5 Reasons to Teach Children to Write
It might seem like writing is on the decline now that so much of our culture has moved online and photos have superseded status updates on social media. But writing skills are in demand like never before, not just in academia but also in the world of business. Even on social media, there is plenty of writing, from comments to text messages. In fact, we are writing more words per day now than we were thirty years ago, according to recent analysis. Because writing is so vital, teaching children tips to improve handwriting is important. But writing simply to know how to write isn’t the only reason your kids should be developing writing skills right now. In this article, we’ll take a look at five reasons you should be teaching your kids the art of writing to help them now and in the future.
How Writing Helps Kids Develop
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Let’s look at what writing can do to improve your kids’ lives.
Writing Helps With Schoolwork.
This is the most obvious reason to teach your children the art of writing. Throughout their school careers, they will write a lot, everything from essays to short stories. By inculcating a love of writing right now, you can help your children to see their homework as an opportunity rather than a chore. Right now, thousands of students turn to services like WriteMyPaperHub, paying someone to write their papers and essays for them. It’s true that college students often need help with their papers and turn to experts for help. But you don’t want your children to rely on writing services to make up for the early development that they didn’t get at home. Instead, you want your kids to love writing early on and use that love to turn essay writing into an exercise in learning, not avoiding work. Right now, there is a strong correlation between a child’s grades and the strength and sophistication of the student’s writing. When you help them to improve their writing now, you can improve their grades later.
Writing Is an Important Job Skill.
Job applicants with strong writing skills are more likely to get jobs and get promoted. That’s because writing is such an important skill in a broad array of situations, and much of what happens in the workplace occurs in written form. Employers judge job applicants by their writing skills, and those who don’t write clearly and succinctly aren’t likely to make the grade. In fact, employers often say that writing skills are the most important skills they look for, and also the skills that applicants are least likely to have. For that reason, when you have good writing skills, you can jump to the front of the line when it comes time to be considered for a job.
Writing Enhances Communication.
Writing is the written form of communication, which means that it has application to other forms of communication, including oral communication. The principles that a child learns in writing, such as considering their words before they communicate, appealing to their audience, and developing their ideas logically, are applicable in a wide range of communication situations. When children learn the fundamentals of writing, they learn to communicate more logically and more clearly. This, in turn, can help them both in school and in the workplace, as well as with interpersonal communications. Such skills also can help with testing. Given the amount of standardized testing students undergo, having the ability to put down ideas and information in a way evaluators can understand can only help.
Writing Enhances Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.
Writing requires a number of skills that involve planning and problem solving. Writing is involved with organization and the effective presentation of arguments by assembling logic, evidence, and reasoning in support of a point of view. These skills transfer to critical thinking and problem solving in other areas of life as well. When you solve problems, you are looking for ways to move logically through the challenges toward potential solutions, and this need to develop a logical approach and support it with evidence and reasoning is the same situation you see mirrored in the world of writing.
Writing Helps With Memory and Retention.
If you want to learn something, the best way to do so is to write it down. When you write, you create an indelible impression in the mind. Teaching your kids to write down notes, or even to keep a journal of their daily life, can help to improve memory, develop their recall, and give them an opportunity to spend more time thinking about what they have experienced. Writing helps kids to slow down a little bit and really devote time to thinking about what they have learned for future retention.
Should You Help Your Children Learn?
There are three major conquering opinions – you should help with everything you can (not writing papers and projects instead of your kids), you can help and do some assignments instead of your kids, and it is better not to help at all. Every side has its own arguments, pros, and cons. What do we think about it? We think that you need to consider three factors: your child, your situation, and your desire. There is no one solution for everyone.
Some parents address writing services to receive samples and be able to help their children better. Other parents hire tutors and distance themselves from the educational process, choosing to be mom and dad, not a mom/dad/teacher/tutor/writer, etc. What to do if you decide that your help is needed?
First of all, don’t offer it with a suitcase of grudge. If you want to help — help. Second, make sure to express your concerns very carefully, so your child sees it as a sincere offer not as you say “you are not good enough.” Third, if while helping you stumble upon things you don’t know, cannot deal with, don’t be afraid to say it out loud. For most children, the scariest thing is to make mistakes in front of their parents and peers. Showing that making mistakes and correcting them on time is normal will help reduce anxiety.
