CREATIVE WRITING
IS AS OLD AS THE CAVE MAN
It is likely that writing had its origins in oral – pictorial storytelling. Through the ages storytelling has served many purposes. Early on stories helped shape moral, ethical and cultural codes of conduct. The provide entertainment and passed on personal and social history.
Today, although the electronic age with the complete emergence of our kids in television and video games has displaced storytelling, writing continues to be a powerful force for social and individual growth. And, in a strange way, the electronic age has the potential to reinvent the written word and creative expression, rocketing them off the page and exploding them into the Ethernet. Creative expression through writing is limited only by the imagination… and, in fact, serves to expand the imagination.
START EARLY
No one is more creative than children. They can turn a cloud into a dragon, an old box into a castle, a dried leaf into a pirate ship. They are constantly stretching their imagination. They could spend hours upon hours pretending. And... kids love stories, they love nursery rhymes; they love lyrics. It is not a big leap from listening to those stories to creating them.
Start early by reading stories aloud, telling personal tales, cultivating creativity through play, art and music. Encourage children to tell their own stories, and as early as possible introduce them to creative journaling. As early as preschool, children can learn the basics of writing. If they don’t yet write, have them dictate to you… then have then illustrate their stories.
CREATIVE WRITING IS MORE THAN FUN. IT IS AN IMPORTANT
LIFE SKILL
Writing is not just an individual process, it is a social skill involving observation, story telling, collaboration and communication. It is a means of self-expression that can instill a positive sense of self achievement and boost self- esteem.
Creative writing is one of the most important skills a child can learn, it stretches the imagination and offers a wonderful outlet for expression. It helps create orderly thought and can be the basis for lifetime of clear communication and self-expression.
Writing can also be the catalyst for helping kids who are having problems in other areas of their life… a kind of therapy for today’s kids, growing up in a stressful world full of bullying, peer pressure, anger, family challenges and a conflicted world. Predictably kids who have mastered the art of expressing themselves through the written word excel both educationally and socially.
THE BENEFITS OF ENCOURAGING KIDS TO EXPLORE, ENJOY AND MASTER THE ART OF CREATIVE WRITING:
THE RULE IS...
THERE IS NO RULES!!!
The goal is help kids explore the many different genres of writing to find the ones that excite them. It’s important that the experience be enjoyable and that children choose their own subjects and genres.
Short stories
Poetry
Web content
Journaling
Scripts
Cards
Pen Pals
Lyrics
(Article taken from webpage: http://www.the-creative-kid.com/creative_writing.html)