Post: Teach kids to blog for creative writing

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For many years now, there has been a literacy crisis in America. Reading and writing are so closely linked that when a child lacks the skills to do one, he or she will no doubt also struggle with the other. Encouraging reading in the home is a must if we, as a society, ever hope to spur positive change. Creative writing is a great asset for children as well as adults. When children read or are read to, it helps spark a desire to write. 

Another way to get kids excited about writing is to teach them how to blog. There are several ways to go about it, and you, as the parent, can determine which option would be the best fit for your children. Various factors, such as their age, skill level, goals and more, may affect your choices. This post provides a few ideas, and you can take it from there!

Consider a family blog for creative writing fun

This option would definitely give you the most oversight as a parent in order to monitor safety while your children are blogging. You might simply treat it like a happy brainstorming session each day or several times per week, where everyone gathers around and decides what to write about. 

You might also divvy out sections or pages of your family blog, so that each person takes care of his or her own part. For instance, someone might write about field trips, vacations and family adventures, while another family member writes about recipes and food topics. If one of your children has photography skills, you might dub him or her in charge of all images on your family blog. 

Tie a child’s blog in with school work

While this option is especially well-suited for homeschoolers, any child of school age can benefit from it. The idea is to help your child create a blog where he or she writes about the things learned in school. One blog might feature a book report. Another might share thoughts on a recent math test. Even if the test didn’t go well, writing about it helps process emotions or vent, which can be quite therapeutic. 

Kids can be entrepreneurs and launch microbusinesses

The creative writing spirit can really come alive for your child, especially if he or she is a teenager, by monetizing the blog. This can be done by allowing advertisements on the blog or affiliate links. Your child might even have a service or product to sell, which can be a main feature on the blog. 

When a blog is monetized, it is all the more important for posts to be fresh, relevant and updated. This serves as a great incentive for your child to write! 

Blogging can be lots of fun

Blogging is a great way to get the creative writing wheels turning. How much time you want your child to spend blogging or whether he or she will make it a business are issues to discuss as a family so everyone is on the same page and the groundwork is laid ahead of time.

Through blogging, you might discover that your child, who was once a reluctant reader or writer, has lots of stories to tell. Maybe one of those stories will work its way into a book someday!