Writers are, at their core, storytellers. Many young students show an interest in writing quite early. The key to unlocking their potential and motivating them to pursue their talent is to inspire them. If you’re a teacher or educator looking to do just that for your young charges, you have a very big part to play in their growth. Here are five of the best ways to motivate young writers. These run the gamut from activities all the way up to utilizing a professional kit for book making for a more in-depth experience.
Keep them talking.
Again, writers are storytellers at the core, and young kids are often the most expressive storytellers that you can find. Whenever one of your prospective writers starts telling you a story, keep them talking. Start asking questions to keep them developing their stories. Ask for more details and encourage them to be specific and descriptive. Just this simple exercise will help develop their own ability to describe things in detail, which will further help them in the long run.
Expand their horizons.
One of the things that makes a great writer is the ability to be curious about and expressive on a wider, diverse range of topics. If you’ve identified several students of yours who are starting to excel at writing, push them to explore different topics. Not only will this exercise help develop their writing chops, but it will also expand their minds to encompass a range of topics which will serve them better down the line. Just make sure to guide them patiently as they research more the topics you push on them.
Encourage journaling.
For many experienced writers, writing itself can be a source of escape, a way to deal with the stresses of the day. It’s one of the reasons they keep writing to begin with. Encourage your young charges to write out their feelings and experiences of their days as a way to alleviate stress. Apart from helping improve their skills, it will provide them with the opportunity to relieve their own stress.
Self-publish to inspire.
Provided you get the best kind of book-making kit, you can actually transform their writing into actual books. They can show off their work to their family and friends. It’s actually a potent psychological boost to provide them with a physical manifestation of the work. It shows them the potential of pursuing this career.
Enter them in contests.
Finally, check your local listings for any writing contests that they fit into really well. You can guide and help them prepare their entries. It’s critical to let them put a lot of effort into their own work. In the end, it isn’t about just winning; it’s more about motivating them to fight for their passion and dreams.
Every great writer pursues this career because someone believes in them and their talent. You can be that inspiration for your own students. Follow these five tips, and you can be sure to set your young writer on the right path.
