Tween Creations

Creative writing is basic, like reading and mathematics. A child has a natural conduit to their creative nature. As toddlers, they spin tall tales about their blankets, about their teddy bears and about their siblings. As school approaches and children find themselves in the position of learning their letters, transcribing this learning to paper, many children find this difficult and thus find the act of writing burdensome. To rejuvenate a child’s sense of wonder with the written word, I have found it helpful to pair writing with art. Ask a child to paint their self-portrait, and then ask them to write about that person. Children are often more receptive to a visual prompt than a blank piece of paper. Using old film canisters ask the child to write down the things they would like to see in their time capsule, then decorate the time capsule and tell the child to bury it in their back yard or hide it in the attic. This stretches a child’s perception of time, a creative act in itself. Present the child with a puppet. Ask them to make their own puppet, one that would be happy to talk with yours. The child makes a tremendous leap of faith having their puppet converse with another. When they have put this down on paper, the child knows that they have mastered something incredible. We build a conspiracy with them using art. Words sneak up on them. Words they can use to express themselves. Words turn into sentences. The child creates wonderful words that become a story, a poem or a puppet play. It can go on and on, enriching them through their teen years and emboldening them through adulthood. Next time your child sits down unhappily to write a story about the Sphinx, give them some clay. Art, fun, writing – an incredible indelible mix. Try it!

Some good creative writing websites:
Creative Writing Ideas For Kids
Writing/Language Arts Ideas!

- Miss Nancy

photo courtesy of cosmicautumn