7. Start a Writing Club

Gather a few like-minded homeschool families and start a little writing co-op. Each time you meet, have a parent give a short mini-lesson on writing such as fiction basics, tall tales, or poetry. Have the kids write a group story as an example for practice. Then have them bring their own work to read aloud at the next meeting. This works best, especially with shy or reluctant writers, in small groups of 5-8 kids. They can build relationships better and will feel more comfortable sharing this way. Have a publishing party and assemble their stories into small booklets after a month or two. Don’t forget the snacks to make the party a real event!

Friends and I did this with our kids when they were of elementary school age. At first, the kids weren’t crazy about reading their work aloud, but they soon became more comfortable. It was a great way to gently give them public speaking practice. We also had the kids comment on each other’s stories—constructive comments and questions only. This helped the kids interact more and share about why they wrote the story, etc. We encouraged them to illustrate their stories and share their pictures with the group too.

8. Just Let Them Write

Let the grammar go while they get their ideas on paper. It can be hard sometimes; I know! But it’s important to let them be creative and realize that they can write. Don’t hover over them pointing out errors. Keep a balance with the grammar. Yes, it is important, and it has its place in a student’s learning plan. But wouldn’t you rather see them feel comfortable getting their ideas down as opposed to hating to write?

The saying “Choose your battles” can apply here. They’re kids, and as long as they are learning and moving forward, even in small increments, you are making progress. Concentrate on the good things they’ve done first, and then address issues that need work down the road. A gentle and balanced approach will reap big results.

We used to choose a few things that my kids had written (in our co-ops and at home) to revise and polish. That way, they didn’t feel like they had to produce a perfectly penned product every time. I wanted their best, but not at the expense of a lot of stress over writing, especially when they were younger. I wanted them to enjoy the process of writing and to be comfortable expressing themselves through the written word. There is plenty of time as kids move into the upper elementary, junior, and senior high years to focus on grammar and mechanics.

During his elementary grade years, my middle son kept notebooks of stories. Most of the stories were composed of one long run-on sentence. Punctuation was nonexistent; the spelling was terrible. The stories were good, but I cringed when I read them. However, if I had corrected everything, he would not have written at all. I let him have his writing space and we worked on things over time. The approach worked: he’s an adult now who writes and communicates very well.