Expressing your thoughts and ideas in written words is an essential skill that can be easily developed in a child at an early age. Developing kids’ creative writing skills is important because it helps boost innovation, problem-solving and resourcefulness. Plus, it gives them an outlet for their creative ideas.
The holidays are the perfect time to encourage writing. If you want to get them excited about writing, ask them to write letters to Santa Claus, or to write a gift wish list in a letter. Most children are predisposed to the feeling of wanting to write. If your child has this feeling, nurture it at this time when excitement is high. (Pro Tip: If your child doesn’t like the physical act of writing yet, don’t pressure them to write. Instead, you can use apps with a talk-to-text feature or you can write for them. This will help them worry less about writing and pay more attention to their ideas and thoughts.)
You can also use this as an opportunity to teach your children how to address an envelope, and how to send a letter. Something you would be surprised to learn that many people don’t know how to do in this age of technology!
Another subject to broach during this activity is to teach children about the difference between a need and a want. This special lesson learning conversation can be carried with a kid for years to come. The stuff we need may not be as shiny and fancy as the things we want or would like, but they would be just as wonderful to receive. Having these conversations early will help shape their minds to be more pragmatic and thoughtful in the future.
You can download my free gift list graphics here. I’d love to see them being used! Tag me in instagram @gennyofalltrades!