What Kids Need for Writing: Voice
The goal with any child is to recognize that the writing voice is already alive within.
Sometimes your child’s writing voice comes screaming to the outside in unending syllables while you’re peeing or rinsing shampoo from your hair. But still! That’s voice, baby.
The more you can do to capture it, to jot it down, to listen to its meandering relentlessness (even if you mentally rearrange the spice cabinet while they recount how to level up in Minecraft), the more you give your children access to the very essence of what they need for writing—their own:
- quirky,
- powerful,
- sometimes funny,
- sometimes alarming,
- and frequently charming voices!
Drop “number of sentence” requirements.
Ignore spelling and punctuation during that initial burst.
Admire their thoughts!
Help them get to the point with interest and curiosity, rather than critique and editing.
You can do this!
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
Still Have Questions?
- Writing Voice: Focusing on the Interior
- The Distance between Writing Voice and Mechanics
- Do Formats Hush the Writing Voice?
- Value Your Child’s Voice
