid to let them use the tablet if they prefer to read and write using that device. Just remember though to ensure your child doesn’t copy information from other resources online. We asked  online expert  Adam Collins regarding how lenient colleges & schools are when it comes to plagiarism in essays, he said “Most establishments now have comprehensive plagiarism checkers when marking essays, its important children steer clear of the temptation on copy a sentence of two from different resources, as this will now be flagged easily by the tools. Pinterest can also be a great tool because it is very useful for organizing materials, and since essay writing involves research, Pinterest can be very helpful.

Online tools can help teach your kid essay writing

There are a lot of resources on the web that can help you teach essay writing to your child. Here are a few to get started with:

• ViaWriting and WritingPopulist – These grammar resources are great for simplifying the writing process and making grammar a bit more approachable.
• BigAssignments and EssayRoo – Proofreading is something a lot of children struggle with, and it requires a lot of attention to detail. These proofreading tools, suggested by Revieweal , can help.
• StudyDemic and StateofWriting – Read through these blogs with your child and you’ll get access to lots of helpful suggestions on essay writing.
• BoomEssays and UKWritings – These are editing tools that have been reviewed in Boomessays review and are very helpful at catching the mistakes you are likely to miss on your own.
• MyWritingWay and LetsGoandLearn – Check out these academic writing guides for help teaching your child to write an essay. They are simple and will walk your kid through the writing process step by step.

Conclusion The writing skills you teach your kid now will serve them for the rest of their life. Writing is a huge part of success not just in high school, but especially in college and the working world. Use these seven tips to teach essay writing to your children.

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Grace Carter is a mom who works remotely at  Coursework Writing Service  and Paper Fellows websites. There she manages blog posts, works with a team of proofreaders. Also, Grace teaches academic writing at the Elite Assignment Help services

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How to Improve Writing Skills for Children in 11 Easy Steps

The best way to teach children how to write is with clear and explicit instruction. Plus, make it fun and engaging of course!

According to an extensive study by the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) there has been a decline in children’s writing skills over the last seven years. From 2011 to 2021 AERO analysed 10 million NAPLAN writing results. The key findings demonstrate a dramatic drop in children’s writing abilities and serious long-term implications. 

The unnerving results indicate that more attention needs to be focused on teaching children how to write to solidify this crucial skill. According to this research, the explicit teaching of writing needs to be [prioritised] across all subjects throughout kids’ school careers. The report stated some alarming writing statistics, with a pronounced dip in the following areas: 

Persuasive Writing – Only 15% of Year 9 students used persuasive devices effectively.  

Sentence Construction – 85% of Year 9 students are constructing sentences at or below Year 7 level.  

Punctuation – Most Year 9 students applied punctuation to their writing at a Year 3 level.

The good news is there are easy, fun writing activities and ideas that parents or carers can use to teach kids how to write. It’s important to instill a love of writing in children and make sure they understand that writing has a purpose. Children need to understand why they are writing, who they are writing for and that we write for all kinds of reasons.  

How to Improve Your Child’s Writing Skills (11 Easy Tips)    

Want some practical ways to help teach your child how to write? Try these 11 simple writing tips to help strengthen their writing skills and don’t forget to praise their efforts along the way.  

1. Set up your child with a place to write and writing supplies 

It’s a great idea to provide a comfortable place where children can write.  Kids love to experiment so provide them with a variety of writing materials and implements. Supply colorful crayons, markers and beginner pencils that are easy to hold for emerging writers.

Excite older children with different kinds of papers, diaries, pencils, pacers, markers and pens. Just like a book nook, this needs to be a space that inspires children and that they enjoy using. 

Engaging in fun, creative writing activities and using well-designed online writing games is the perfect way to keep children motivated. Free Trial

2.  Explain to kids that writing has a purpose      

It’s important that children understand that there are many purposes to writing. Some of the reasons we write are to inform, persuade, entertain or explain. Writing is also a great way to express feelings. 

3. Model writing to children 

Seeing adults write is a great way to show children where writing fits into daily life and it offers a chance to explain why we write and in what context . Help your child see how necessary writing is and how enjoyable it can be to write.

Show them how often you write during your day for all kinds of reasons;  Children can then get involved in practical writing activities at home, such as contributing to the family calendar, diary, noticeboard, or messages on the fridge. 

Use opportunities where your child can contribute, such as letting them write their name on a birthday or thank you card, rather than writing it for them.  

Help your preschooler or get your older child to write letters to their grandparents, a friend, or even their future selves. If your child loves gags encourage them to write jokes to share with their family.   

Plan a fun, purposeful writing activity where they won’t even realize they’re practicing their writing skills! For example, get your child to trace or write the labels for pantry items or caption photos in a scrapbook.

4. Writing practice for preschoolers and kindergarten kids

If your child is new to writing, start with beginner skills like pencil grip practice and tracing the letters of the alphabet. Show your child how to hold a pencil with three fingers, in a tripod grip. This will give them more control when they write. Show your child how they can trace their ABCs with their finger in alphabet books or printouts.

They can also hone this skill on the go with an online reading program , such as Reading Eggs . There are plenty of colorful activities where kids can practice tracing letters with helpful guidance from the program.

Reading Eggs Junior offers fun, guided letter tracing activities that teach children how to write the alphabet. Try it for free today!

Once your little one has mastered tracing, move on to freehand writing of letters. Shaving cream on a shower screen is a fun, tactile way for kids to practice this skill. Try a few letters each night at bath time.

Also, give them lots of encouragement with writing the alphabet on paper and eventually congratulate your child on the big milestone of writing their name . It’s also okay for kids to copy writing at a young age too.

5.  Daily reading practice helps with kids' writing

Reading helps with writing, and vice versa. Read together every day when your child is younger to strengthen their writing skills. Just by cuddling up with a book, they’ll be working on everything from their vocabulary, spelling to comprehension. Allow children to lead with their interest in books, by choosing from hundreds of e-books on all topics in the Reading Eggs Library .

Discuss what you’re reading with your child and ask them about the books they read, too. Ask more complex questions depending on your child’s age. Make sure they’re understanding the text.

Get your child to read their writing to you, or you can read it out loud to them. Don’t forget to praise them for their efforts!  Point out when they’ve used great adjectives, spelled a difficult word correctly or tried to write neatly.

Try Reading Eggs for FREE today!

Reading Eggs is the multi-award winning online reading program that makes learning to read and write fun for kids aged 2 to 13. Build their reading and writing skills with hundreds of online lessons, printable worksheets, the Story Factory, and over 3500 e‑books to delight and inspire. Start your 30-day free trial today.

6. Use writing printables and worksheets to build kids’ writing skills  

Make it easy for yourself by taking advantage of engaging resources such as free writing printables . Preschool and kindergarten children need lots of practice so print out different variations for beginning skills.

Build on this by seeking out more challenging printables for older children to help introduce concepts like verbs, nouns or adjectives and how they can use them in their writing.

7. Make writing fun to motivate children  

Help children develop their writing skills by playing fun writing games. This is the best way to keep kids on track, so they complete the activity they are practicing without even realizing they’re learning.   

Get back to basics with this sentence-level work activity for younger children: 

Write simple sentences together then cut out the verb from each. Cut up a pile of other verbs so that the child can generate different sentences.  

For example, I run in the park. skip … hop … play … ride … dig etc. They can then write out one or all of the sentences.   

Children who are more advanced with their writing skills can create a script for a play and then get dressed up and perform it. They’ll love seeing their writing come to life! Conduct an interview, providing them with written questions they can answer as a famous playwright. Ask what inspired their script and what they were trying to say. 

Online writing activities within safe kids' games are another way to keep your child engaged with writing and they can do this on the go which is a bonus! 

8. Take the pressure off with creative writing prompts for kids 

Creative writing prompts are a fantastic way to get children writing, while avoiding the dreaded refrain they love to use, “I don’t know!” Use pets, favorite characters and questions that make them think in order to help them write.  

For younger kids’ writing prompts, try simple sentences where they can suggest a word. If they’re not able to spell or write yet, write it for them and praise them for their contribution. They can copy the word or the whole sentence if appropriate. Help your child form the letters and spell the words. If they’re learning to write words simple words, they can add the word themselves.  

Writing prompt ideas for preschoolers or kindergarten children:    

My favourite animal is a …. 

I like to eat … 

… makes me happy 

My favourite colour is … 

I am … years old 

Ask older children to expand on their answers. It could be a sentence, a paragraph, or even longer if they’re keen to write more. Give these writing prompts a go for primary school-aged children, and adjust according to their age or ability:  

What is your favorite movie character and why? 

What would you choose as your superpower and how would you use it in your everyday life? 

Who is your best friend? What do you enjoy doing when you’re together? 

9. Kids’ writing activities for preschoolers to teens

Make learning to write fun to encourage and motivate the child.  For preschoolers try pre-writing activities such as:  

Flour tray finger writing   

Create Play-Doh letters together  

Pretend writing with a crayon on paper and get them to tell you what they’ve written. 

Repetition with online games is a great way to get concepts to stick for children young and old, without the mess!   

For older children, why not try a persuasive writing activity? According to the AERO study, this was a skill that children struggled with. Explain the purpose of persuasive writing to your child. Persuasive texts give a point of view that is factual . They are used in writing to influence or persuade others. 

If your child is keen on the latest fad toy, desperate for a pet or after the birthday party of their dreams, get them to write about it. Ask them to convince you with their very best persuasive writing.  

10. Helping children write their own story or even a book!  

From the time they are tiny, children love being read to or told a story. Many of us incorporate bedtime stories into their routines. Once they’ve started on their writing journey, why not help your child to write a story ? 

For younger children, parents can act as scribes, so kids can see that their spoken words and ideas can be mapped to letters and constructed as sentences. Your child can eventually have a go at writing random letter strings and you should encourage them to tell you what they are writing.

This will reinforce the idea that writing has purpose and value. You can then display your child’s writing or work with them to turn it into a book !  

Discuss that stories can come in all kinds of formats. If your child loves comic books , poems , or graphic novels, show them how they can create their own.  

Allow your older child to let their imagination run wild too, coming up with their own short story or chapter book if they’re ready to create one. Don’t forget to praise what they’ve come up with and how they’ve written it. 

Your child can write their own story with Story Factory

Reading Eggs’ Story Factory feature gives children a step‑by‑step guide to writing a story – perfect for encouraging your child's writing skills at home. Weekly contests give children the chance to collect 200 Golden Eggs. If your child wins the contest, their written book is added to the library for everyone to read.

11. Introduce your child to the joy of keeping a journal    

Show your child that their point of view matters and how powerful the written word can be with a journal . Self-expression is an important part of learning to write and is also a great way to get emotions out for children and help their mental health.

A writing journal is a brilliant way to get into a daily writing routine without worrying too much about writing perfectly.  

You can also encourage your child to keep track of the books they've read with a reading journal . Ask them to write a simple sentence or two on what they liked about the book, who their favorite character was and how they would rate the book overall. This will not only help with keeping track of all the books they’ve read but also develop their writing and comprehension skills.

Check out the reading journal in Reading Eggs that will foster a love of reading and writing in your child:

Try the Reading Eggs Journal for Free

Your child will love writing about all the books they are reading today in the most fun, motivating way! Get them started with a free trial of Reading Eggs and they’ll also have access to hundreds of engaging reading games and activities to hone crucial literacy skills.

How to use Reading Eggs to encourage children to write 

Reading Eggs is dedicated to helping children master all the crucial literacy skills that keep them on track for success as young learners, at school and beyond. Developed by educational experts, there are hundreds of literacy games and activities to hone skills from the time they are two until they hit their teens.

The program grows with your child and works at their very own level. Plus, there are motivating prompts like the Story Factory and the Reading Journal to encourage them to flex their writing muscles every day.  

The Story Factory – This interactive feature within Reading Eggs gives kids the opportunity to create their very own story books, with full-color illustrations! Once they’ve written their masterpiece, you can print it out to create a real book your child can hold in their hands. A digital version of your child’s story books can also be saved in the bookshelf of their house within the program. 

The Reading Journal – Inspire a love of reading and writing in your child! This exciting interactive and customizable feature gives kids an opportunity to practice their writing skills. It also gives them ownership over the books they choose to read and tracks what they thought of their reading experience. Your child will have fun decorating each page with colorful digital 'stickers'.

The Long-Term Benefits of Teaching Children How to Write Effectively 

Poor writing ability can affect children in their future schooling or career and can be detrimental to their confidence. Start helping your child with the easy tips above. Educational programs that take children through all the important steps needed to solidify their literacy skills are also a way to safeguard them from falling behind and feeling overwhelmed.  

AERO has recommended that the importance of teaching writing be elevated across schools. As parents, we can also give our children a leg up so they can become strong writers during their school years and beyond.  

Children’s poor writing skills can be detrimental in multiple ways, so it’s best to address and keep focused on harnessing this skill set from the time they are beginning writers. Avoid problems snowballing as they make their way through their school years. It can affect social situations and their future workplace. It’s never too early or late to start honing children’s writing skills. 

Support your child to learn how to write so they don’t fall behind. Who knows, your child could be the first writer in your family to crack the bestseller books lists thanks to your efforts and Reading Eggs!  

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My Kid Can’t Write an Essay Without Having a Meltdown

She gets overwhelmed every time—but breaking down the assignment into smaller steps could help her manage it.

Editor’s Note: Every Tuesday, Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer take questions from readers about their kids’ education. Have one? Email them at [email protected].

Dear Abby and Brian,

My daughter is in ninth grade and is really struggling with essay writing. English, history, the subject doesn’t matter—she has a meltdown every time. She just stares at the screen and doesn’t know where to start.

I try to remember what I learned in high school about the Roman empire or Robert Frost to get her going. I’ve tried to leave her alone, or to sit there doing the work along with her. None of it ever seems to help. I find myself dreading her getting an essay assignment, because whenever she does, the night before it’s due nearly always ends with her in tears or yelling at me.

What can I do?

Julia Virginia

Dear Julia,

Seeing your daughter so upset when confronted with writing assignments can be painful. We appreciate your instinct to help, but neither leaving your daughter alone nor sitting there doing the work along with her is the right approach. What will help is taking an assignment that overwhelms her and breaking it down into a series of small, manageable steps that she can do on her own. The goal is not to get an essay written no matter what, but to set her up for being an independent, confident student who doesn’t rely on you at every turn.

You’ll want to sit down with her and say something like “I know essay writing has been really hard, but it will help if you can think about it as a set of smaller steps and budget enough time for each.” Then go through these steps with her:

• Read the material, highlighting important points and taking notes.

This is the starting point for any good essay writing. Suggest that even before she is assigned a writing prompt, she begins taking notes on the material as she reads it. Annotation should serve as a conversation with the text: She should mark significant or reaction-provoking passages and jot down a few words about why they are noteworthy.

• Review the notes, looking for one thread that ties everything together.

This is how she will begin building her thesis. Teachers sometimes disagree over whether students should start with a working thesis and then find evidence to build their case, or start with examples and see where they lead. We believe that the thesis and examples should be developed together; as your daughter narrows down evidence, her thesis can evolve.

• Write topic sentences for each of the body paragraphs, and then match topic sentences with examples and analysis to build an outline.

Your daughter should think about defending her thesis with a series of sub-arguments, each expressed as a topic sentence for her body paragraphs. Many students have difficulty connecting their arguments to evidence, because they are inclined to summarize the material rather than critically evaluate it. Your daughter can ask herself what her examples reveal about her topic sentences and then delve into the importance of word choice and literary devices as is relevant.

• Write introduction and conclusion paragraphs.

With topic sentences, examples, and analysis for each body paragraph together in outline form, your daughter can move on to her introduction and conclusion. The focus of her introduction should be general background information leading up to the thesis, and the conclusion should offer new insight into the significance of the topic and a parting thought for the reader to ponder.

• Use the outline, introductory paragraph, and conclusion to write a first draft.

Once she has completed an outline, she’ll have a straightforward road map for writing a draft with more thoroughly developed ideas.

• Look over the draft twice: once to ensure that the argument flows logically and a second time to eliminate errors in grammar and syntax, as well as to sharpen word choice.

We recommend that all editing be done while reading the work aloud from a printed draft, pencil in hand. Once these revisions are implemented, she’ll have a final draft ready to go.

If a single major assignment becomes six minor ones, your daughter is far less likely to feel overwhelmed. This process, from start to finish, will take about a week, so she should plan accordingly. With a calendar in front of her, she should look at what assignments she has coming up for the rest of the semester and mark deadlines for each of these steps so that she won’t have to rush at the end. Remember that writing always takes longer than it seems it should. Helping your daughter plan well in advance should allow her to approach writing with less trepidation and instead see it as a process composed of clear, manageable steps.

As she does this more and more, she’ll find that her belief in herself will grow—and you won’t cringe when you hear about the English essay due next week.

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How To Effectively Teach Essay Writing To Your Child

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An important skill required for academic excellence and personality development is essay writing. Some children are naturally gifted as good essay writers, while others need practice to improve. However, to improve these writing abilities, school activities or practices are not enough. Parents must take time out to teach essay writing to your child.

Plenty of time should be given to children to practice essay writing, which can be done perfectly at home under parental guidance. By the time you finish reading this article, you will be confident that you can help improve your child’s essay writing.

The Benefits Of Teaching Your Child To Write An Essay

• Your child develops their writing style
• The child develops persuasive techniques
• Chances are they will write an essay for a college entrance exam
• Enhances brain development and cognitive skills
• Get to use their creativity
• Children who are strong writers are more confident

11 Fundamentals to Teach Essay Writing to Your Child

The following 11 hints are useful if you are looking to improve your child’s writing skills.

1. Start with the Basics to teach essay writing to your child

Your child must know the basic elements of writing before jumping into essay writing. Meanwhile, make sure they know about grammar rules and proper spelling. Remember to show these essential elements at an early age. If they are committing a mistake, correct them and explain how to avoid these mistakes or errors. 

Additionally, you can try to make essay writing interesting for them. One way is that you need to have a general discussion on the informative essay topics over dinner. Ideally, you can share a few examples or facts to stimulate your child’s interest.

These fundamentals serve as the base on which you will build your article writing skills. Here is a collection of ideas you may choose from, combine with, or change to help you develop your child’s most meaningful possible response.

Related Article: Best Narrative Essay Topics

2. Understand A Topic

It isn’t easy to explain a thesis statement to children. They only need to understand the topic well. You must give them proper guidance to explain why theory is important for an essay. 

“Give them a few starter questions or give them specific examples of good theoretical explanations,” advises Carolyn Kirsch, an instructor at Academized. Try to show how the essay’s thesis serves as its central emphasis and informs every other component of the writing.

The statement will need to state the topic of the paper and the argument the child will make about the topic.

3. Encourage Reading

The best method to improve your child’s writing skills is to encourage them to read because a good reader is a great writer.

By reading, your child will know plenty of good examples to learn from. It is also helpful to improve vocabulary, which is a key to increasing writing skills. 

Reading will teach the child more about essay writing skills and how sentences work together. It will be beneficial to give them high-quality articles on the same subject as the essay assignments you will provide them with.

Through this exercise, your children will learn to look for useful information before writing their essays. 

Your children are learning a new language through reading. As they read, encourage your children to look for new vocabulary and include them in their practice writing essays.

Your children will become great essay writers if they develop excellent reading habits.

Related Article:  10 Brilliant Tips To Help Your Child Thrive During Virtual Learning

4. Do The Research For Writing Essays

The most effective way to develop writing skills in your child is to engage in more research. Researching is excellent since it provides them with various helpful writing resources to absorb and learn from.

Make sure that the research material applies to the essay topic. Interact with the information directly by challenging their own biases and raising questions. List the main points that they intend to cover in their essay.

5. Create An Outline

Creating an outline is a master plan for an essay as it includes all the important elements. Most children are not comfortable expressing their feelings and thoughts while writing. But the outline is a great way to show their context logically in their essay.

An outline will help to remember the structure of an essay, starting from the introduction, main body, and conclusion.

Outlines help to organize and manage thoughts. It maintains the flow of an essay. Also, the outline ensures that you are not missing any vital information.

6. Structure of the Essay

After creating an outline, carefully plan an essay. You need to encourage your child to write a topic. Add all relevant ideas, opinions, and research about it. A variety of templates and ways are used, such as a mind-map.

This way will help you identify their opinion about an essay’s topic and core idea. If you are unsure about mind mapping, you can Google to find many examples.

This way will help your child stay organized into a clear and logical structure. The introduction and conclusion purpose should be explained. It might sometimes be helpful to save writing them until after the main essay is finished because they are sometimes the most difficult parts of the essay to write.

Make sure your child has a clear understanding of paragraphs as well. Assist them in separating their primary points into distinct paragraphs or parts for their essay.

Please remind your child that the paragraphs should link back to their core concept and logically flow from one to the next.

7. Practice Writing In Order to teach essay writing to your child

It is important to practice writing to build essay writing skills. In the classroom, many children don’t want to practice writing. The time spent on writing in school is limited as teachers will give them exercises and explain the basics.

You need to motivate your child to write at home. Give your child a theme to write about for the day. Once they have the theme, they can write an essay about it.

8. Write an effective ending

The conclusion section comprises three to five sentences. Conclude your essay by writing the significance of the topic. The purpose of a conclusion is to show a clear picture of your essay.

You need to include attention seeking sentence in your conclusion. You don’t need to add new information. Use a clincher sentence to wrap it up and leave a lasting impression.

9. Use Technology To teach Essay Writing To your Child

There are chances that the use of technology will distract your child from writing. If you correctly use technology, it will be helpful to improve your child’s writing skills.

If your child feels comfortable using a tablet for reading and writing, then there is no need to be afraid. You need to care about that don’t let your child copy information from online resources. 

Additionally, there are a ton of websites for the best essay writing services that can guide your children in improving their essay writing.

Use technology as an advantage to help you teach your children how to write effective essays.

Throughout the entire procedure, be prepared to assist your kid. Your children will improve their essay-writing abilities with your encouragement and assistance.

Always be looking for fresh approaches to teaching your child new skills. Your kids will become proficient essay writers when you model creativity and patience.

10. Be Patient And Avoid Overworking Your Child

Appreciate the efforts of your child instead of giving direct opinions about flaws. You can give them suggestions on how they can improve their essay writing skills in a better language.

It would help if you keep a balance between practice and breaks. Ensure that you don’t overwork your kids.

Example language to use with your child when editing:

• I see 3 consecutive sentences begin with the same word. Can you think of another word to start a few of these sentences with?
• Have you heard of transition words? How about you Google transition words and see if you can add 5 of them to this paper?
• This part is a little confusing to me. Can you explain what message you are trying to convey?

11. Share Essay Examples

An interesting way to teach your children about essay writing is to share examples of high-quality essays. It can be helpful if your child is not familiar with the structure of an essay.

It helps the child to know what they are aiming for to set objectives for their writing. You can find an essay example online, or another way is to write an essay by yourself.

It would benefit your child if you discussed the characteristics of an essay to find out what makes it successful and which areas need to improve. Use the following sample essay to teach your child.

Sample Essay

If you follow the hints mentioned above, then you will be able to write a good essay. The following sample essay will help you to get started. The topic of the essay is protecting the environment.

How To Protect The Environment

Introduction

Everything that surrounds us on earth is our environment. Our natural environment includes air, soil, water, forests, plants, hills, oceans, water bodies, etc.

Unfortunately, human activities are damaging our natural ecosystem. Environmental protection is urgently needed because humans are destroying the environment daily. This essay will discuss the important ways or steps to protect the environment. Steps involved to protect the environment Following these steps should save the condition of an environment. I. Reuse and Recycle The primary sources of waste that pollute the environment are discarded materials from households that can no longer be used, such as glass bottles, plastic, shopper, computers, clothes, or other plastic items.

These waste materials stay in the soil and water for years and cause pollution and decrease the quality. We need to take simple steps to recycle the waste instead of throwing it into the environment. It would be a great job of protecting the environment.  II. Protect Trees Trees are considered the lungs of the planet. Trees are essential members of the environment. They act as filters, and the air quality index will keep high.

Trees consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Trees serve as a house for millions of life forms, such as birds, insects, reptiles, etc. The more trees we save or plant, means we contribute to improving environmental health.  III. Don’t Litter How many of you have seen plastic bottles, bags, food packaging, etc., lying around at beaches, historical sites, and markets? The litter is the most harmful because it merely pollutes and rots the environment.

Avoiding littering is the most pleasing thing we can do to protect the environment. Make it a practice to properly dispose of rubbish in a dustbin. Wait till you spot one if you don’t see any around.

IV. Save Rainwater The general health of the environment is impacted by water, whether it be surface water or subsurface water.

The ecology would suffer if the water supply ran out. A great way to collect rainwater is to save water and protect the environment. V. Student’s Contribution to Environmental Protection Students are important to the preservation of the environment. They are perceptive, sensitive, and open to suggestions and guidance.

Many schools take part in cleanliness projects. With full energy and excitement, students taking part in such activities are unique.

A student who appreciates the worth of the environment will also impart understanding to the younger and older family members.

Conclusion The last thing you want to do is pollute the environment because that is where we live.

It is our responsibility to maintain a healthy, safe environment for all living things, including us and other species.

Q1: Which grade is best for a child to learn essay writing?

For most children, third grade is a good time to start to learn essay writing.

Q2: What is the basic structure of an essay?

The structure of an essay is comprised of three sections: 1. Introduction 2. Body              3. Conclusion

Q3: Why is writing important for children?

Writing develops organizational, and cognitive growth and the power to influence others. Writing powers the brain.

Q4: What are the best ways to improve a child’s writing at home?

The following best ways are helpful to improve your child’s writing skills at home:

• Provide a noise-free place
• Encourage reading
• Give your child authentic writing opportunities
• Try to be a good writing role model
• Ask questions
• Motivate your child to publish their writing

Call To Action

For kids, writing essays may be a very stressful and daunting experience.

If your child is writing one of their first essays, keep in mind to be patient and not put them under excessive pressure. They will become more adept at planning and writing essays on their own as they gain more experience. 

Instead, try to provide them chances to practice by having them write about engaging and fascinating topics.

Remember to praise and motivate your child. So, that writing will become a pleasurable learning experience.

Hopefully, the fundamentals mentioned above can help your child to become an excellent writer in the future.

In order to celebrate your child’s accomplishments, you can have a publishing party and your child can share their work with your family, friend and extended family. Finally, this is motivational for your child.

This article was written in collaboration with Emma Grace is an enthusiastic and experienced content writer.

She also worked as a technical, educational, and scientific writer. She has great creative potential and understands how to make compelling content.

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How to Teach Essay Writing

Last Updated: June 26, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 89,854 times.

Teaching students how to write an essay is a big undertaking, but this is a crucial process for any high school or college student to learn. Start by assigning essays to read and then encourage students to choose an essay topic of their own. Spend class time helping students understand what makes a good essay. Then, use your assignments to guide students through writing their essays.

Choosing Genres and Topics

• Narrative, which is a non-fiction account of a personal experience. This is a good option if you want your students to share a story about something they did, such as a challenge they overcame or a favorite vacation they took. [2] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• Expository, which is when you investigate an idea, discuss it at length, and make an argument about it. This might be a good option if you want students to explore a specific concept or a controversial subject. [3] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• Descriptive , which is when you describe a person, place, object, emotion, experience, or situation. This can be a good way to allow your students to express themselves creatively through writing. [4] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• Argumentative or persuasive essays require students to take a stance on a topic and make an argument to support that stance. This is different from an expository essay in that students won't be discussing a concept at length and then taking a position. The goal of an argumentative essay is to take a position right away and defend it with evidence. [5] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• Make sure to select essays that are well-structured and interesting so that your students can model their own essays after these examples. Include essays written by former students, if you can, as well as professionally written essays.

Tip : Readers come in many forms. You can find readers that focus on a specific topic, such as food or pop culture. You can also find reader/handbook combos that will provide general information on writing along with the model essays.

• For example, for each of the essays you assign your students, you could ask them to identify the author's main point or focus, the structure of the essay, the author's use of sources, and the effect of the introduction and conclusion.
• Ask the students to create a reverse outline of the essay to help them understand how to construct a well-written essay. They'll identify the thesis, the main points of the body paragraphs, the supporting evidence, and the concluding statement. Then, they'll present this information in an outline. [8] X Research source

• For example, if you have assigned your students a narrative essay, then encourage them to choose a story that they love to tell or a story they have always wanted to tell but never have.
• If your students are writing argumentative essays, encourage them to select a topic that they feel strongly about or that they'd like to learn more about so that they can voice their opinion.

Explaining the Parts of an Essay

• For example, if you read an essay that begins with an interesting anecdote, highlight that in your class discussion of the essay. Ask students how they could integrate something like that into their own essays and have them write an anecdotal intro in class.
• Or, if you read an essay that starts with a shocking fact or statistic that grabs readers' attention, point this out to your students. Ask them to identify the most shocking fact or statistic related to their essay topic.

• For example, you could provide a few model thesis statements that students can use as templates and then ask them to write a thesis for their topic as an in-class activity or have them post it on an online discussion board.

Tip : Even though the thesis statement is only 1 sentence, this can be the most challenging part of writing an essay for some students. Plan to spend a full class session on writing thesis statements and review the information multiple times as well.

• For example, you could spend a class session going over topic sentences, and then look at how the authors of model essays have used topic sentences to introduce their claims. Then, identify where the author provides support for a claim and how they expand on the source.

• For example, you might direct students to a conclusion in a narrative essay that reflects on the significance of an author's experience. Ask students to write a paragraph where they reflect on the experience they are writing about and turn it in as homework or share it on class discussion board.
• For an expository or argumentative essay, you might show students conclusions that restate the most important aspect of a topic or that offer solutions for the future. Have students write their own conclusions that restate the most important parts of their subject or that outline some possible solutions to the problem.

Guiding Students Through the Writing Process

• Try giving students a sample timeline for how to work on their essays. For example, they might start brainstorming a topic, gathering sources (if required), and taking notes 4 weeks before the paper is due.
• Then, students might begin drafting 2 weeks before the paper is due with a goal of having a full draft 1 week before the essay's due date.
• Students could then plan to start revising their drafts 5 days before the essay is due. This will provide students with ample time to read through their papers a few times and make changes as needed.

• Freewriting, which is when you write freely about anything that comes to mind for a set amount of time, such as 10, 15, or 20 minutes.
• Clustering, which is when you write your topic or topic idea on a piece of paper and then use lines to connect that idea to others.
• Listing, which is when you make a list of any and all ideas related to a topic and ten read through it to find helpful information for your paper.
• Questioning, such as by answering the who, what, when, where, why, and how of their topic.
• Defining terms, such as identifying all of the key terms related to their topic and writing out definitions for each one.

• For example, if your students are writing narrative essays, then it might make the most sense for them to describe the events of a story chronologically.
• If students are writing expository or argumentative essays, then they might need to start by answering the most important questions about their topic and providing background information.
• For a descriptive essay, students might use spatial reasoning to describe something from top to bottom, or organize the descriptive paragraphs into categories for each of the 5 senses, such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and feel.

• For example, if you have just gone over different types of brainstorming strategies, you might ask students to choose 1 that they like and spend 10 minutes developing ideas for their essay.

• Try having students post a weekly response to a writing prompt or question that you assign.
• You may also want to create a separate discussion board where students can post ideas about their essay and get feedback from you and their classmates.

• You could also assign specific parts of the writing process as homework, such as requiring students to hand in a first draft as a homework assignment.

• For example, you might suggest reading the paper backward 1 sentence at a time or reading the paper out loud as a way to identify issues with organization and to weed out minor errors. [21] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
• Try peer-review workshops that ask students to review each others' work. Students can work in pairs or groups during the workshop. Provide them with a worksheet, graphic organizer, or copy of the assignment rubric to guide their peer-review.

Tip : Emphasize the importance of giving yourself at least a few hours away from the essay before you revise it. If possible, it is even better to wait a few days. After this time passes, it is often easier to spot errors and work out better ways of describing things.

Community Q&A

• Students often need to write essays as part of college applications, for assignments in other courses, and when applying for scholarships. Remind your students of all the ways that improving their essay writing skills can benefit them. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/index.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/narrative_essays.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/expository_essays.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/descriptive_essays.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/argumentative_essays.html
• ↑ https://wac.colostate.edu/jbw/v1n2/petrie.pdf
• ↑ https://www.uww.edu/learn/restiptool/improve-student-writing
• ↑ https://twp.duke.edu/sites/twp.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/reverse-outline.original.pdf
• ↑ https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/brainstorming.shtml
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/faculty-resources/tips-on-teaching-writing/situating-student-writers/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/faculty-resources/tips-on-teaching-writing/in-class-writing-exercises/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/

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Helping young children develop strong writing skills, on this page, why is writing important, what can you do, ideas for parents: how to help your child become a stronger writer.

Note: This article was adapted from two articles written by the U.S. Department of Education and was compiled by Colorín Colorado.

Writing is an important part of our daily lives. It is, however, a difficult skill to learn and master. By getting a head start with some simple activities, you can help your child begin to develop her writing skills at an early age. By doing so you will be contributing to her future success as a student and as an adult while teaching her how to express herself.

In this article, we provide some reasons that writing is an important skill for people of all ages, as well as a list of suggestions that will help your child become a stronger writer.

Writing is practical. Every day, we need to write in order to complete our tasks, whether we are filling out a form at the doctor's office or writing an important letter. These tasks require us to write clearly, and organize information effectively.

Writing is an important element of a student's education. Whether students are writing by hand or on the computer, many assignments and exams require students to write short answers or longer essays as a way of assessing what they have learned. As students get older, they will be expected to show more sophisticated writing skills, and to complete more sophisticated tasks through their writing. In addition, many colleges and universities require students to write essays as part of their admissions application.

Writing can be an important element of an employee's job. Employees in many kinds of jobs are required to write on a daily basis. Perhaps they are taking phone messages and doing administrative work, or writing research reports and newspaper articles. Whatever the task, their ability to do their job well may depend on their ability to write. Many job applicants also must submit a resumé and a letter of application when applying to a new job.

Writing is an important form of communication. Writing letters and emails is a common way of keeping in touch with our friends, relatives, and professional colleagues. Writing is frequently the final stage in communication when we want to leave no room for doubt, which is why we write and sign contracts, leases, and treaties when we make important decisions.

Writing can be an important outlet. Many people find writing to be therapeutic, and a helpful way to express feelings that cannot be expressed so easily by speaking.

It's important to remember that writing can be as difficult a subject to teach and assess as it is to learn. Many students have trouble writing with clarity, coherence, and organization, and this can discourage them from writing if they feel frustrated.

That's where parent involvement can make a big difference. Encouraging your child to develop strong writing skills at a young age, and to become a better writer as she gets older, can have a lifelong positive impact on her writing, and may make writing an easier and more enjoyable process for her

To get you started, the Department of Education offers a number of ideas of things you can do help your child become a stronger writer. While many of these ideas apply to younger children, they can be adapted for older children as well. To learn more about ways to support your children if they continue to struggle with writing in middle and high school, read Tips for Parents of Struggling Adolescent Writers .

What You Need

• Pencils, crayons, or markers
• Yarn or ribbon
• Writing paper or notebook
• Cardboard or heavy paper
• Construction paper
• Safety scissors

Before getting started

Provide a place It's important for your child to have a good place to write, such as a desk or table with a smooth, flat surface. It's also crucial to have good lighting.

Provide the materials Provide plenty of paper (lined and unlined) and things to write with, including pencils, pens, and crayons.

Brainstorm Talk with your child as much as possible about her ideas and impressions, and encourage her to describe people and events to you.

Activities for young children

Encourage the child to draw and to discuss her drawings Ask your child questions about her drawings such as: "What is the boy doing?" "Does the house look like ours?" "Can you tell a story about this picture?" Show an interest in, and ask questions about, the things your child says, draws, and may try to write.

Ask your child to tell you simple stories as you write them down Copy the story as your child tells it, without making changes. Ask her to clarify anything you don't understand.

Encourage your child to write her name Practice writing her name with her, and point out the letters in her name when you see them in other places (on signs, in stores, etc.). She may start by only writing the first few letters of her name, but soon the rest will follow.

Use games There are numerous games and puzzles that help children with spelling while increasing their vocabulary. Some of these may include crossword puzzles, word games, anagrams, and cryptograms designed especially for children. Flash cards are fun to use too, and they're easy to make at home.

Turn your child's writing into books Paste her drawings and writings on pieces of construction paper. For each book, make a cover out of heavier paper or cardboard, and add special art, a title, and her name as author. Punch holes in the pages and cover, and bind the book together with yarn or ribbon.

Day-to-Day Activities

Make sure your child sees you writing She will learn about writing by watching you write. Talk with her about your writing so that she begins to understand why writing is important and the many ways it can be used.

Encourage your child to write, even if she's scribbling Give your child opportunities to practice writing by helping her sign birthday cards, write stories, and make lists.

As your child gets older, write together Have your child help you with the writing you do, including writing letters, shopping lists, and messages.

Suggest note-taking Encourage your child to take notes on trips or outings, and to describe what she saw. This could include a description of nature walks, a boat ride, a car trip, or other events that lend themselves to note-taking.

Encourage copying If your child likes a particular song, suggest that she learn the words by writing them down. Also encourage copying favorite poems or quotations from books and plays.

Encourage your child to read her stories out loud As your child gets older, ask her to share her stories with you. Listen carefully without interrupting, and give her positive feedback about her ideas and her writing!

Hang a family message board in the kitchen Offer to write notes there for your child. Be sure that she finds notes left there for her.

Help your child write letters and emails to relatives and friends These may include thank you notes or just a special note to say hello. Be sure to send your child a letter or card once in awhile too so that she is reminded of how special it is to get a letter in the mail. Consider finding a pen pal for your child.

Encourage keeping a journal This is excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for venting feelings. Encourage your child to write about things that happen at home and school, about people she likes or dislikes and why, and about things she wants to remember and do. If she wants to share the journal with you, read the entries and discuss them together.

Things to remember

Allow time Help your child spend time thinking about a writing project or exercise. Good writers often spend a lot of time thinking, preparing, and researching before starting to write. Your child may dawdle, sharpen a pencil, get papers ready, or look up the spelling of a word. Be patient — this may all be part of her preparation.

Respond to your child's writing Respond to the ideas your child expresses verbally or in writing. Make it clear that you are interested in what the writing conveys, which means focusing on "what" the child has written rather than "how" it was written. It's usually wise to ignore minor errors, particularly at the stage when your child is just getting ideas together.

Praise your child's writing Take a positive approach and find good things to say about your child's writing. Is it accurate? Descriptive? Original? Creative? Thoughtful? Interesting?

Avoid writing for your child Don't write a paper for your child that will be turned in as her work, and don't rewrite your child's work. Meeting a writing deadline, taking responsibility for the finished product, and feeling ownership of it are also important parts of the writing process.

Help your child with her writing as she gets older Ask your child questions that will help her clarify the details of her stories and assignments as they get longer, and help her organize her thoughts. Talk about the objective of what she is writing.

Provide your child with spelling help when she's ready for it When your child is just learning how to read and write, she may try different ways to write and spell. Our job is to encourage our children's writing so they will enjoy putting their thoughts and ideas on paper. At first, your child may begin to write words the way that she hears them. For example, she might write "haf" instead of "have", "frn" instead of "friend", and "Frd" instead of "Fred." This actually is a positive step in developing her phonemic awareness. Keep practicing with her, and model the correct spelling of words when you write. As your child gets older and begins to ask more questions about letters and spelling, provide her with the help she needs.

Practice, practice, practice Writing well takes lots of practice, so make sure your child doesn't get discouraged too easily. It's not easy! Give her plenty of opportunities to practice so that she has the opportunity to improve.

Read together Reading and writing support each other. The more your child does of each, the better she will be at both. Reading can also stimulate your child to write about her own family or school life. If your child has a particular favorite story or author, ask her why she thinks that story or that person's writing is special.

As you read and write more with your child, you will be building an important foundation, and taking steps that will help your child to become a better reader, writer, and student. Your efforts now will make a difference — and it may be just the difference that your child needs to succeed!

U.S. Department of Education. Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Archived Information. "Help Your Child Learn to Write Well." http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Writing/index.html.

U.S. Department of Education. Parent Section: Helping Your Child Become a Reader. "Write On!" http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/part5.html#write.

Major support provided by our founding partner, the AFT.

With generous support provided by the National Education Association.

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Tatiana Del Carpio replied on Thu, 2010-01-21 11:02 Permalink

Love the site..I wish I worked with children...seems like a lot of fun when one has this kind of tips.

Asha replied on Fri, 2012-07-13 05:04 Permalink

Really it is super for a mother like me. It help me a lot by giving good idea to improve my child.

sumit bhat replied on Wed, 2012-08-01 08:00 Permalink

really, i liked the article. i hope the parents should read it and act it.

jojo replied on Fri, 2012-11-16 06:37 Permalink

wooow very useful thanks

jessica replied on Wed, 2012-12-12 22:42 Permalink

really liked that article. going to start use these tips right away. great help!

ailyn replied on Mon, 2012-12-31 03:52 Permalink

do you have book of this? can you share the book?

Melinda replied on Fri, 2013-09-13 08:25 Permalink

This is very useful i will try this. Im not very good with englsh and writing you should see my hand writing it is terrible i tell my son to write better than me and he says well you are helping me to learn.Im just doing what you are doing.What should i do ?

Eleena replied on Tue, 2013-10-08 18:38 Permalink

Thank you for the tips. I would never have known. A real eye opener for parents.

rvrameshkumar@y... replied on Wed, 2013-11-06 23:59 Permalink

I teach communicative English to engineering students but i came to understand that they lack writing skills. Hope your suggestions would help me. looking forward for more tips.

Nasser replied on Tue, 2013-11-26 13:59 Permalink

it is very useful

Maria replied on Fri, 2014-02-07 00:58 Permalink

Thanks for the ideas but quick question how can I help my son detailing in writing? Writing more..please anyone HELP!

tom murden replied on Wed, 2014-04-09 11:03 Permalink

Joe replied on Tue, 2014-05-13 19:16 Permalink

I found useful tips here, which cover most practical ideas. Strategies like these are gems! Thank you!

karen replied on Fri, 2015-03-13 18:42 Permalink

i whant to learn how to writ for my test on tuseday I'm in 3rd grade

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How to teach your children essay writing in 5 steps

When you sit down to teach your children essay writing you might not initially know where to begin. Essay writing is the cornerstone of any education and half or more of the subjects your kids are likely to tackle in their school lifetime will require essay writing skills. Writing tips for kids are something that will take them from being a mediocre student to one that shines. Confidence when writing is something that can truly be learned – very few people are born with this important skill. That’s good news, in fact. Like anything worthwhile doing, all great writing takes is practice and dedication.

How to inspire your kids to love writing

Teach Your Children Essay Writing in 5 Steps

Step 1: start with basics.

Lots of kids aren’t great with grammar. Grammar takes time to learn and many parents and guardians simply don’t correct their young children enough, which is doing them a disservice. Some parents might even find these little mistakes cute, funny or charming – but that’s where very young children get into trouble later in life. Some common grammatical errors made by children are listed by writer Amanda Morin here . Phrases like, ““I goed to the store with Daddy so we could buy traps to catch the mouses ,” or, “I’d rather have cookies then cake.” You need to correct your children and equip them with the basics of spelling and grammar. You don’t have to deliver a massive lecture on writing concepts or run the whole grammar gauntlet in one day. Do this step by step, correct them gently when they make a mistake and select grammar and spelling practices which are appropriate for their grade, age, and essay requirements.

Step 2: Create an outline

When spending time with young children we can see them struggling to find the correct words when speaking; this is even more apparent when they’re tasked with writing. The vast majority of children are not initially confident when expressing their thoughts on paper, so it’s an important step to teach your children essay writing in a sensible way. To help your children with essay writing, teach them how to create a structure of the message or story they want to tell. When they perfect this, creating an outline for an essay becomes easier. Once your kids understand “logical context”, their mission is half accomplished. Impart the importance of structure: an introduction, body of the essay (including arguments and structured thoughts), and a well-thought out conclusion. Have them practise with something fun, such as an age appropriate story or fairytale.

Step 3: Provide examples and practise a lot

Give your kids examples! Children work better when they have some examples of what they are trying to do lying in front of them. This tactic, called “learning by example”, will help your children get more ideas about creating their own essay papers. Work on these together and add some creativity to the task. If your kids are young, find fun examples of coordinated text and ask them to point out what structure a piece of writing has – for example, where the beginning, middle and end is. Make sure you don’t overload your kids with tasks either; do the work in small bursts and keep them engaged. Reward them with something fun, such as stickers or colourful pens, or even a new book or two.

Step 4: Don’t push your kids too much

Essay writing is a very hard and complex task; even most adults find it challenging! Striving for perfection is never the best way to get your children immersed in a writing task. Give them plenty of breaks and lots of encouragement. When they make an error, make sure you are gentle with them so you don’t affect their confidence levels. Setting them up for success in this way will give them more confidence at school. Praise them when they do well and offer positive reinforcement.

Step 5: Read to your children and encourage them to read on their own

It should go without saying but all great writers started as readers. Make reading fun! When kids are little (even from when they are babies) read to them: fairy tales, interesting stories and books designed for kids. Find out what subjects your kids love; they might surprise you! Do they love dinosaurs, science, bugs, or stories about witches and wizards? Choose age appropriate books that they will find a genuine interest in. When you are reading to your children, you’ll notice that they’ll definitely catch some words out of the text, and even remember them almost perfectly. This increases their word capacity and vocabulary. Educate your children to love reading on their own. Give them a couple of different books of one or two genres, and ask their opinions.

Essay writing skills help children throughout their school lives

It’s true – writing can be as difficult a subject to teach and assess as it is to learn and for this reason, you, as a parent, need a lot of patience while teaching your children. Remember to enjoy your time together and build a stronger rapport with your kids. This is where parent involvement can make a big difference to their learning outcomes.

When you teach your children essay writing you are giving them a lifelong skill. Encouraging your children to develop strong writing skills at a young age is worthwhile and may make all the difference to their future school success. Essay writing skills can have a lifelong positive impact on a child’s writing and may make essay writing an easier and more enjoyable process throughout their lives.

Essay writing skills for pre-teens and teens

Once your children reach the age of ten, their essay writing needs may ramp up as school requires more of them. However, some students still struggle with essay writing skills in junior or primary school with one study revealling , that “even with spell check and a thesaurus on hand, just 27% of students are able to write well-developed essays with proper language use.” It might be worthwhile to encourage older children to seek out help and to gain lots of feedback. Advise them to break tasks down into workable sections and give themselves ample time to complete tasks. Use these 12 tips to create a school essay when you get stuck.

12 tips on creating an essay outline and plan

• Before you begin: Clearly and carefully read the essay task before you begin
• Beginning, middle & end: Think about narrative, structure and formatting; and then create a writing plan
• Experts: Remember to include arguments from expert references and highlight your main points with examples
• Individual expression: Express your own individual thoughts on the essay topic, framed in context of the wider narrative
• Problem solving: Look to solve problems that arise in different, unique ways (think ‘outside the square’)
• Thoroughness: Analyse what is required of you and ensure the task has been covered end-to-end

Most school essay requirements are similar, when you break them down to their bare elements. Master these simple points:

• Cover a topic fully: make sure you consider all relevant arguments and include a sufficient number of individual ideas, based on your research.
• Be critical! Edit out all info that isn’t necessary to the final draft and be select only the most important arguments for your final essay.
• Annotate: Find evidence and examples; use thorough research from accredited sources.
• Planning: Preparing a plan will help you write logically and consistently as well as adhere to the overall essay structure.
• Proofing: Avoid mistakes; proofread your content at least twice before submitting.
• Formatting & flow: Make sure you include a strong introduction and satisfying conclusion.

How Do I Become a Better Writer, Fast?

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Teaching Essay Writing - Where do I start?

The Write Foundation is a tried and proven homeschool writing curriculum that lays a solid writing foundation and develops competent, confident writers, even with students who were clueless on how to write. Students learn organizational groundwork for writing simple paragraphs and then advance to college level essays. With a variety of topics and types of paragraphs this curriculum guides you as you teach how to logically and easily write formal papers that “Wow!” professors.

Every lesson in TWF is arranged with detailed, specific guidelines, and gives you the necessary tools to teach the lessons and assist students while they complete their independent work. The Write Foundation provides detailed lesson plans for you to easily follow.

• Daily Schedules : every lesson divided into instruction groups.
• Teacher Presentation : pages for you to use when presenting the lesson (included in the instruction manual and separately in digital format to be used to fit your situation)
• Student Worksheets : 1 set is provided with each level of instruction.Pages which guide students both during the lesson and their independent work. Student Assignments: extra instruction and reminders to guide students as they complete their independent work. Checklists for students to use to edit their work.

The instruction manuals provide:

• Step-by-step teaching instruction for you to follow.
• Examples of possible correct answers.
• Example brainstorms, outlines and paragraphs.

Additional Resources are also sent to you with the following and more:

• Games: instructions for 1 or more students
• Grading Checklists: to help you grade their work.
• Grading System: if you need help with record keeping.

When a student is working on the correct level, intensive teacher instruction drops significantly as the year progresses.

• Students understand and retain more when they work at a level where learning comes easily for them.
• Some students need more teacher help for a while, but many others become more independent quickly.
• Students gain independence as good writing habits are solidified and they are on their way to becoming independent proficient writers.

Mom’s work load is determined by placing students on the right level. Try the free sample lessons before you purchase the curriculum to help determine which level is right for your students.

Entry Level Creating Sentences: Students use fun educational games and activities, while learning to compose and develop sentences by putting words and phrases together like pieces in a puzzle. Students will not be asking, “But what do I write about?”

Sentence to Paragraph Level 1 : Students learn to write better sentences, which describe and inform, while they learn the core basics of writing simple paragraphs using the writing process.

Paragraph Writing Level 2 : Students continue to develop their sentence and paragraph writing skills using the writing process, while advancing to multi-paragraph formal writing.

Essay Writing Level 3 : Students fine tune and develop mature writing skills, so they can easily write a well organized multi-paragraph college level essay that “Wows!” everyone.

See Suggested Age Levels for Homeschool Writing for more specific guidelines for each level.

Questions or Comments?

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• The Easy Way To Teach Paragraph Writing

Teaching paragraph writing to kids can be a really frustrating process. 

Even with all of the correct information, curriculum, worksheets, encouragement, and practice – it can still be a significant uphill challenge.

This is especially true if you are dealing with reluctant writers or kids with perfectionist tendencies (and I’ve got both of those!).

I am a homeschool mom of three girls – currently in 6th grade, 3rd grade, and 1st grade – so I have a first-hand look into the struggle.

With my oldest child, we have gone from writing resistance complete with tears to writing paragraphs with confidence!

I want to share with you the VERY EASY thing I did to navigate this path and help you and your child do the same thing.

In this blog post you will find:

• My Own Writing Experience
• The Typical Way to Teach Paragraph Writing
• The Disconnect For Many Kids
• Why We Love Paragraph Writing For Kids
• Results We’ve Seen 
• My One Complaint 

My Own Paragraph Writing Experience

Upfront, I was an overachieving student who probably took school a little too seriously.

I did well in school and excelled in my college writing classes. I even taught some of my roommates how to write 5 paragraph essays during my freshman year.

Today, I am a professional writer and I still really enjoy everything about putting my thoughts into written form. 

My oldest daughter, who I’ve homeschooled since 1st grade, is an outstanding creative writer.

I have reviewed tons of homeschool writing curriculum , and I feel comfortable teaching writing & grammar – parts of speech, complete sentences, brainstorming, punctuation, journaling, etc.

With all of these points, I thought for sure that teaching paragraphs would be a walk in the park.

In fact, please cue the frustrated groans of an 11-year-old who has just been told she needs to write a paragraph about Native American culture.

The Typical Way To Teach Paragraph Writing

Long before that writing assignment for my child, I went through the standard paragraph writing steps below:

• Paragraph structure worksheets about identifying topic sentences, supporting sentences, and concluding sentences
• Instruction on how to identify supporting ideas that “don’t belong” between the top bun (introduction sentence) and bottom bun (closing sentence)
• Brainstorming maps or graphic organizers to come up with ideas, topics, and supporting details
• Reviewing the correct steps of the writing process, including editing and revising after the first draft of the paragraph is written
• Ensure all verb tenses match
• We even wrote paragraphs together, with me writing side by side with my student
• I attempted to create a low-stress environment by telling my student to “just start writing.” I told her we have to “make the playdough” today. Tomorrow we’ll take it and mold it into a finished product.
• Encouragement and positive feedback were always sandwiched around any criticisms that I had to make about the writing.

Sounds like a recipe for a well-written paragraph, right? 

Well…

The Disconnect For Many Kids When It Comes To Writing Paragraphs

There are some kids that can do the above steps and be completely fine, writing good paragraphs with minimal guidance or additional instruction.

But there are others who get to the end of the lessons and still feel paralyzed by the idea of writing a paragraph on their own. Similar to how some people get a mathematical concept right away, and others need much more explanation and practice.

The typical paragraph writing lessons are simply not enough information, structure, or time to feel confident with writing an effective paragraph.

Younger students feel overwhelmed with coming up with a single topic, choosing details, putting the details in order, and unraveling the confounding mystery of an introductory and conclusion sentence. 

Instructions like, “Write a sentence about the main idea of the paragraph,” or, “Write a concluding sentence that brings a sense of closure to the paragraph,” can be infuriatingly vague to kids.

Kids are also disheartened by how subjective writing can be.

With math, questions are either right or wrong. Writing has so much more “gray area” that always has room for improvement.

The Easy Way To Success In Paragraph Writing

I knew we needed help when I assigned my child to write a brief essay about the history topic we had covered over the last few weeks.

She had tons of information to work with, and she seemed genuinely interested in the topic.

But no matter how much support I gave her, she just seemed to be lost. Paralyzed. Confused. Stuck.

I got online that day to look for resources because I was out of ideas. My first stop was of course Common Sense Press . They put out such high-quality products, and we love their Language Arts Curriculum . 

Thankfully, they had exactly what we needed – Paragraph Writing For Kids !

I ordered it right away and we stopped all other writing assignments while she worked through the material.

The workbook consists of 55 lessons – 11 lessons each to teach informative, narrative, persuasive, expository (how to), and comparative paragraphs.

What I Love About Paragraph Writing For Kids

1. Completely Independent

As I said earlier, I have three kids in my homeschool, so having a curriculum that can be done independently is always a winner for me.

The material is written directly to the student in an easy to understand – often funny – manner. My daughter is able to sit down and do the lessons, complete simple worksheets, make outlines, and write paragraphs without me.

I do look over her work and talk with her about any questions, but that has taken a minimal amount of time so far.

2. Very Budget Friendly

There is some writing curriculum out there that will blow your budget socks off. 

Paragraph Writing For Kids is currently only $18 for the printed version and $13 for the E-book . 

To top that off, the Answer Key is a free download from the Common Sense Press Website.

You really can’t beat that for a high-qualty writing supplement.

3. Step-By-Step Process With Tons of Examples

Each style of paragraph is taught through 11 separate lessons.

The student is taken through simple steps as they learn how to choose the topic, make an outline, come up with specific details, put those details in order, build an introductory sentence, and come up with a fantastic closer.

Throughout each step, young writers are taught what they need to do with interesting paragraphs written by other children. Many lessons have multiple paragraphs for the student to read and learn from.

I never heard from my child, “I don’t know what to do!” or “I don’t understand this!” It is laid out in such a slow, progressive formula style that every lesson seems short and simple. 

The end result is a well-organized paragraph and a lot of confidence for the student.

4. Fantastic Tips On Introductory And Closing Sentences

As I flipped through the lessons and reviewed my child’s work, I was nearly slack-jawed looking at the formulas the workbook offers for introduction and closing sentences.

I grew up with very broad instructions like, “Just write a sentence that introduces your topic, and then the last sentence should bring the paragraph to a close.”

Um…to an elementary-level kid that can be really challenging and confusing.

But the Paragraph Writing for Kids formula is so much more direct and helpful. I honestly wished I had something like this available to me as a kid.

5. Lessons Are Written In A Conversational Tone

These lessons are written to the student, and you can tell that the author took the time to make the lesson engaging and fun to read.

My daughter and I still laugh about one of the lessons that centered around a community Easter Egg Hunt gone wrong. I thought it was so clever and interesting!

Definitely not dry, complicated material that kids will have to struggle through. 

6. Goes Through Five Different Types of Paragraphs

Paragraph Writing for Kids teaches informative, narrative, persuasive, expository, and comparative paragraphs.

It honestly did not even occur to me before buying this curriculum supplement how different each of these styles really is.

The basic paragraph writing instruction I mentioned earlier only really applies to the informative or narrative paragraphs.

I love that this curriculum takes a very thorough, step-by-step approach to explaining each of these types of paragraphs and provides an easy-to-follow formula for writing all of them. 

I feel like my daughter is going to be so prepared for future middle school wiritng assingments and we will definitely be keeping the book to reference back to.

7. Easily Added To Any Language Arts/Writing Curriculum

Because the workbook is only 55 lessons, you can very easily customize it to fit your lesson plan and schedule.

You can stretch it over a year by only doing a couple of lessons a week. There is also the option to go straight through the book and finish it in less than three months. 

And of course, you could do something in-between those two options.

We have been working fairly quickly through the curriculum, but it’s nice to take days off when we’re rushed for other things.

8. It’s So Easy To Use In My Homeschool

This whole article is about how to teach paragraph writing the easy way – and I can’t imagine anything that is easier, more streamlined, or more effective than Paragraph Writing For Kids.

I am so pleased with the material, writing formulas, length of lessons, and the number of lessons. I love that my child can do it mostly on her own.

I will definitely be purchasing more for my younger kids when they get to the paragraph writing point.

Results We’ve Seen From Paragraph Writing For Kids

I knew I had to write this review when my daughter first handed me a three-paragraph essay she wrote for her language arts curriculum .

There was no complaining. It took a reasonable amount of time.

And the results were shocking to me.

Her introductory and closing sentences were flawless.

The detail sentences were completely on point. 

The paragraphs weren’t too long or too short.

And there were no tear stains on her cheeks. I literally saved it to go into her end-of-the-year portfolio to prove we did something besides creative writing this year.

As we continue to work through this curriculum, my daughter has been challenged, but she now feels like she has tools to help her write.

I also like that she and I now have a shared language to work through the writing process together.

My Only Complaint About Paragraph Writing For Kids

Both my daughter and I were hoping that Common Sense Press offered another level of this curriculum that focused on essay writing.

We would love to see the same incremental, formulaic approach to writing introductory paragraphs, concluding paragraphs, and transition sentences for a multi-paragraph essay or research report.

This is a huge struggle for many middle school students and high school students, so please don’t leave us hanging, Common Sense Press!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. how many lessons are there.

There are 55 lessons in the workbook.

11 lessons each for 5 different styles of paragraphs.

2. How long does it take to get through a lesson?

The lessons have been about 10-30 minutes, depending on what the lessons are about.

Some require more reading and writing. Others have simple worksheets. 

My daughter considers it to be one of the easy parts of her day, so it has not been a struggle or drain on her energy.

3. Do I need a teacher’s guide?

Nope! The workbook is written to the student, so you do not have to teach these lessons. Depending on how well your child works independently, I would recommend reading through the lessons yourself. 

This will help you give the student any additional support they might need.

I would also recommend bookmarking the online answer key for easy grading.

4. What ages is it intended for?

Paragraph Writing For Kids is appropriate for 4th grade – 6th grade.

If you have an older student who needs some help or review, I would just rip the cover off the book that lists the grade level.

5. Where do I buy Paragraph Writing For Kids?

You can purchase the workbook at the Common Sense Press website .

They also offer an eBook version, if you don’t mind printing it yourself.

6. What if my kid is a really resistant writer?

I have dealt with a very resistant writer, so you have my sympathy.

In my experience, there were some things that made an enormous difference. 

The first and biggest thing I did was have my child do online typing lessons, and I allowed her to type all of her work. That caused the writing floodgates to open for her. For this workbook, she does write her outlines by hand, but she types most everything else.

If your kid struggles with spelling, that could very well be affecting their attitude about writing. Switching to All About Spelling helped my daughter feel much more confident about the words she was writing.

Lastly, encourage a love of creative writing before getting too crazy about more academic writing and paragraphs. Try daily journal writing or look into these amazing picture writing prompts to get your child excited about writing!

Recap Teaching Paragraph Writing To Kids

Are you hoping to find a tool that will help your kids become better writers?

If you are looking to work with your student on the basic structure of a strong paragraph, informational writing, narrative writing, descriptive paragraphs, persuasive paragraphs, or comparative paragraphs, this writing skills supplement is a fantastic tool to get you there.

I truly believe that Teaching Paragraph Writing to Kids is the best way to help elementary school students nail down the key components of writing in a fun, easy-to-understand way.

As a huge bonus, it’s inexpensive and doesn’t require a significant time investment from you. 

If you have more questions, please drop them in the comments below! I’d be happy to answer all your paragraph writing questions!

Happy Writing!

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How to Teach Kids Persuasive Writing: Books & Teaching Tips

This post may contain affiliate links.

Imagine being able to change someone’s mind with written words! Teaching children persuasive writing will help them become better thinkers. Not to mention, teaching children to spot persuasive arguments in the world (writing, media, etc.) will help them become critical thinkers.

Persuasive writing is a form of writing in which the writer influences the reader’s opinion and uses persuasive arguments to convince the reader of their point of view.

Writing persuasive arguments conveys to the audience what the author thinks the readers need to know in order to be persuaded about the author’s opinion.

Persuasive writing is not to be confused with opinion writing, however, which uses language such as “I believe” and does not provide evidentiary support. Opinion writing is subjective. While persuasive writing is also someone’s point of view, it’s not opinions without evidence. In persuasive writing, writers use persuasive arguments to defend their position with statements supported by facts. 

Persuasive writing teaches:

• how to state a viewpoint
• how to disagree in an agreeable manner
• how to see different opinions
• a development of critical thinking skills
• how to gather and state factual information

Persuasive Writing: Mentor Texts

Mentor texts are a great way to introduce persuasive writing. Before you read, ask children to predict what they think the story will try to persuade someone to do. After you read, confirm or change what the persuasive topic was in the story.

Ask readers if they felt like the persuasive arguments were successful and why.

Make a list of topics from these mentor text choices.

The Big Bed written by Bunmi Laditan, illustrated by Tom Knight A little girl presents amusing and persuasive arguments to her father, offering her reasons for why she should get Mommy’s bedtime cuddles and not him.

I Wanna Iguana written by Karen Kauffman Orlaff, illustrated by David Catrow A boy desperately wants an iguana as a pet. Through letter writing between mom and son, each gives arguments for their side. Whose persuasive writing will be more convincing?

One Word from Sofia written by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail It’s Sofia’s birthday, and she wants a pet giraffe. She uses persuasive arguments to convince her family—a judge, a businessman, a politician, and Grand-mama—in a manner that would appeal to each in particular through a slideshow, a graph, charts, and a surprising “one word.”

President Squid written by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Sara Varon A squid decides to be president and presents five reasons why he would make a good president. Are these reasons good enough?

Who Would Win?: Killer Whale vs. Great While Shark by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster (or another book from the Who Would Win? series) In this nonfiction series, facts are presented about opposing animals leading up to a battle. Who will win? Read to find out.

I’m Trying to Love Spiders written and illustrated by Bethany Barton Learn interesting spider facts from a different, hilarious perspective as the author tries to persuade herself to go from a fear of spiders to loving spiders. 

After reading, discuss what the main characters wanted, what their arguments were, how they supported their arguments, who their audiences were, and if their persuasive arguments were effective or not.

How to Teach Persuasive Paragraph and Essay Writing

Everything you teach children needs to be modeled first. You will show students exactly the steps as you write in front of them your own example essay or two. A “write aloud.”

Step 1: Students will brainstorm and select a topic.

Help students brainstorm topics. Start with the topics from the mentor text and add more to that list. What is something they are passionate about? What do they want others to believe in, also?

Teaching Tip: Once students have picked a topic, you can add additional criteria to a topic to allow students to think about it in different ways. For example, instead of asking who is the best superhero, try one of these questions: Which superhero is the most interesting? Which superhero is the most useful? 

Combine writing topics with other school subjects:

Who is the most influential president, Lincoln or Washington?

Which insect is the most interesting pollinator?

Which renewable resource is the most beneficial? 

Step 2: Students will select their point of view on the topic. In other words, what stance does the student take on the topic?

Step 3: Students will identify their audience. Who is their reader, and what will it take to persuade them to change their mind or agree with the student? 

Step 4: Students will write a beginning sentence that states their point of view and grabs their reader’s attention. (If an essay, this is a paragraph.)

Step 5: Students will choose a meaningful argument, generating at least three reasons and finding facts to support those reasons. (If an essay, one paragraph for each reason.) This is the most important part of the persuasive essay. Why? What are the arguments for their position? And what support can they find for their reasons?

Remember to model this before asking students to get started. You can use a silly example, such as why teachers should always chew bubble gum, with silly reasons like jaw health and cool bubbles. Then, you can talk about how to find evidence — and what to do if they can’t find evidence. (Change topics!) Do another topic that kids won’t use and show them how to think through what would support their reasons.

Help students evaluate supportive evidence. Is it persuasive if their neighbor agrees? How about 75% of American 3rd graders? Or 2% of all dogs?

Step 6: Students will conclude their essay with a sentence that restates their position and hooks or a call to action. (If an essay, this is a paragraph.)

Step 7: Students will revise their writing for reasoning, transition words , and a convincing argument. Be sure to provide a rubric for what you’re grading for both the essay, revision, and editing.

Step 8: Students will edit their writing for punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

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Persuasive Writing Extended Activities

What other learning activities can you do to teach children the art of persuasion?

• Have a debate.
• Make a commercial.
• Create an advertisement or a brochure.

When you teach students the power of someone else seeing your viewpoint, even if they may not agree, it is empowering!

Persuasive Writing Additional Resources

Writing to Persuade: Minilessons to Help Students Plan, Draft, and Revise, Grades 3-8  written by Karen Caine This teacher resource book offers readily available daily or year-long lesson plans for teaching the ins and outs of persuasive writing. 

Help your students organize their persuasive writing with graphic organizers on the Scholastic website .

KEEP READING

Cause and Effect Examples

Text Features

Wordless Books

Christmas Books

Ann Kelley, a member of SCBWI and Courage to Create, holds a M.S. Ed in counseling and a certificate in Gifted and Talented education. When not writing or reading armloads of books (picture books are her favorite), Ann can be found exploring nature, devising cookie recipes, and volunteering at her local library.

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How to Teach Children the Steps to Write a Short Narrative Essay

2D Art Ideas for Children

A successful narrative essay has strong ideas, a consistent voice and careful organization. Teaching children to write short narrative essays begins with careful modeling and planning. You can use your favorite storybooks to discuss the elements of narration: setting, characters, point of view and plot. Guide children to pre-write their essays and organize their ideas before beginning a draft. Help children revise their essays not only for correct grammar usage, but also for an introduction and a conclusion that make a strong impact on the reader.

Step One: Model Format

Children enjoy stories but are often unaware of the elements needed in crafting a narrative of their own. Use model picture books to help students pick out the setting, characters, problem or conflict and series of events. For example, a third grade lesson on the picture book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judy and Ron Barrett guides children to construct a day of raining food, using the elements of narrative writing. Once children are aware of the elements of a narrative, guide them through the writing process using the "Show Me Your Story" print guides. These step-by-step narrative essays are useful examples for children just beginning to grasp the fundamental elements of narration. Each example is scored for its ideas, voice, organization and grammar.

Step Two: Organize Ideas

Even after children understand the elements of narrative writing, they will need help organizing their ideas into an essay format. Plan sheets help to guide students on what to write in each section of their essays. Help children select a point of view, either first person or third person, to guide their narration. Make sure children have a clear problem and logical order of events before they start writing. By brainstorming ideas and organizing them before writing, children will be more likely to stay on topic and finish a narrative essay.

Step Three: Beginning a Narrative Essay

The beginning of a narrative should be active and hook the reader into reading the rest of the essay. Help children write engaging beginnings by practicing crafting the first sentence of a story to include the main character, the setting, and an action that starts the series of events to follow. Scholastic.com offers a series of practice exercises that help children revise beginnings to engage the reader. Practice writing exciting beginnings on other topics to help children become comfortable with writing a narrative style essay.

Step Four: Ending a Narrative Essay

The ending of a narrative essay should reveal how the main character has changed or grown over the course of events in the writing. Scholastic suggests focusing narrative endings on the main character’s memories, decisions, actions, and feelings at the end of the events. For example, a narrative essay on a most embarrassing memory may want to end with the feelings of the main character and the lasting affect of the events. A strong narrative ending clarifies the lesson or moral of the story and links the story to the essay prompt or assignment topic.

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• Kent Cygan: Narrative Essay Planning Worksheet
• Scholastic: Super Story Writing Strategies & Activities

Based in Winchester, Va., Karen Hartless has 10 years of teaching experience in the areas of English, creative writing and public speaking. She earned a Master of Education degree as a reading specialist from Shenandoah University, focusing on teaching, reading, and writing clear, concise text.

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How to Teach Essay Writing to Kids? Here’re the Best Guidance for Parents

Essay writing for kids is an important skill essential for academic excellence and personality development. Children with good essay writing skills are able to develop expression and creativity through language and ideas.

But not all kids get the opportunity to practice and learn essay writing as an important task of their curriculum. This is because we often assume that children need to get done with essay writing within a particular time frame, but every child requires his or her own time to think and write.

Children should be given plenty of time to practice essay writing, which can happen perfectly at home under the guidance of the parents.

Tips to Teach Essay Writing for Kids

As a parent, you can help improve your child’s essay writing skills through regular practice at home. To help you, here we have some important tips for you to teach essay writing for kids:

Always Start with the Basic

Essay writing for kids requires the basic knowledge of grammar and sentence formation; without these basics, your child may end up getting confused with the extra knowledge of essay formats and structures. Therefore, before moving ahead, improving your child’s basic grammar and sentence formation is necessary.

It is really necessary to build excellent writing skills, and kids need to develop the knowledge of sentence formation as per their age or school grade. For this, you can boost their reading exercise; the more kids read, the more they get to know about sentences and increase their vocabulary.

Also Read: Kids Personality Development Classes: Help Them Transform Their Personalities For a Better Future

Teach about Creating an Outline of the Essay

Creating an outline of an essay can help your children to follow an uninterrupted mode of writing. When your child knows what to write and how to write it, it helps save them time and effort and provides them with a structure for a guided progression. Through a rough outline of an essay, kids are more active in generating ideas linked with a particular part of the outline.

For an outline, they can make a basic skeleton of what they have to include in an introduction, in the body (deciding how many paragraphs to write), and in the end, the conclusion.

Also Read: Best Online Coding Classes for Kids: A Complete Guide to Get the Best

Give Space for Practice

For kids, learning is a process of mistakes and improvements. Instructions alone may not be enough for them, but regular practice can bring them closer to perfection. Make sure to give your kids plenty of familiar topics on a daily basis.

Be Patient, and Avoid Overwork

Ask them to create outlines and write essays for more related topics and their immediate environment. Instead of giving them your direct opinions, be gentle and appreciate their efforts. Give them your advice on how their essay can be reorganised and written in a better language. Try to keep a stable balance between practice and breaks. Make sure not to overwork your kids.

Essay Writing for Kids: Basics and Writing Formats

What is essay writing? It is a written piece that describes, argues, and analyses a subject or an idea. It is composed of three basic elements: introduction, body, and conclusion . Let’s see how these three components form an essay as a whole.

Considering essay writing for kids, suppose a child is asked to write an essay on the title, ‘Save Environment’; then, the essay writing formats for kids will be:

Introduction

The introduction should have two important constituents:

#a.  A sentence that will clearly tell what the essay is about. Here, this sentence can be,

“Our environment is being affected rapidly by human activities; it is our duty to save the environment we live in.”

#b. A sentence that tells your point of view on the topic. It should be attractive enough for the audience.

“Environmental damage is causing global warming, floods, droughts, and other crises around the world.”

The body of an essay follows the introduction and includes detailed information on the topic. It can be divided into three-four paragraphs, depending on the word limit. For the topic ‘save the environment’, the following can be included in the body:

Paragraph 1

What causes a threat to the environment? Mention the harmful human activities, like excessive industrialisation, deforestation, and growing pollution.

Paragraph 2

What are the effects on the environment?

Mention global warming, growing diseases, and scarcity of resources.

Paragraph 3

Why do we need to save the environment?

Elaborate how resources are depleting, which will cause scarcity for future generations; explain the effects of pollution on human health; mention how global warming is leading to disasters like earthquakes and melting of glaciers.

Paragraph 4

How can we save the environment?

Add activities like rainwater harvesting, use of public transport (less carbon production), abolition of plastic substances, use of environment-friendly daily objects, like wooden brush and comb, use of steel buckets and others.

The conclusion of an essay summarises the whole essay in two or three lines. Avoid mentioning any new point or idea in the conclusion. You can also rephrase the topic in an elaborated way. Let’s see how we can conclude the above essay.

Adopting eco-friendly activities and general awareness around the globe can make a huge impact on our degraded environment. It’s the need of the hour to stand together and save our environment.

How to Write a Good Essay? 

In order to boost your child’s essay writing skills, you should teach the following tips:

#. Understand the requirement of the essay through the title.

#. Create a rough outline of the paragraphs you want to include.

#. Prepare your reference material through good research.

#. Follow the three basic components of an essay: the introduction, body, and conclusion.

#. After finishing, always proofread thoroughly. This will help them spot grammatical mistakes and poor organisation of paragraphs.

#. Make sure to add some real life-based examples.

#. Focus on the language and see if it is clear enough.

Also Read: Scratch Coding for Kids: Simplifying the Concepts of Coding for Super Kids

Good essay writing skills come from practise; hence, the basics mentioned above of essay writing and plenty of practice at home can help your child become an excellent writer in the future. Don’t forget to stay patient with your children’s growth and keep following their progress. At The Real School Of Montessori , we mentor children with personalised training programmes, which aims at making children problem solvers and thinkers. For more information on our one-on-one mentoring programmes, visit The Real School Of Montessori today.

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About the Author

Shilpa is a professional web content writer and is in deep love with travelling. She completed her mass communication degree and is now dedicatedly playing with words to guide her readers to get the best for themselves. Developing educational content for UPSC, IELTS aspirants from breakthrough research work is her forte. Strongly driven by her zodiac sign Sagittarius, Shilpa loves to live her life on her own notes and completely agrees with the idea of ‘live and let live. Apart from writing and travelling, most of the time she can be seen in the avatar of 'hooman' mom to her pets and street dogs or else you can also catch her wearing the toque blanche and creating magic in the kitchen on weekends.

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Last updated on July 29, 2023 by Not So Wimpy Teacher

The Best Way to Teach Students Paragraph Writing

I’m not a betting girl . . . but if I were, I’d bet that many of you start the year with a unit about paragraph writing. Am I right? 

I thought so. It’s pretty common to begin your writing instruction with a unit on “how to write a paragraph.” Typical lessons include what a paragraph is, how to write topic sentences and conclusions, and how to construct the perfect five-sentence paragraph.

But after teaching for a couple of years, I stopped teaching paragraph writing at the beginning of the year. And after you read this post, maybe you will too.

By the way, I recorded a video talk about paragraph writing. You can watch it here !

Keep reading more below.

Paragraph Writing is Boring

When I was a new teacher, I too started my writing lessons with the paragraph unit. I thought that’s what you were supposed to do. But I quickly realized that my students were bored to tears. 

At first, I thought, oh well, learning how to write paragraphs isn’t very much fun. But it’s a skill students need to learn, so they’ll just have to deal with it. 

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn’t okay. I didn’t want my kids to be bored. I didn’t want them to think that writing was dull. And I definitely didn’t want them to dread writing workshop. 

I wanted writing workshop to be fun. I wanted it to be something my students looked forward to and got excited about. I wanted them to know that writing was going to be different in my classroom.

We all know that how you start the year sets the tone for your entire school year. I did not want to send the message that writing workshop was going to be a drag. But starting with the driest topic certainly wasn’t helping to convince my students that writing is fun.

Students Don’t Care About Paragraphs

The truth is students just don’t get excited about paragraphs. They don’t care about, or even really understand topic sentences. Transition words, hooks, reasons, and examples . . . none of those things really matter to most students. At least not right away.

I decided to flip my instruction around and start with something a little more exciting. A writing lesson the students found interesting. I thought that if I could get them invested in writing, then when I introduced the boring stuff, like paragraph writing, they would be more willing to work on it.

And I was right. Once I got kids hooked on writing, they wanted to be better writers. They were more willing to work on their paragraphs when those paragraphs became an important part of telling a story they cared about.

Paragraphs Aren’t One Size Fits All

Think about it for a minute…

What does a paragraph look like in this blog post? In a Charles Dickens novel? In your favorite psychological thriller, memoir, or chick lit? 

The reality is that paragraphs are not all 5-7 sentences long. They come in many shapes and sizes. The length of a paragraph depends greatly on the type of writing. And many of the types of writing that we teach our students don’t have standard 5-sentence paragraphs.

Take personal narratives, for example. You teach your students to start a new paragraph every time the speaker changes. This means that most paragraphs are only one or two sentences long.

Why spend weeks teaching your students that a paragraph has five sentences only to immediately launch into the exceptions to that rule in the next unit? That’s super confusing for kids.

Teach Paragraph Writing in Context

I’ve got good news, though. You don’t need a separate unit for teaching paragraphs. Rather, you can teach paragraph writing within each specific genre of writing. That’s what I do.

I don’t launch each unit with a lesson on paragraph writing, either. First, I get the kids writing. I let them put their ideas on paper and start crafting their masterpiece. Then, a few weeks in, once they are invested in the writing, I introduce a lesson on paragraphs specific to the genre we’re working on. It’s just one of many mini lessons I teach about the genre.

Personal Narrative Paragraph Writing

When I teach personal narrative, I show kids how to start a new paragraph every time a new character speaks. I also model how to use quotation marks and punctuation.

Informational Essay Paragraph Writing

As we move on to other types of writing, I repeat my paragraph lesson specific to each new genre. When I teach informational writing, I explain how every subtopic in their outline becomes its own paragraph. I also teach them about topic sentences, details, and concluding sentences. 

This is the typical paragraph many of us think of when we think of teaching paragraphs. It makes sense to teach it inside the informational writing unit because it is appropriate for that genre. 

Opinion Paragraph Writing

In opinion writing, the paragraphs are similar to informational writing. There is a topic sentence and a conclusion and supporting details in between. But the important thing for students to understand is that each of the reasons that support their opinion becomes its own paragraph. 

Fiction Paragraph Writing

Finally, when I get to fiction writing, the paragraphs become eclectic. Some paragraphs may be one sentence long when students are writing dialogue. Others may be long and chock full of details. When students describe the setting or a character’s thoughts, they may have long, descriptive paragraphs. This variation in length makes the writing more interesting.

I typically teach fiction writing last. So students have already learned about many different types of paragraphs, and they can combine them into one story that is interesting to read.  

Perfect Paragraphs Are Not the Goal

At the end of the year, not all of your students will write perfect paragraphs. That’s okay.

They are children. They will continue to practice writing paragraphs year after year, all the way through high school and beyond.

I’ve played around with the paragraph formatting in this blog post a couple of times. And I’ve been writing paragraphs for a really long time.

What you are looking for is growth, not perfection. Do they indent? Are they switching paragraphs when ideas change? Are they using more than one paragraph in their writing? 

Teaching writing is about so much more than using paragraphs correctly. You are looking for a story with strong details. You want to see a supported opinion. You want to see that students know how to reference texts and summarize information. All of those things are much more important than perfect paragraphs.

Want to learn how to plan an entire year of writing at one time? Check out this post .

FREE Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Teach Paragraph Writing

If you want more information about how to teach paragraph writing, download my Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Teach Paragraph Writing. You’ll love this surprisingly simple way to teach paragraph writing to kids in grades 2-5 . It will help your students fall in love with writing and learn how to write a variety of paragraphs. Check out this step-by-step lesson you can use with any genre.

Work With Me

Want to learn more about teaching writing? Awesome! 

Writing is my jam. And I’ve created an online professional development course for teachers about how to make teaching writing easier, more effective, and a heck of a lot more fun. Check out my Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass today.

I specifically developed this online professional development course for teachers in grades 2-5 to help simplify writing workshop and provide the tools and strategies you need to be a more confident writing teacher.

You’ll learn:

• A process for teaching writing that makes it simple, effective, and even joyful to teach writing —for you and your students, too.
• How to create manageable mini-lessons to teach—and have your students stay on task for independent writing time.
• Where to find time every day for writing instruction—and weekly conference time for all of your students.
• How to help ALL your students get the skills they need to become better writers— and perform well on standardized tests.

Most importantly, teaching writing will be easy, breezy, and beautiful—and your students will actually love to write!

The best part is this professional development takes place completely online. You can do it when you want, where you want, wearing what you want. And you get lifetime access to the course. So you can watch it on your time and go back and rewatch it whenever you want. 

​​ Registration for the Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass is currently closed. Be sure to sign up for the Waitlist so you will be the first to know when we open it again. Sign up now so you don’t miss out!

Have a Not So Wimpy Day,

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Reader Interactions

12 comments.

May 24, 2021 at 8:05 am

Is the Best Way to Teach Paragraph Writing a free item? If so please email it to me. Thanks.

May 24, 2021 at 7:39 pm

The Writing Pacing Guide is a free resource. To have it delivered to your inbox, please follow the link in the article. Thank you!

June 7, 2021 at 2:36 pm

I am an alumni of your terrific writing course but still have a question. Why aren’t the mentor texts indented? They’re just double spaced between. You even mentioned indenting above. I’ve wanted to know this since I started with your material but never asked. I have my students indent and add the double spacing between.

June 10, 2021 at 6:53 am

I’ve thought the same thing. I know you mention something about it, but can aome mentor texts show indentation so students see the difference?

June 11, 2021 at 1:26 am

Hi Susan, Thanks for your question. The age of digital media changed everything! Some style guides for grammar and formatting changed as well. According to the style guides, it is acceptable to indent or skip a line between paragraphs. It’s not recommended that students do both. It’s one or the other. I think it’s important that students see text in both ways and have conversations about the different formats.

February 23, 2023 at 11:31 pm

Hi! May I ask what style guides you follow?

February 28, 2023 at 12:13 am

Hi Dianne, Our informational writing bundle includes lessons on the importance of citations and the information needed to cite. As teachers have different expectations on which style to use when creating citations, we leave it up to the teacher which style guide to use. When writing essays in grades 2-5 it’s important for students to maintain the same voice throughout the paper. The revision lessons guide them with that skill.

November 10, 2021 at 6:42 am

I love the layout of all the info

November 10, 2021 at 6:44 am

Im lookingforward to getting more info from you. The literature on paragraph writing has been very useful to me

November 10, 2021 at 10:22 am

You’ll find the writing pacing guide to also be useful. To have it delivered to your inbox, follow the link in the article.

Wonderful website. Great resources

March 21, 2024 at 1:33 pm

Thank you. This looks wonderful!

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Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass

Do you struggle to find time to teach writing? Do you find it a challenge to deliver lessons that help all of your writers? Would you like to learn a simple and effective way to teach writing? The Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass is an online professional development course for grades 2-5. In this course, you will go from feeling overwhelmed to feeling confident and excited about teaching writing.

Check out these recent podcast episodes:

• Connecting with Students Online with Jennifer Serravallo
• A Simple Problem-Solving Strategy That Works Every Time
• Giving Students Feedback About Their Writing
• Virtual and Socially Distant Valentine’s Day Activities for the Classroom
• How to Use Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

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How to teach my child to write an essay

Homeschool , Language Arts Homeschool , Subjects

Navigating the internet, you can find multiple articles about the nuances of writing academic essays and improving the writing skills of adults. However, when teaching children the nuances of essay writing, you should be very careful and attentive. The first knowledge on how to write an essay plays a fundamental role in a kid’s development and further learning.

Thus, the techniques, secrets, and explanations should be as effective as possible. So, when asking yourself, “how do I teach my child to write an essay?” be ready for not-so-hard and exciting work ahead! Also, don’t forget to get computer science assignmen t help or you can find more information on assignment topics to be more free while studying.

Before starting an essay writing journey

Before teaching kids details of essay learning, the initial work is crucial. Although writing skills and techniques are important, a child should know the benefit of writing essays, how to enjoy the process of writing, and what opportunities are available if one succeeds in this activity. For example, understanding the role of a  custom essay writing service  can provide insights into professional writing standards and the various styles and structures used in essays.

Thus, before exploring working tips, let’s have a look at several actions that would prepare the groundwork for the smooth and entertaining teaching:

• Start with familiarizing a kid with the genre of the essay. Find what a child likes the most – stories about wizards or space, adventures or nature, and encourage one’s interest in the genre. Further, tell a kid that anyone can create such captivating texts – it’ll boost their confidence and commitment.
• Become a kid’s superhero – show by your example that writing essays is cool, and many adults do it. Besides, regular writing can be your way of emotional recharging and memory stimulation and even prevent mental health problems!
• Train to write essays without rules : indeed, further, you’ll know how to teach your child to craft essays according to standard requirements, but it’s good to start with something easy. For example, make a deal that you and your kid will write an essa y together or individually, describing the weekend or vacation you’ve spent together. First and foremost, demonstrate that essay writing can be fun!
• You must have patience and encourage your kid even if they make mistakes : after all, our falls teach us something new.

Simplicity and basics of essay writing with kids

So, you’ll start wondering: “how to teach my kid to write an essay, and where should I begin?.” The key to success lies in the basics of essay writing. First, start with evaluating your kid’s writing skills and knowledge.

For instance, assign them to write an essay on any subject and analyze the text together. Explore grammatical errors (often, children repeat their mistakes), and look at the essay’s structure and construction of sentences.

After you work on errors, it is paramount that you teach your kid to:

• Create an outline. This prewriting phase of crafting an essay saves a bunch of time and allows writing the text without losing your way. So, basically, an outline is the plan of your future text – it represents the structure of the essay, including a number of paragraphs, introduction, topic sentences, and conclusion. Due to the outline, your kid won’t be distracted and will stick to the initial plan.
• Develop an insightful thesis statement. In this last sentence in the introductory paragraph, your kid will present the central thought of the essay; therefore, practice creating concise and informative thesis statements.
• Keep the balance. In most cases, essay writing includes strict requirements. The word count, topic, and type of essay are the essential orienteers that an instructor can change. However, there’s an aspect that remains forever stable: your kid’s essay should be balanced. The paragraph size should be the same, and the introduction and conclusion should not exceed the word count of one paragraph. Such nuances are simple to memorize and effectively implement!
• Analyze different sources. Writing essay s often requires learners to read various articles, blogs, or books to craft a response or discussion essay. Therefore, teach your kid to assess various materials: read a piece together and discuss how it relates to the assigned topic. Alternatively, ask your kid to browse the web and find several articles on the same issue. Markedly, technology is one of the greatest advantages for today’s adults and children!

After learning these fundamentals and practicing several times, your child won’t have any difficulty crafting essays. You won’t have to relive this shiver of hesitation asking yourself, “how to help my child write an essay?” a hundred times.

Other effective tips for teaching a child to write an essay

None of us is born a genuine mentor or teacher able to teach a kid to be an excellent writer easily. However, due to some effective tips, even a person with no prior experience in writing can explain to a kid the nuances of writing and, more importantly, explain how to write with joy!

So, pay attention to such recommendations: ● Encourage your kid to read. Don’t limit yourself to essays – any text, either scientific or fiction, can significantly expand one’s vocabulary. ● Share your experience of writing essays when you were a student. Tell your kid what you liked about the process, which topics inspired you, or what writing strategies you used. ● Practice writing by composing essays about your child’s favorite movies or series. For example, assign them to write a response essay after each watched episode. You’ll notice the progress even in the middle of season one! ● Luckily, we live in a digital age when maintaining quality educational assistance is a piece of cake! If you feel that your confidence and experience are not enough, feel free to use the help of expert writing services, whose specialists possess great experience in creating papers of various formats and can consult you about crafting original and properly structured essays. Thus, if you still feel a little lost when your kid again asks you, “please, help me to write my essay!” there’s no nothing to worry about.

If you’ve ever asked yourself the question, “how can my child learn how to write an essay?” Now you’ve got numerous working tips that can help you and your child genuinely enjoy writing essays.

After learning the basics of writing essays, your kid will approach the assignment without a shadow of a writing block or discomfort. And becoming a creative writer will not take long – when a kid is surrounded by support, exciting topics, and interesting practice options, one is definitely about to succeed!

You might also like this on how to write an essay:

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40 Philosophy of Education Examples, Plus How To Write Your Own

Learn how to define and share your teaching philosophy.

These days, it’s become common for educators to be asked what their personal teaching philosophy is. Whether it’s for a job interview, a college class, or to share with your principal, crafting a philosophy of education can seem like a daunting task. So set aside some time to consider your own teaching philosophy (we’ll walk you through it), and be sure to look at philosophy of education examples from others (we’ve got those too!).

What is a philosophy of education?

Before we dive into the examples, it’s important to understand the purpose of a philosophy of education. This statement will provide an explanation of your teaching values and beliefs. Your teaching philosophy is ultimately a combination of the methods you studied in college and any professional experiences you’ve learned from since. It incorporates your own experiences (negative or positive) in education.

Many teachers have two versions of their teaching philosophy: a long form (a page or so of text) and a short form. The longer form is useful for job application cover letters or to include as part of your teacher portfolio. The short form distills the longer philosophy into a couple of succinct sentences that you can use to answer teacher job interview questions or even share with parents.

What’s the best teaching philosophy?

Here’s one key thing to remember: There’s no one right answer to “What’s your teaching philosophy?” Every teacher’s will be a little bit different, depending on their own teaching style, experiences, and expectations. And many teachers find that their philosophies change over time, as they learn and grow in their careers.

When someone asks for your philosophy of education, what they really want to know is that you’ve given thought to how you prepare lessons and interact with students in and out of the classroom. They’re interested in finding out what you expect from your students and from yourself, and how you’ll apply those expectations. And they want to hear examples of how you put your teaching philosophy into action.

What’s included in strong teaching philosophy examples?

Depending on who you ask, a philosophy of education statement can include a variety of values, beliefs, and information. As you build your own teaching philosophy statement, consider these aspects, and write down your answers to the questions.

Purpose of Education (Core Beliefs)

What do you believe is the purpose of teaching and learning? Why does education matter to today’s children? How will time spent in your classroom help prepare them for the future?

Use your answers to draft the opening statement of your philosophy of education, like these:

• Education isn’t just about what students learn, but about learning how to learn.
• A good education prepares students to be productive and empathetic members of society.
• Teachers help students embrace new information and new ways of seeing the world around them.
• A strong education with a focus on fundamentals ensures students can take on any challenges that come their way.
• I believe education is key to empowering today’s youth, so they’ll feel confident in their future careers, relationships, and duties as members of their community.
• Well-educated students are open-minded, welcoming the opinions of others and knowing how to evaluate information critically and carefully.

Teaching Style and Practices

Do you believe in student-led learning, or do you like to use the Socratic method instead? Is your classroom a place for quiet concentration or sociable collaboration? Do you focus on play-based learning, hands-on practice, debate and discussion, problem-solving, or project-based learning? All teachers use a mix of teaching practices and styles, of course, but there are some you’re likely more comfortable with than others. Possible examples:

• I frequently use project-based learning in my classrooms because I believe it helps make learning more relevant to my students. When students work together to address real-world problems, they use their [subject] knowledge and skills and develop communication and critical thinking abilities too.
• Play-based learning is a big part of my teaching philosophy. Kids who learn through play have more authentic experiences, exploring and discovering the world naturally in ways that make the process more engaging and likely to make a lasting impact.
• In my classroom, technology is key. I believe in teaching students how to use today’s technology in responsible ways, embracing new possibilities and using technology as a tool, not a crutch.
• While I believe in trying new teaching methods, I also find that traditional learning activities can still be effective. My teaching is mainly a mix of lecture, Socratic seminar, and small-group discussions.
• I’m a big believer in formative assessment , taking every opportunity to measure my students’ understanding and progress. I use tools like exit tickets and Kahoot! quizzes, and watch my students closely to see if they’re engaged and on track.
• Group work and discussions play a major role in my instructional style. Students who learn to work cooperatively at a young age are better equipped to succeed in school, in their future careers, and in their communities.

Students and Learning Styles

Why is it important to recognize all learning styles? How do you accommodate different learning styles in your classroom? What are your beliefs on diversity, equity, and inclusion? How do you ensure every student in your classroom receives the same opportunities to learn? How do you expect students to behave, and how do you measure success?

Sample teaching philosophy statements about students might sound like this:

• Every student has their own unique talents, skills, challenges, and background. By getting to know my students as individuals, I can help them find the learning styles that work best for them, now and throughout their education.
• I find that motivated students learn best. They’re more engaged in the classroom and more diligent when working alone. I work to motivate students by making learning relevant, meaningful, and enjoyable.
• We must give every student equal opportunities to learn and grow. Not all students have the same support outside the classroom. So as a teacher, I try to help bridge gaps when I see them and give struggling students a chance to succeed academically.
• I believe every student has their own story and deserves a chance to create and share it. I encourage my students to approach learning as individuals, and I know I’m succeeding when they show a real interest in showing up and learning more every day.
• In my classroom, students take responsibility for their own success. I help them craft their own learning goals, then encourage them to evaluate their progress honestly and ask for help when they need it.
• To me, the best classrooms are those that are the most diverse. Students learn to recognize and respect each other’s differences, celebrating what each brings to the community. They also have the opportunity to find common ground, sometimes in ways that surprise them.

How do I write my philosophy of education?

Think back to any essay you’ve ever written and follow a similar format. Write in the present tense; your philosophy isn’t aspirational, it’s something you already live and follow. This is true even if you’re applying for your first teaching job. Your philosophy is informed by your student teaching, internships, and other teaching experiences.

Lead with your core beliefs about teaching and learning. These beliefs should be reflected throughout the rest of your teaching philosophy statement.

Then, explain your teaching style and practices, being sure to include concrete examples of how you put those practices into action. Transition into your beliefs about students and learning styles, with more examples. Explain why you believe in these teaching and learning styles, and how you’ve seen them work in your experiences.

A long-form philosophy of education statement usually takes a few paragraphs (not generally more than a page or two). From that long-form philosophy, highlight a few key statements and phrases and use them to sum up your teaching philosophy in a couple of well-crafted sentences for your short-form teaching philosophy.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Try answering these three key questions:

• Why do you teach?
• What are your favorite, tried-and-true methods for teaching and learning?
• How do you help students of all abilities and backgrounds learn?

If you can answer those three questions, you can write your teaching philosophy!

Short Philosophy of Education Examples

We asked real educators in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to share their teaching philosophy examples in a few sentences . Here’s what they had to say:

I am always trying to turn my students into self-sufficient learners who use their resources to figure it out instead of resorting to just asking someone for the answers. —Amy J.

My philosophy is that all students can learn. Good educators meet all students’ differentiated learning needs to help all students meet their maximum learning potential. —Lisa B.

I believe that all students are unique and need a teacher that caters to their individual needs in a safe and stimulating environment. I want to create a classroom where students can flourish and explore to reach their full potential. My goal is also to create a warm, loving environment, so students feel safe to take risks and express themselves. —Valerie T.

In my classroom, I like to focus on the student-teacher relationships/one-on-one interactions. Flexibility is a must, and I’ve learned that you do the best you can with the students you have for however long you have them in your class. —Elizabeth Y

I want to prepare my students to be able to get along without me and take ownership of their learning. I have implemented a growth mindset. —Kirk H.

My teaching philosophy is centered around seeing the whole student and allowing the student to use their whole self to direct their own learning. As a secondary teacher, I also believe strongly in exposing all students to the same core content of my subject so that they have equal opportunities for careers and other experiences dependent upon that content in the future. —Jacky B.

All children learn best when learning is hands-on. This works for the high students and the low students too, even the ones in between. I teach by creating experiences, not giving information. —Jessica R.

As teachers, it’s our job to foster creativity. In order to do that, it’s important for me to embrace the mistakes of my students, create a learning environment that allows them to feel comfortable enough to take chances, and try new methods. —Chelsie L.

I believe that every child can learn and deserves the best, well-trained teacher possible who has high expectations for them. I differentiate all my lessons and include all learning modalities. —Amy S.

All students can learn and want to learn. It is my job to meet them where they are and move them forward. —Holli A.

I believe learning comes from making sense of chaos. My job is to design work that will allow students to process, explore, and discuss concepts to own the learning. I need to be part of the process to guide and challenge perceptions. —Shelly G.

I want my students to know that they are valued members of our classroom community, and I want to teach each of them what they need to continue to grow in my classroom. —Doreen G.

Teach to every child’s passion and encourage a joy for and love of education and school. —Iris B.

I believe in creating a classroom culture of learning through mistakes and overcoming obstacles through teamwork. —Jenn B.

It’s our job to introduce our kids to many, many different things and help them find what they excel in and what they don’t. Then nurture their excellence and help them figure out how to compensate for their problem areas. That way, they will become happy, successful adults. —Haley T.

Longer Philosophy of Education Examples

Looking for longer teaching philosophy examples? Check out these selections from experienced teachers of all ages and grades.

• Learning To Wear the Big Shoes: One Step at a Time
• Nellie Edge: My Kindergarten Teaching Philosophy
• Faculty Focus: My Philosophy of Teaching
• Robinson Elementary School: My Teaching Philosophy
• David Orace Kelly: Philosophy of Education
• Explorations in Higher Education: My Teaching Philosophy Statement
• University of Washington Medical School Faculty Teaching Philosophy Statements

Do you have any philosophy of education examples? Share them in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE Group on Facebook!

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Education And Macro Psychology

Published 17 Jun 2024

The “Education for all” slogan has been echoing loudly since a few decades after independence in India. The Constitution of India has a provision to provide free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right. Ground reality is that “children’s voices and experiences do not find expression in the classroom, most of the time only teachers voice heard in the school and children are usually only answering the teacher’s questions or repeating the teacher’s words. They do not have the chance to do things or opportunities to take the initiative. The curriculum must allow children to find their life experiences and voices, nurture their curiosity, ask questions, and pursue investigations, sharing their experiences with school knowledge rather than their ability to reproduce textbook information /textual knowledge. Reorienting the curriculum to this end must be among our most important priorities, informing the preparation of teachers, textbook review and redesign the textbooks, the annual plans of schools, learning materials and teaching learning planning, and assessment, evaluation, and examination patterns.

According to Curriculum framework-2005, long walks to school, heavy school bags, lack of basic infrastructure, including support books for reading and writing, poorly designed furniture that gives children insufficient back support and pains their legs and knees, timetables that do not give young children enough break to stretch, move and play, and that deprive older children of play/sports time, and encourage girls to opt out, especially for girls, the absence of toilets and sanitary requirements, corporal punishment/beating, awkward physical postures are some common sources of physical discomfort in mainstream government schools in India.

In this scenario, the burning question is that “Does present education play its role as per our constitutional provisions? Does the educational process, emancipatory in nature? Does any requirement for changes in education? If we want to change in education than which kind of educational change we want and what should be the criteria and who will decide?

As per the National Achievement Serve 2017 & ASER reports, more than 50% of students can’t read and write after passing their fifth grade. Only 27 percent of students got admission to the next grade and remained dropped out (especially girls and economically weaker section children). After all gradually literacy per cent is increasing year by year. That’s why global crises standing in front of us, like global warming, water and air pollution, suicide rate, social and & financial corruption and crime, etc. These crises are the consequence of our damaged mainstream education psychology that was developed by education itself.

Paulo Freire believes that “the greatest humanistic and historical task of the oppressed is to liberate themselves. The process of reading is not walking on the words, it's grasping their soul. The curriculum designer, educator, policy makers have the duty of not being neutral.” He strongly believes that education should be processed as a cultural act for liberation and emancipation. According to him, reading does not just know the dictionary meaning of words, but rather by critically associating with text, that is, reading words should be in the form of reading the world.

Read also: Psychology assignment help from EduBirdie: symbol of quality and expertise

Some critical educationists (Paulo Freire, Joe Kincheloe, Shirley Steinberg, Paul Willis, John Dewey etc.) consider the necessity that perspective about learners in our schools, should be changed to be based on learners perspective rather than empty pot, as well the role of the teacher in teaching methods, should be reformed as a facilitator rather than an information provider. Teachers must be vigilant and sensitive to learners' cultural, social, economic, and political references. This element should also be present in the content of the textbooks. If the medium of instruction is the language of the learners, then there is a good effect on the development of learners. If we want to live a democratic and emancipatory life, then we will have to provide opportunities for learners to ask questions in the classroom, and they can raise their voices. For this, we must change our classrooms to a learner-centric classroom instead of a textbook or teacher-centric one.

Without these elements’ the education process will not be able to play a role in emancipation. This crisis requires us to rethink fundamental issues to find a sustainable, fulfilling way to live. Analyzing the root of the crisis and reforming them requires structurally identifying which factors were central to the crisis and need to be reformed in order to achieve maximum benefits. It also requires knowing the direction in which their form and content must be changed to solve the crisis truly.

Carl Ratner addresses these tasks from the perspective of psychology. He shows that cultural factors are contained in psychological phenomena as a kind of top secret that can be unlocked with proper analytical tools. These tools include a social theory that identifies the structure and content of factors that affect psychology. He articulates this theory under the name “Macro Cultural Psychology.” 

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Guest Essay

Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms

By Vivek H. Murthy

Dr. Murthy is the surgeon general.

One of the most important lessons I learned in medical school was that in an emergency, you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information. You assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.

The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours . Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.

It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. When asked if a warning from the surgeon general would prompt them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76 percent of people in one recent survey of Latino parents said yes.

To be clear, a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people. The advisory I issued a year ago about social media and young people’s mental health included specific recommendations for policymakers, platforms and the public to make social media safer for kids. Such measures, which already have strong bipartisan support, remain the priority.

Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.

Additionally, companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently they do not — and allow independent safety audits. While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words. We need proof.

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