And the more you read, the better writer you will become by default.
However, if you just read one style you are missing out on opportunities to broaden your horizons and truly improve your writing skills. So encouraging your child to read some different materials can be a constructive way to help with their school work at no risk of doing it for them.
Broadening their reading (even if the subject matter doesn’t change) can teach more about writing, increase vocabulary, expand knowledge on a topic and possibly find more references to use in a school essay!
What do I mean by different?
It doesn’t mean you have to read things you hate (for example if you love fast cars and detective stories you don’t suddenly have to read historic romances!) but find creative ways to read what you love. Here are a few examples to get you thinking…
- if you read a lot of poetry, try a biography about your favourite poet
- instead of finding another fashion magazine, read a book about fashion
- find a collection of short stories in the genre of novels you usually read
- read a blog by an expert and an enthusiast in place of another text book
- for every non-fiction book you read about horses, read a novel that involves horses
Maybe set a goal of something different once a fortnight or once a month, depending on how the size of each item and the reading speed and interest of your child.
This post was kindly provided by Tash Hughes, a professional writer and owner of Word Constructions. As well as providing professional writing services for businesses of all shapes and sizes, Tash provides writing and communications tips in her blog.
Image Credit: Klearchos Kapoutsis
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