My 8 year old doesn't like to write. When he does it short, and not enough. His teacher wants a whole page?

Question

How do I get him to write

Answer 1

He is at an age in which he wants to move and be entertained. To get him interested in writing encourage him to make up stories and write them down "because you love them so much that you don't want to forget them." Kids love to feel important and that you are interested in what they do!

Answer 2

Sounds very familiar. Is his general "handwriting" less developed then his classmates? If so, check into see if there might be some underlying fine motor skill problems. Does he have any signs of ADD or ADHD and other signs of possible Non Verbal Learning Disabilities? People might not like reading about the problems that I brought up BUT we went through this years ago with our daughter when she was your sons age. She never really learned how to cursive write as a result of these problems but she still always did very well in school and graduated with honors. Try seeing if he can use the computer for his papers as she was always good and quick on the keyboard and that helped. You might be able to get his school to test his verbal and non verbal IQ scores. This is how we discoved the LARGE difference between the 2. Our public school system however refused to help her out at all ever because she was never in danger of failing. To a degree I must say that this had made some of her problems worse, off and on throughout school because teachers would choose to ignore us in regards to her ADD/etc. I also feel that had she had an IEP (no, she didn't even qualify for that) then some of her difficulties could have been addressed and dealt with better. Now she has to go onto college still lacking in organization and time management skills. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

Well, you can simply encourage his creative thought by doing bubble chart type exersizes, pick a topic hes interested in like say dinosaurs and then create little lines coming through them with his ideas about dinosaurs - they're reptiles, they lived long time ago, there were many different types etc, and get him to expand bit by bit on each idea. Then show him that this is the same process he can use to write stories etc, one idea at a time on a topic.

Answer 4

Try having him talk about his subject into a cassette player. Just let him rattle on about the subject. That way he'll be creative. You can sit with him and ask questions on the subject to keep him going. Then he can play it back and write down the parts that he likes onto the page.

Answer 5

At this age, kids love to be excited and worked up. With today's distractions, vidoe games, IM, and the like, kids often find it hard to enjoy the simple things in life, such as writing. Since kids love to play, get them to play a writing game. Remember that your role as a home writing coach is to have fun and to honor your child's imagination.

You should:

*Say, "Let's play a game." There's no need to mention "writing game" if your child is a reluctant writer.
*Choose subjects your child loves, like brontosauruses or monster movies or soccer or shoes.
*Talk through ideas, asking questions, and listening carefully to answers.
*Make drawings, notes, and story maps together, if your child can't remember ideas.
*Take dictation or having your child use a computer.
*Praise honestly and liberally.
*Keep games short.
*Post written work on the wall or refrigerator, or send it to family members and friends. Writing is meant to be shared.
*Quit if it isn't fun for your child or for you.

Here are some great games for your 8 year old.

Eat Your Words

The reluctant writer of any age often needs to return to the word level. Make it fun by baking dinner rolls or cookies in the shape of words that mean something to your child. For example, if she loves comic books, bend purchased dough into "Pow!" or "Shazam!" If it's her birthday, bake her wish, like "Gameboy II." (And if all this is too messy, use PlayDough or craft clay for words — but don't eat it.)

Survival

Pretend you are stranded on an island somewhere in your apartment, house, garage, or local park. You need to write "Help!" so you will be rescued by planes that are searching for you. You don't have a pencil or paper (and if you did, the writing would be too tiny to be read from the air).

Tie towels around your head and take water (it's hot on the island). You and your child must survey your surroundings and invent non-pencil ways to write HELP! If you're in the bathroom, you might make giant letters out of toilet paper (and hope there's no wind). If you're in the garage, you might find paint and brushes. If you're in the park, you can always write with your toe in the playbox sand.

Suggest as little as possible, unless your child needs prompting. This game allows the child who balks at writing to experience the power of a single word when it is used for a reason. And if your child's imagination is fertile, don't stop at the first idea. Find as many ways as possible in each room or location.

Flying Messages

You'll need a ball or Frisbee, some tape, and paper cut into six 1–1/2 – 2"- wide strips the long way. Both you and your child should write three commands, one on each strip of paper, that tell the other person to do something physical. For example, you might write, "Hop on your left foot six times" or "Squeak like a mouse." Try not to see each other's commands. Go outside and stand as far apart as your child can toss the ball or Frisbee. You start the game by taping your first strip to the ball or Frisbee. Toss it to your child. He reads the message and follows the instructions. Then he tapes his first strip to the ball or Frisbee and returns a flying message. If you don't have a place to play outside or the weather won't cooperate, you can stuff the message in a sock, ball it up, and toss it inside. (Hint: Don't play this game on a day when you're pooped.) In school, a child with learning problems may not connect why ideas in his head need to land on paper and be read. But when messages fly through the air, affect the other person's behavior (and especially make her look silly), writing makes sense to the child.

Answer 6

Pick a topic that he would find interesting.Ask him what he would like to know more about such as dinosaurs.Boys are not motivated to study and write like girls.

Answer 7

Hmmm, Maybe he would prefer typing or another type of paper. Ask him why he doesn't like it. See if he would work better with music or outside.

Answer 8

Teach him how to write about stuff he enjoys.

Answer 9

maybe he'd just rather express himself in other ways. instead of forcing him to write help him to find other modes of expressing himself