Good Readers Make Good Writers

If you've ever heard someone say that good writers are also good readers, believe them! Research has shown over and over again that the best writers are avid readers of quality material.

When my son was in first grade, he said something like this:

"I will never read and I can't write!"

Well, my heart told me to panic. I had a daughter just ahead of him who basically taught herself to read at age four. Not only that, she ate books for breakfast. What was I going to do with this boy?

I read to him.

And I read to him.

And I hooked him with comics.

I know, not the most thought-provoking reading material. But I had to get this kid reading. The beauty was we were homeschooling, so I didn't need to worry about him keeping up with a class. And while I can't remember how old he was when reading and writing took hold of him, they eventually did.

Now he is 16. Since first grade he has fallen in love with literature. It took some time, and a lot of hours reading to him, but it was well worth the investment. He treasures The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit. He is a collector of book series. And he writes.

Now, I realize not all kids are going to be great readers and writers. My point is it has to be trained into them (most of them, anyway). Check out the article on the site linked below. It's got some great information about reading to kids.

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Summer Writing: What Does Freedom Mean to Me?

Now that the Fourth of July is over, have your little darlings take some time to write about freedom. This writing assignment can be modified for writers of any age.

Writing Topic
What does freedom mean to me?

Writing Tools
For very young writers:

• Provide a pencil and lined paper

For growing and older writers:

• Provide a pen and wide- or college-ruled notebook paper or a laptop/PC

Writing Prompts
For very young writers:

• I think freedom means...
• The Fourth of July was fun because...
• At the Fourth of July parade I saw...
• On the Fourth of July I went...

For growing writers:

• If feel like I am free because...
• The opposite of freedom is...
• If I wasn't free...
• The people who fight for my freedom are...

For older writers:

• The cost of freedom in America has been...
• The different types of freedom include...
• Freedom isn't free because...
• When people don't have freedom...

A note to the teacher/parent: Writing assignments posted on Mondays are intended to be long. However, the individual teacher/parent knows each student/child(s) ability and should modify the assignment accordingly.

Set your little darlings free and allow them to write from the heart!

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