Problem: It’s two-fold. Either your kids complain that writing assignments aren’t relevant to them, or the whole process of writing and editing feels pointless.
Solution: Include writing lessons that are both purposeful and meaningful. All the while, help your children see the value of refining their work.
Sometimes, your children’s opposition to writing has nothing at all to do with laziness, procrastination, perfectionism, or confidence—and everything to do with relevance and purpose. In other words, they resist because they wonder: What’s the point? Believing their writing efforts are nothing more than meaningless busywork creates yet another stumbling block that litters the road to successful writing.
Make Writing Assignments More Meaningful and Relevant
Though it’s nice to give our children choices and options, sometimes they have to write on a subject of OUR choosing, and there’s just no way around it. We might be teaching a certain kind of writing. Or we may have a specific topic in mind based on what we’re studying at the moment. Still, students are more likely to write with a better attitude if the assignment feels purposeful.
Writing for writing’s sake (to describe a sunset, for example) may not motivate them at all. That’s why it’s worthwhile to look for ways to tailor the topic to your students’ interests and passions. After all, the more relevant the writing assignment, the more likely they’ll cooperate.
Writing across the curriculum is one way to do this. While you retain control over the general subject matter, your child gets to narrow the specific topic choices. Some of these ideas may help get you started.
- Using diaries to write about history
- Projects: Great writing alternatives
- Journal-style reports: Write about history or nature
- Have fun writing with unit studies
The Teacher’s Manual for WriteShop I & II includes ideas for writing across the curriculum. Suggestions for applying each lesson’s skills to a topic of current study appear in Appendix B.
Demonstrate the Value of the Writing Process
Getting kids to write can be challenging enough, but getting them to embrace the whole writing process is another thing altogether. Each step of the writing process is vital, from brainstorming to final draft. Unfortunately, they often think of these “extra steps” as time wasters—yet another reason why writing feels like a pointless exercise.
Editing, revising, and rewriting can be downright painful—for both of you! Most kids hate this part of the writing process. They like what they wrote, so they’re super resistant to making any changes. Regardless of how loudly, tearfully, or convincingly they protest, this is a necessary part of the writing process, and something all writers—including your children—have to do.
Other Skills Take Many Steps
Analogies help students relate and make connections. When you remind them how other skills require many steps too, and how these steps are similar to prewriting, brainstorming, drafting, and revising, the writing process might begin feeling more purposeful.
For example, playing a musical instrument, a sport, or a video game requires investment of time and a working out of many steps, right? After all, how does anyone get to a new skill level except by practice? This makes perfect sense to your teens.
Kids can also grasp that a chef, in order to create a new recipe, has to prepare a dish several times to figure out how to improve it. Is it too bland? Too dry? Could it use a topping? Is the texture pleasing to the palate? How would it taste with less salt? More oregano?
The chef tastes each batch, adds or removes seasonings, and adjusts ingredient quantities. When he’s satisfied, he prepares the dish for other people and asks for feedback. Then it’s back to the test kitchen once again!
Famous Authors Revise and Polish Their Writing, Too!
A chef would never add an untested item to his restaurant’s menu until he’s sure it’s the best it can be. Refining and perfecting his recipe is a process, and it takes time, patience, and input from others.
Would your child dream of performing a brand-new or unfamiliar sonatina at her piano recital? Of course not! It’s the piece she’s practiced and refined that she feels most comfortable with.
Likewise, authors never publish their first draft. The book or article goes through repeated self-editing—and numerous revisions—before they feel ready to hand it over to the editor, who in turn adds additional suggestions for improvement. Writing is revising! Your children wouldn’t enjoy their favorite books nearly as much had a wise editor not put the author through the steps of the editing process.
Add Purpose and Meaning by Writing for an Audience
Remind your resistant writers that they go through the writing process with the goal of a final draft. After all, it’s not the rough draft that becomes the published writing project; it’s the polished and revised version they’ll want to share with others.
When writing feels pointless, publishing the story, essay, or report for an audience adds a healthy dose of purpose and meaning to the writing. Check out these creative ways to help your kids write for an audience.
Especially when working with teens, once they’ve gone through the revising process, ask them to compare their first draft with the final version. When they can see the progress they’ve made from that rough beginning to their very best attempt—the final draft, the purpose for the steps in the writing process becomes clearer.
Ideally, with these ideas in motion, you should hear fewer complaints that writing feels pointless. As your children learn to approach the steps of the writing process with fresh eyes, I hope you soon see both improved attitudes and an increased motivation to write.
WriteShop has you covered for homeschool writing with meaningful lessons, attention to the writing process, and schedules that don’t overwhelm you or your kids.
Explore WriteShop I for your teens or WriteShop Junior or Primary for elementary. You’ll love the step-by-step instructions, flexibility of topic choice, and engaging writing assignments that inspire successful wriers of all ages!
