Using Story Writing For Kids to Encourage Struggling Readers

Often, kids who are struggling to learn to read may begin to think negatively about books. Helping your struggling reader to create their own book can be a great way to encourage them. Here’s what you need to know about story writing for kids.

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Reading is a big thing in my house, and not just because I’m a children’s book author, or because we are homeschoolers. Every kid, no matter what kind of household they live in (reading parents, or not reading parents) has their own unique likes and dislikes. The challenge is to unlock the why’s and encourage positive feelings towards good habits. Like reading… now if I could just convince my youngest daughter of that. Yes, my youngest child turned 10 this year and until last year was a very reluctant reader. So, I decided to think outside the box and came up with a plan to help her write her own book.

Steps for Story Writing

• Step One: Encourage my daughter to write her own story. Help brainstorm topics your child loves.
• Step Two: Overcome resistance. In my case, I typed while she dictated or set up voice-to-text.
• Step Three: Make it into a real book.

It seemed simple in my head. The idea was to encourage her imagination. Make it into a real book, which in turn would help her see how amazing books can be. This led me to write the book “How to Make a Book: Homeschool Edition.”

Imagination is the key

This doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Take it slow. Decide on a topic one day, the format on another (picture book, or early chapter book.) You’re aiming for 500-3,000 words. but don’t stress over that part if they are enjoying the process!

My daughter would often dance around the room while telling me her story, or lay upside down over the edge of the couch. Outside the box thinking won’t look like inside the box or traditional school processes. We don’t want them to; we want to meet our children where they are and facilitate a love of learning and words.

Choosing a Story Topic

Choosing a topic to write about can be a challenge for reluctant writers. Using creative writing prompts and story starters can be a helpful way to generate different ideas for a story. Some of the best stories happen when kids tell about areas of life that they are interested in. Kids can choose to write an epic fictional story about meeting a famous person, using magical powers, traveling in a time machine, or getting lost in a secret passage. Often, the best topics for an interesting story are events that actually happened, because young children often have an easier time adding details when they’re writing about their own experiences.

Encouragement over Perfection

The first draft is often a brain dump, then you go back and read it out loud together and fix and edit things to make the story the best it can be. If your child doesn’t handle criticism at all or is sensitive to the idea of editing, then skip that. You can do that! It is okay, sure eventually they need to learn those things, but that isn’t what this project is about.

The idea isn’t to make a book for publication. Rather it’s a snapshot in time for you and your child to look back on. Their book is tangible evidence of how far they have come from year to year. how their imagination blossomed, and how their interests changed. In addition, kids will enjoy the overall feeling of success that they accomplished something so cool!

Resources for Story Writing in your Homeschool

Helpful Tips and Tricks for Story Writing

In my book “How to Make a Book” I have included several templates and worksheets to help along the way, but the simplest thing is to remember that a story needs a purpose, a beginning a middle, and an end. They can learn all the technical jargon later. Right now the focus is on encouragement, imagination, and the final product they can hold in their hand.

I made a 5×5 template you can use on Canva.com, something sized to print on your home printer. Use photopaper or heavy cardstock for the cover, page one in the template is the front and back cover. You make have to play with your printer settings to get it to print, but it is already set up in booklet form, so pay attention to the page numbers on each page. If your child loves art let them add their own illustrations. If not, Canva has lots of free images you can use as stickers. For a keepsake, this is completely acceptable.

Learning through Story Writing

Not only is the process of creating their own stories a great way for kids to learn to love reading, but it can also be a fun way to teach important lessons about the essential ingredients of a great story. Help your child learn about these story elements as they write their book.

Characters

Creating memorable characters is one of the most important tools professional writers use to create great stories. We can help our kids practice character development by asking questions about the main character of their story. Help them add as much detail as possible describing the character in their story. They can even draw pictures of their favorite character to help illustrate their finished book.

Plot

Another good way to help your child improve their writing skills is by talking about the plot of the story before writing. Your child doesn’t even have to know the word “plot” to spend time brainstorming the important events of the story before writing. We can help our kids make simple story plans by asking them what happens at the beginning of the story, and what happens at the end of the story. Using a story planner template can help. Will the story have a happy ending or a surprise plot twist?

Theme

Although young writers can sometimes have a hard time with the concept of theme, it can help to remind your child about familiar fairy tales other stories that have a moral. Help your child think about their story’s theme and any real-life lessons that young readers could learn from their book.

Share the Finished Story

When your child is finished with their book, it is a great idea to ask them to share their story with an audience. An older sibling or best friend can read the story. Your child can read their creative story out loud to a younger sibling, another family member, or even the family pet. Encourage listeners to share encouraging feedback by asking questions like “What did you like about this story?” or “What was your favorite part of the story?”

My own daughter now reads willingly, if not as much as her older sisters, I am so happy with the progress.

Thank you to Shannon L. Mokry from SillyGeese Publishing for writing this guest post!