How to create excellent writers from reading at 7+

1. Talking Writers

This may seem like an obvious thing to say, but there is no better place to learn the craft of writing than to see it in action! There are 2 ways to do this. Firstly, offer your child reading-age appropriate books (your child’s teacher can suggest these based on your child’s ability) to read for pleasure. Secondly, pick a high quality text to read to and with your children. Here are 5 modern books:

1. Explorers – Katherine Rundell
2. Wonder – R.J. Palacio (Made into a film last year)
3. War Horse – Michael Morpurgo
4. Harry Potter – J.K.Rowling
5. Matilda – Roald Dahl

And some classic books:

1. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
2. The Borrowers – Mary Norton
3. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
4. The Iron Man – Ted Hughes
5. My Family and Other Animals – Gerald Durrell

When reading these books to your children, make sure you pause at regular points and talk about some of the words and sentences the author has used. Focus on quality reading and discussion not on the quantity of pages read! Ask questions like:

• ‘Why do you think the author used this word?’
• ‘Why do you think they chose the same word twice?’
• ‘How do you feel at the moment?’
• ‘Why do you think you feel this?’
• ‘What do you think will happen next?’

Talking to them about the book helps children to become aware of language and to think more about it. Make sure you answer the questions as well and share what you are enjoying about the book. This models to them what talking about books looks like and shows them that enjoying books is something adults think about too! Having said this, try to avoid stopping every few sentences in order to allow them to listen to and enjoy the story. Encourage your children to use the words and phrases they have heard when you are discussing things with them in real life. Maybe even write some of the favourite words and phrases down on a board or on post-it’s somewhere where the child will see them regularly. Maybe create a word wall somewhere in your house with the words and phrases stuck on. When they write, this will help them to become more familiar with the new words and phrases and then use the new words and sentences in stories they write.  

2. Reading Writers.

When you want your child to write a story, here is how to use the books you have read to inspire and stimulate them.

1. Pick the first line of a story you have read together and use it as a story starter for your child to write their own story.
2. Get your child to continue a story you have read together or write the sequel or next chapter.
3. Choose a book title of a book you have not read together yet and get them to write a story with that title.
4. Stop during the reading of a book at the end of a chapter or part of the book and get your child to write the next chapter using the last line of the previous chapter before you read on.
5. Pick a favourite/least favourite character in a story you have read and get the children to write their own story using that character.
6. Play a Game of ‘What if?’ with a part of the story. For example, In the story of ‘Explorers’, discuss ‘What if the children’s plane had crashed in Antarctica instead of the Amazon?’ Then, get them to write this story.

And finally, start small. Don’t worry if your child has not been able to memorise and use all the phrases they liked in ‘Anne of Green Gables.’ It is more important that your child enjoyed the book, has understood and followed the plot and heard the rich language contained in it. Even if they use 1 word or phrase for each book, they will soon begin to build up a bank of language to add to their writing.