The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010

The Proactive Parent
On the Write Track

Now that you know what your kids should be doing in each stage, what should you be doing to help? Well, here are some of my best tips for supporting young writers in each stage, gleaned from both professional and personal experience.

Supporting Your Scribbler

As you have probably already guessed, I am going to wholeheartedly encourage you to let scribbling happen (almost) whenever and wherever possible (except, of course, on the walls and furniture. Or on younger siblings.). When the opportunity presents itself, you can join in the scribbling too. Sit across from your child and scribble away on your own masterpiece. When you do that, you are teaching by modeling, which means you don’t have to instruct. Just have fun yourself, and your child will get the picture. But be careful to stick to scribbling. When we start drawing representational stuff, like flowers, houses, or trains, and writing letters and words, our Scribblers want to follow suit. Since they aren’t ready for this yet, they tend to get frustrated and discouraged. They may even lose interest in scribbling and abandon the activity altogether. And what a shame it is when that happens, because they really were having so much fun (and working on their foundational skills at the same time). So resist the temptation to rush your Scribbler on to the next stage prematurely. Instead, enjoy letting your inner child bask in the glory of scribbling together with your youngster with reckless abandon.

Remember, also, that a variety of enticing (admittedly, occasionally messy) mediums and methods appeal to young Scribblers. Let them scribble in sand, shaving cream, and finger paint, with sidewalk chalk and tub crayons, while lying on the floor propped up on their elbows or standing at an easel. Hey, with an assiduous Scribbler, anything goes.

Now lest you puzzle over why I don’t think it’s important to introduce Scribblers to letters, let me assure you that I do. Just not when they’re scribbling. Scribblers can work on all the foundational skills that support writing, but they need to work on each component on its own. So certainly expose your Scribbler to alphabet manipulatives, toys, and puzzles, and point out print in books. Just don’t expect them to write the letters that they recognize just yet; their scribbles are telling you they need a little more skill-building time before they’re ready to write.

Supporting Your Speller

When scribbles begin to morph into lines, shapes, and drawings, you know you will soon have a Speller on your hands. What does your Speller need from you most? During this stage, consider yourself to be a consultant. Offer your expertise on the subject of letter formation or spelling when asked. (Be prepared to be bombarded with countless “How do you make a . . .?” and “How do you spell . . . ?” queries.) And when you feel the need for a consultation of your own (to answer your countless “Am I doing this right?” type of questions), refer to the next chapter, which could be alternately titled “Survival Guide for Parents of Spellers.”

Supporting Your Storyteller

Every story needs a reader. So, naturally, every Storyteller longs for a captive audience. And who better than an adoring parent to pore over every turn of a phrase, each new tale, or the big magnum opus?

Storytellers are learning to use writing to communicate their ideas. They need parents who are receptive to their stories, no matter whether they are silly or sensible. Try not to critique. Instead, laugh at the funny parts, cry at the sad parts (sniffle, sniffle), and gasp at the surprising parts. There may be plenty of those things that make you go, “Hmmm,” but that’s all part of the fun. Read on.

Supporting Your Scholar

Scholars can be compared to young athletes, learning the rules of the game. And in this scenario, you should regard yourself as the coach. Help get them psyched for practicing those spelling words or looking up a new word in the dictionary. Gear them up with some cool writing equipment. Help them come up with a game plan for writing that essay or book report (introduction, body, conclusion, hike!). If writing becomes frustrating at any point, call a time out, give a pep talk, talk about strategy, and help them regroup. When it comes time for young Scholars to tackle the transition to cursive writing, go back to basic training (revisiting some of the learn-to-write advice in the next chapter, this time from a script perspective) and help them drill their new writing moves. Keep a watchful eye from the sidelines, and celebrate their writing-related victories with them.