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Mumbai | September 17 - 23, 2009 | Vol 2, No 23

9MOM AND ME

READ, READ, READNo writer ever became a writer without reading. Read to your kids. Start from an early age. Point letters out to your toddlers and sing ABC songs to them. Avid readers turn into prolifi c writers.

TELL STORIESEvery child is a storyteller! Have your child tell a story and write it down. Staple the story into a drawing book for keepsake. If the child says, “The cat is fl ying in the sky,” try not to say that cats cannot fl y. Encourage them to illustrate their stories with images. You can also cut pictures from magazines and have them write a story along with the pictures.

WRITE A LETTERThe art of letter-writing seems to have become obsolete! Encourage your child to write a letter to their grandparents, relatives or friends. Even if it is fi ve lines, let

them write regularly. You can also introduce them to inland letters, postage and letter heads. This way they will learn a whole new form of communication and make an effort to write. They can also fi nd a penpal to write letters to. All this will get your child into the habit of writing often.

JOURNALS AND DIARIESWhen your children are old enough, help them to keep a journal and let them write their thoughts on their day. Was it happy or sad? Did something special or unusual happen that day? Ask them to write this down daily. You can review the journal after a month or two and you will be surprised to see a body of work, ideas, experiences

and insights coming out of your little ones.

POEMS MAKE GREAT GIFTSPush your child to write a small poem for family members as a gift. Write notes on birthdays and festivals or other occasions. Many a time, children experience complex emotions and they are unable to understand them. Writing about these emotions will help

them emote better. Poetry-writing can be extremely t h e r a p e u t i c and even if the poem sounds as simple as, “Dear dad, I love you but somet i mes I make you mad” or “I

went in the dark and I thought I saw a shark,” allow them to express themselves.

LIST ITGoing grocery shopping? Ask your child to prepare a list of his/her own needs. Similarly your child can prepare other lists such as his/her favourite places to go to, favourite people and favourite games.

HELP IS AT HANDIf your child has trouble with writing or understanding fi nd a tutor. Don t̓ let bad habits or lack of writing continue...once you go down this path, it is hard to get back on track.

PROVIDE FEEDBACKThis can be a tricky affair. You don t̓ want to hurt your child s̓ feelings or damage his/her self- esteem but it is important to provide correct feedback. The best way to go about it is to praise the child s̓ effort to express his/her thoughts through writing. Positive feedback like “That s̓ a brilliant story!” “Wow. I am impressed with your thoughts!” “What a lovely idea!” or “This could be part of a story book!” will keep the writing experiences fun and light-hearted.

Let the creative juices fl ow without making your child worry about spelling, grammar and punctuation.

INNOCENT, INNOVATIVE, INTRIGUING! THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMAGINATIVE THAN THE MIND OF A YOUNG CHILD. BRIMMING WITH IDEAS AND INSPIRATION, EVERY CHILD HAS A WRITER INSIDE HIM OR HER. A CHILD DOESNʼT NEED A SPECIAL TALENT TO WRITE. ALL IT TAKES IS A LITTLE NUDGE TO INCULCATE THIS HABITHEREʼS HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR CHILD TO WRITE

CREATIVE WRITING AT HOME

WHY WRITING IS COOL!Writing is not just about poetry, literature and essays. If your children have good writing skills, they will get better grades in school as they can write and communicate better in all subjects. It also boosts chil-dren’s self esteem and confidence and allows them to be able to ex-press thoughts through the written word. Children who have mastered the art of expression through writing excel in academics as well as in social situations.

by Sakshi Singh Tolani