Young children love to express themselves. They tell stories, draw pictures, play make believe, have imaginary friends, and live a vibrant life. As they grow older, children can begin keeping a journal or diary, rewriting their favorite movie, or designing a video game. Writing can become an integral way for them to mark their thoughts and express themselves.
Encouraging writing can be one more outlet for the creative and intellectual energy brewing in young minds. The following links offer some excellent resources to help you guide your child toward writing.
The National Writing Project's resource page for parents includes resources on how to talk about writing to your children, how to think about the writing your children are doing in school, and information on the connections between writing and reading. There is information for all ages.
ReadWriteThink.org has resources for parents that include writing activities, project, interactive websites to use for composing, and a variety of other resources. The website is sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. There are resources for all ages.
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University has extensive resources for parents who want to help their child with school writing assignments. This information will be most helpful for aiding adolescents completing school projects.