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PLAYGROUND SKILLS BUILD WRITERS Don’t keep this secret from your kids! It seems at first logical to dismiss playground time as non-academic.  But point out to your kids that you notice them using skills on the playground that will actually help them with their writing.  “YOU HAVE THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO WRITE!”  Make a… Continue reading DON’T KEEP THIS SECRET FROM YOUR KIDS: PLAYGROUND SKILLS BUILD WRITERS

“Mom, Can You Listen To My Story?” Four Listening Secrets That No One Ever Told You “Mom will you listen to my story?” is such a beautiful question to hear when you are raising writers. Of course you want to read their story! There are few things more exciting than reading words your child has… Continue reading Mom, Can You Listen To My Story?

How To Create a Fairy Tale Family Tradition When my daughters were little, my dad used to tell them his version of The Three Little Pigs. To be fair, he was never big into storytelling, but he quickly discovered that storytelling held his grandchildren’s attention and created special moments with them.  And so, he delighted… Continue reading FAIRY TALE FAMILY ACTIVITY

Write Out Loud; Your Child is Listening Growing up, every so often I heard my mom in the next room talking to herself while she was either writing a note or typing a paper. I was a sassy kid, and I would comment, “Mom, you’re doing it again!  You’re talking to yourself!”  And she was… Continue reading THINK OUT LOUD Your Child is Listening

The Writing Process & Why It Matters Above the board in my classroom, I have a writing process wall.  It goes straight across the top and gives the deceiving impression that writing is easy.    All you have to do is follow these steps and you will have a beautiful piece of writing.    But… Continue reading THE WRITING PROCESS & WHY IT MATTERS

Our Best Editing Tip Several years ago, I worked as a feature reporter for a small newspaper in my city. One of the best parts of this job was working with my editor Tom.    I remember him telling me that Pepper, his wife who was also a writer, refused to seriously date him until… Continue reading OUR BEST EDITING TIP

Two Tips To Help Your Child Spelling is often the number one “Go To” place where parents help their children with writing.  Let’s face it, misspelled words are a distraction from what the writer is trying to convey, and it urges us to get out the broom and dustpan and just clean it all up!… Continue reading HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD SPELL (WITHOUT THE MELTDOWNS!)

Read Like a Writer: Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream”   Reading like a writer is a powerful exercise that helps writers see new things they might try in their own writing. Here is a guide for reading three sentences from Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech through the lens of a… Continue reading READ LIKE A WRITER: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’S “I HAVE A DREAM”