How To Improve Essay Writing Skills For Your Child

No one can ride a bike straight away, it takes time and practice before being able to pedal straight without falling. Essay writing takes time and practice before being able to write a convincing argument. Good writing takes time and many students may need to improve their writing, and your child may be one.

Here are six tips for improving your child’s essay writing skills.

The Workspace (Connect, Create)

In the workplace, it’s important for adults to have a calming and distractive-free environment. A clean, happy and distraction-free workspace may aid in improving your child’s essay writing skills. Create a distraction-free area in your house devoted to your child’s writing time. Choose an area best for your child’s study as anything can be made a distraction. It’s important to make the area a happy environment as your child will be there regularly. If the environment is negative your child’s studying will backfire as they won’t enjoy the area. The workspace must be an area your child can connect to and to feel comfortable in.

Reading is a Stepping Stone

Before you can run you must learn to walk, before your child can write they must learn to read. As a parent, it’s extremely important your child understands the basics of reading and writing. Reading is a fundamental stepping stone to learning how to structure, create sentences and to be able to read examples of how to write grammar correctly. If your child may be struggling in essay writing, a great tip to help them improve is having them read regularly. Reading everyday doesn’t mean making your child read a thesis or University level papers. Have your child read books or comics which they’ll be interested in and enjoy. All reading will improve their writing.

Practice Makes Perfect

In school, children are taught reading and writing, but your child may need extra assistance. A great way to improve your child’s essay writing is by practicing. It’s important to teach your child essay writing is different from story or speech writing. Essay writing is an argument, being formal or informal, and is a structural piece. Have your child write a paragraph a day, working towards a finished essay by the end of the week. As your child continues to practice regularly, their writing and essay skills will improve.

Matching Interests

Students learning essay writing may not enjoy it if they’re not passionate about the topic. If your child is practicing essay writing regularly after school, have them write about topics they enjoy. An argument such as ‘ice-cream should be free’ or ‘schools should have movie days’ may encourage your child to write persuasively. If your child is passionate about a topic they’re writing, they will gradually improve and enjoy the process.

Encouragement

As a parent, it’s important to recognise your child may be praised or criticised by their teacher for their essay writing. If your child is criticised for their writing efforts, they may lack confidence in their writing abilities. It’s essential for your child’s improvement to encourage their practicing. Children who are praised and recognised for their efforts by their teachers and parents strive to continue to improve. As you encourage your child’s essay writing, their confidence will grow as their writing becomes clear and concise.

Investment (A Tutor Can Make A Difference)

Although your child may gradually be improving their writing skills independently, investing in a tutor may make a great difference. A tutor assists developing your child’s writing skills and growing their abilities and confidence. Tutoring which specialises in writing can teach your child proper essay structure and grammar in a personalised manner. If your child enjoys essay writing with their tutor, they will continue to improve as they will enjoy learning. A tutor may be the difference to helping your child to improve and to understand their writing capabilities in essay and general writing.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why Building Writing and Maths Skills is More Important Than Exam Results