Writing is a skill that develops both through observation - that is, reading - and through practice.

Anyone who reads a lot will have a better sense of how to write properly, and parents should take steps to encourage their kids to read often.

You should definitely take your kids to the local library and make use of the resources there. Show your kids how to find books and check them out.

Explore different parts of the library. Go to a few library-sponsored events. If your children feel comfortable in the library, they'll be much more likely to visit it on their own when they get older. They won't even think it's nerdy!

Now, although the library provides them for free, you and your children should also own some books. Buying fun books like Harry Potter as gifts for your kids can go a long way toward encouraging reading. Also, if you own a lot of books and make it clear to your kids that reading is an important part of your life, they will probably take more interest in it themselves.

But what to read? The material should be sophisticated enough to challenge your children, but not too difficult. Even the best readers can get frustrated with authors that are beyond their reading abilities, and encouraging kids to persevere through an ill-chosen book might cause more harm than good. Parents should also take time to read to their children, on a daily basis if possible, until the kids are about 9 or 10 and start to resist the bedtime routine. These books can be a little more difficult, since your children aren't reading it themselves and can ask you questions if they don't understand something. Make sure the book is entertaining, though! For example, very few kids find biographies of politicians to be compelling.

But enough about reading. This article is actually about writing, isn't it? If your children love reading, you're off to a great start. Now to get them to pick up a pen...

To encourage writing, start by providing the necessary paper and pencils. Giving your kids a journal or diary helps a lot, because now they have a place to write things down. Be wary of letting your kids do all their writing online in the form of chat rooms and blogs, since (as you're probably aware) the internet is quickly developing its own spelling and grammatical conventions. ur kidz wont do well in english class if their sentences resemble this one. It's not that the internet is bad, or even that this new-fangled way of typing is ruining English, but your kids do need to practice writing the standard way.

To get younger children to write, you can encourage them to draw pictures and then label or caption them. The trick is just to make writing fun.

You should also talk to your children about the importance of writing. Point out the different types of writing that exist, and the amount of material that is written every day - newspapers, magazines, blogs, books, and anything else you might read. When your kids are older, make sure they know that good writing is rewarded by more than just As in school - college admissions, scholarships, internships, and jobs often hinge on writing ability.

Lastly, be interested in your children's writing. I'm not suggesting you break open their diaries, but if they offer to show you something they wrote, read it! Tell them it's good, make critical comments, and tell them you'd love to see more. When they have writing assignments for school, help them spell-check and suggest ways they could improve what they've done. Put their best writing assignments on the fridge. Basically, show them that you care.

Do all that, and they'll be the next James Joyce...or they'll at least ace English class.

Learn more about this author, KatieL.
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