ages 2-5 
ages 6-8 
ages 9-12
Wherever you see this key, the activities have been carefully selected for the age groups listed.
Whether in stories, songs, jokes or riddles, kids naturally enjoy playing with words. That’s good news, because a love of words can help children develop creative writing skills to last a lifetime. In addition, learning to write creatively can be as easy as learning to talk, sing and play.
Kids who learn to write early don’t just learn to express their feelings and communicate thoughts—studies show they do better in almost every subject. So how do you engage children in creative writing and storytelling? Try these ideas:
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The Write Stuff At Every Age
Younger children will need your help recognizing letters and words. Teach by example, writing a word or letter for them, and then letting them do the same. You can also fill their world with visual cues like signs, alphabet magnets and games like
bingo.
A child's journal should be a playground for thoughts and ideas. Encourage kids to free-write—writing with no rules or restrictions—and help them spice things up with pictures, song lyrics or whatever suits their fancy. You can use many of the same ideas found in our
"What Will I Be?" Book activity.
Collect and display your child's writing in a
handmade book, or a prominent place in your home. Also, share your children's work with family members to show them that their words are important. If your kids enjoy writing, you might want to try submitting their stories to a "Kid Lit" magazine or Web site. You can find them using popular search engines.
Creative writing resources for parents and kids
To learn more about introducing your children to the art of writing, we recommend these Web sites:
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