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CHILD AT HOME Home is a place where you can relax, loosen your shoestrings, leisurely read the newspaper and forget about whatever awaits at work the next day. Home for your son or daughter, however is just another classroom because the learning and working shouldn’t stop once the final bell rings. As a parent, you play a vital roll in your child’s “extra-curricular” education. One of the most essential parts of knowing how to write well is to feel comfortable doing it—and practice begins at home. Below are seven ways to introduce your teenager to writing. Writing emails. Because the Internet is an ever-growing medium, your teenager will appreciate the vast information and quick correspondence only the computer can bring. Encourage them to stay in contact with family members and friends through emails. You can help your teen obtain an email address from online sites such as www.yahoo.com or www.hotmail.com. Letters. As “snail mail” becomes a lost art, encourage your teen to write letters and they will see the importance of correspondence and the joy of receiving a letter in the mail. Also, writing thank-you notes is an important habit to get your teenager into—especially for all of the gifts that he or she receives around the holidays and birthdays. Writing Nonfiction Stories. Creativity runs wild in a teenager’s mind, and encouraging him or her to write down those ideas will be beneficial and rewarding in the future. Writing Contests. Encourage him or her to enter a state or national writing contest. There are many websites and books that contain information about contests. Check www.writingcontests.net/, www.writing-world.com/contests/ or The Ultimate Guide to Student Contests, Grades 7-12 by Scott Pendleton for more information. Entering contests also can be a great way to get your son or daughter’s poems and stories published. Writing a Family History. Help your teenager begin research online or through newspaper archives. Also, contacting older relatives to get you started. Tell your son or daughter how important, and gratifying, it can be to write down a family history. Short Stories. If your teenager is really interested in writing, help and encourage him or her to come up with an original idea for a short story or book. You can help your teen put the book together over time or, if really ambitious, try to have it published. Application Essays. All of these writing exercises at home can be great practice for those application essays lurking around junior and senior year of high school. The more comfortable and creative your teenager becomes with writing, the less scary these applications will seem. By Jessie Wellnitz |
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