Writing at home
Welcome to our Writing Page. It is in the initial stages and will be updated and improved. It is a place where you can find information and resources, as well as other websites to support your child at home with learning to write.
The easiest way to support your child(ren)’s writing at home is by providing them with authentic situations for them to write. This could include writing shopping lists, emails or letters to friends and family or starting a diary to capture everyday life.
Supporting your child's writing
Talk to your child about what you are writing – let them see you making lists, writing emails, filling in forms
Keep envelopes, banking slips, forms you don’t need so that your child can do their own ‘grown up’ writing
Display your child’s writing where others can admire and read it
Play with words. Find and discuss interesting new words – this can help increase the words your child uses when they write – look words up in the dictionary or on the Internet or talk to family and whānau members to learn the whakapapa (origins) of the words.
- Writing about their heroes, sports events, tīpuna (ancestors), hobbies and interests helps your child to stay interested in what they are writing about
- Help your child to leave messages in sand on the beach, send a message in a bottle, do code crackers, word puzzles, crosswords, word finds – these are all fun to do together
- Cut out words and letters to make stories, codes, poems, puzzles and more…
Here's a tip - be a great role model. Show your child that you write for all sorts of reasons. Let them see you enjoying writing. You can use your first language – this helps your child’s learning, too!
John Spencer - a motivating writing prompt!
