Mrs. P’s Tips for the “Write Way” to Exercise Your Child’s Imagination

As a professional storyteller, not only in my Magic Library at www.MrsP.com, but also with my visits to classrooms, hospitals and libraries around the country, I have learned firsthand the power that books hold for children.  Without a boarding pass, a train ticket or even a good pair of walking shoes, I can take kids on a journey to the most wonderful places imaginable!  And in the process, I help kids develop effective listening and comprehension skills. 

I strongly believe, however, that kids should also be encouraged to create their own stories.  It’s an important exercise in creativity that offers a whole different set of benefits:

1.        Helps hone vital writing skills (such as developing clarity of images and ideas)

2.        Improves organizational skills (required to tell a well-structured story)

3.        Gives the imagination a serious work-out (using completely different ‘muscles’ than when you listen to or watch a story someone else has created)

4.        Generates self-confidence (when a story you created entertains or influences a reader!)

To help encourage kids to create their own stories, I hold an annual writing contest every year from September 1 to Oct 15th.  The details of the contest can be found at www.contest.mrsp.com/ 

 

I also have created a bookmaking activity. Making handmade books out of your child’s story is a great way to celebrate the enjoyment of writing. It’s also a great way to nurture a life-long love for books. You can find this under my "Fun Activities" button in the drop down menu for bookmarks/bookmaking.

 

The skill of mastering the written word is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.  For evidence of its power, we need only look at Shakespeare’s plays, which still move audiences more than 400 years after they were written; or the Constitution of the United States, which presidents and lawmakers still look to for guidance 200 years after its authors first put pen to paper. 

What better way to begin developing such an important skill than with “tell me a story...”?