The key to mastering writing for kids is interest and obsession. Most boys love Pokemon, warfare (knights or army), water gun, castles, video games, sports, "dirty" (pee/poop) jokes, fantasy, etc... Schools usually don't capitalize on this interest because most teachers are female. They want something nice and wholesome like a day at the beach or garden, definitely not machine guns or some weird jokes about pee and poop. But this is the world of boys. Boys like action figures, Lego, robots, monsters, science, sports, and weird/gross stuff so it makes perfect sense to write about them!
When Nathan was in Kindergarten, I really wanted to teach him to read fluently. He loved to hear about Greek mythology. So on a ski trip to Tahoe, we stopped by Barns and Nobles to purchase a Greek Mythology book for him. There were not that many good books available so we bought him a chapter book that was at least 5th grade level. That weekend, I read aloud with him. To my surprise, he learned how to read that weekend! And he wasn't just readings cats and dogs, he was reading complicated sentences and know how to sound out almost all the words! Because of his obsession with mythology and Greek heroes, he was in a hyper-focus zone and learned how to read that weekend! We never looked back at reading again because he can now read better and faster than I can! From then on, I really appreciate the fact that any one can be taught with the right tools!
Most parents are concerned, however, about the appropriateness of boys fantasizing about machine guns, soldiers, violent warfare. I was too! So I researched on this topic. PBS has the following advice: Violent Pretend Play. According to PBS, it is common for boys to exercise imagined aggression. Fantasy play should be allowed if it is appropriate: Fantasized Aggression. In fact, PBS even recommends to allow writing about these fantasies: Solution to Boys' Language Barrier.
We don't allow fantasizing about killings in writing because it is evil. But is it? Most of the time, I see the imagined struggle between good vs. evil in the pretend play. The kids want to be the good guys defeating the evil. The casualty is the evil group. Sometimes, I limit the writing to not killing anyone, but Nathan brought up a good point, "zombies are already dead, so they can't be killed!" Unless the writing topic is too gruesome, the typical bad guys vs. good guys storyline can be interesting to describe.
Video games is another topic that most parents don't even want kids to talk about because they spend enough time playing it! But actually, kids love to discuss it. Reviewing an app is an exciting way to practice writing.
Boys love science. Talking about what is seen at night is another good way to get some writing in. Sometimes they can get really excited about rocks or fossils. Since the material is fresh from school reading/experiment, it is very easy to discuss because the vocabulary and organization already exist.
What about pirates? Yep, boys are interested in them too! And so are dogs and puns. They love them.
Why is it important to use the topic of interest? Aside from getting
the instant attention span, writing about these topics of interest is
easier because boys already have the vocabulary to write about them.
Writing is about knowing the words to describe the characters and
stories. Without the technical terms or deep knowledge, it is very difficult to come up with creative stories.
So the next time you have problem getting a boy to write, ask him what interests him the most? Even if it's gross and outrageous, entertain it! The time to write about what you don't like is at work and in high school! Childhood writing should be about fun and excitement. Let your child take you to his imagined world! It is just as thrilling as a day at the beach or butterflies in the garden!
What is a Simple Sentence?
The king speaks to his subjects. (noun + verb)
He talks to his king. (pronoun + verb)
Laughing is fun. (gerund + verb)
multiple subjects + 1 verbs
The king and queen speak to their subjects.
He and his dog talk to the king.
multiple subjects + multiple verbs
The king and queen smile and speak to their subjects.
He and his dog bow and speak to the king.
Presenting Writing
I struggled so many times to teach writing to Nathan because it's not
fun for any 8 years old boys. As soon as I talked about technical terms
like main idea, topic sentences, details, nouns, adjectives, etc, I
started to see yawns and wandering eyes. Yes, it's
frustrating to teach boys to write. You have to change the teaching
method or nothing will get through! From experience, the following
helps:
- Make it short - kids (boys especially) have no patience to hear a long lecture!
- Make it fun - use charts with fun graphics to explain dry topics.
- Make it easy - use guided writing to help in the beginning to inspire confidence.
- Give Rewards - whatever motivates your child, give points to inspire.
- Allow Typing - this is especially important for kids who don't like to write with their hands. Separating the two processes allows the writing process to continue without frustration.
Begin with Interest
Have you ever attempt to teach a boy to write well? That is the
formidable task that I am setting out to do with my son, Nathan, because I felt the school does not cater to his individual needs. He
is basically an engineer by design and requires special techniques.
I do believe that anyone can master writing. Contrary to popular belief, the writing process is not much different from an engineering design. Organization/logical skills are required to clearly present the topic. The "not exact science" (or what people term as talent/creative) part of writing can be learned through reading and frequent practice. Lots of practice (daily) will improve fluency. With fluency, the writing will become fluid and natural. It comes easy without Herculean effort.
To get boys to practice lots of writing, you need interesting topics. Don't use cookie-cutter topics and expect miracles. Interesting topics need to be individualized, meaning you need to know what inspire your kids to invest the time and attention span in an hour project. For Nathan, it's Lego. He would design cool contraptions and settings for his Lego minifigures to battle and talk to each other. Imagine what great stories can be generated from these setups! I capitalized on this interest and work with him on being more creative about coming up with the stories.
This is by no means the only interesting topic that we explored. When he was enamored with Pokemons, we also worked on paragraphs about them. And then, there was a time when he was so interested in trading cards and toys with his friends. We also wrote about those trading events. Sometimes interests change from day to day so I worked with him to see what would the best topic for that day to create something together.
I do believe that anyone can master writing. Contrary to popular belief, the writing process is not much different from an engineering design. Organization/logical skills are required to clearly present the topic. The "not exact science" (or what people term as talent/creative) part of writing can be learned through reading and frequent practice. Lots of practice (daily) will improve fluency. With fluency, the writing will become fluid and natural. It comes easy without Herculean effort.
To get boys to practice lots of writing, you need interesting topics. Don't use cookie-cutter topics and expect miracles. Interesting topics need to be individualized, meaning you need to know what inspire your kids to invest the time and attention span in an hour project. For Nathan, it's Lego. He would design cool contraptions and settings for his Lego minifigures to battle and talk to each other. Imagine what great stories can be generated from these setups! I capitalized on this interest and work with him on being more creative about coming up with the stories.
This is by no means the only interesting topic that we explored. When he was enamored with Pokemons, we also worked on paragraphs about them. And then, there was a time when he was so interested in trading cards and toys with his friends. We also wrote about those trading events. Sometimes interests change from day to day so I worked with him to see what would the best topic for that day to create something together.
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