Creative writing is an important skill for our kids.
In this age of smartphones and handheld devices, creativity and writing remain as top requirements to ensure our kid’s future.
I should know. In my years as an entrepreneur, it took creativity to resolve issues I’ve encountered.
It also takes creativity to get people to be interested in you and your product.
That’s why I also try as much to increase my daughter’s creative writing skills.
Creative Writing Benefits for Kids
Our kid’s generation may be tech-savvy, but science backs up the fact that the act of writing is more beneficial for the brain.
Writing on pen and paper can keep our brains sharp and can also influence us into more positive thoughts. Hand movements during writing activate a huge part of the brain responsible for healing trauma, language, and working memory.
Here are other benefits of handwriting and creative writing for our kids.
1. It helps manage stress.
Stress is a natural occurrence in everyday life. Children, for example, go through the pressures of school, their homes, and relationships with their peers.
Writing poems, short stories, or creating cartoons can unload a lot of stress for kids.
It also helps release unwanted tension and encourages them to divert their attention to something more productive and creative.
2. It encourages deep thinking
I love it when Zeeka does her drawings and shows them to me. Watching her draw and create a story out of it is such a great joy for me.
Every story she tells lets me take a peek into what’s going on inside her head. And I’m really glad to hear how much her stories are growing.
Check out our drawing time here:
Now that she’s six years old, her stories are becoming more complex.
Her characters are becoming more intricate. And I’m really glad I’m getting to witness her progress.
3. It increases comprehension and learning
Creative writing also helps kids do better in Math and Sciences.
Studies show that writing helps the brain create the same patterns one needs to learn Math and Science.
One needs sharp observation and documentation skills when it comes to learning Sciences and figuring out equations.
Both can be improved through systematic approaches and observations which can also be developed through creative writing.
4. It helps them process big emotions.
Children go through a lot of stress even as kids.
Every now and then Zeeka tells me she feels sad or angry, even frustrated when she doesn’t get what she wants.
Sometimes she tells me she’s lonely without her friends.
Even if it doesn’t sound as serious to us, it’s a big deal for them.
That’s why it’s also important for them to learn how to recognize, process, and handle their emotions.
Creative writing helps them write down what they feel through stories, characters, and situations.
Child psychologists have used similar techniques in therapy to help children open up and share details about them or their trauma.
Doing so helps kids focus on their strengths and the good side of things rather than dwell on their negative emotions or trauma.
5. It increases focus
Children are naturally curious. And it’s perfectly normal for them to have concentration issues because of how they’re exploring the world.
They get bored easily when things aren’t fun and they shift their attention somewhere else.
While creative writing may not be a part of your kid’s priorities yet, there are some exercises that can prepare them for writing.
These include doodling and drawing.
Drawing helps them visualize their materials better. This is a great exercise in developing characters and settings.
Harvard Health Blog also confirms the health benefits of doodling, especially for kids.
Doodling, it turned out, is like our brain’s last attempt at staying focused and awake.
It also eases psychological distress and activates the brain’s “time travel machine”.
Doodling puts us in a relaxed state where our minds attempt to find lost pieces, make sense of the present, and help us visualize our future.
Gamifying Creative Writing for Kids
Gamification has been a huge buzz word not only in the tech industry but also in other areas like education.
Educators from all around the globe have turned to apps and games to help students maximize learning and make it fun.
But did you know that board games also help in boosting creativity for kids of all ages?
Yep, you got that right. Board games. And I must admit, I’m a board game fanatic.
In fact, we hold regular board game sessions at home with friends and family.
Here’s what it usually looks like at game nights…
What I love most about it is the challenge of quick thinking, and the strategies it takes to win.
I’ve been reading a lot about how old school role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons help improve children’s creativity through storytelling.
Even the world’s greatest writers and novelists acknowledge the impact that Dungeons and Dragons have on their writing skills.
Goerge R.R. Martin, Dan Harmon, and even Stephen Colbert admit that a huge part of their creativity stems from playing the game in their youth.
The game can last from three hours or three years.
How is it played?
A ‘dungeon master’ gets to run game and create critical situations where the players respond with their own narrative.
Players can also choose the characters they portray. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the characters respond to crises according to their powers.
Check out this fun tutorial from The Try Guys:
So how exactly does playing board games like D&D help in boosting creativity, especially with kids?
For one, it’s an endless story with unlimited possibilities. Children get to come up with their own stories and characters.
It also develops quick wit and enhances situational awareness.
Playing the game encourages teamwork and promotes complex problem-solving skills.
So how does it make your kid become a better writer?
Studies show that the highly social and collaborative nature of role-playing games has a huge effect on learning. It helps improve crucial soft skills, like listening intently and responding to the challenges set by the game master.[1]
It also taps into the player’s abilities like decision making, invention, calculations, negotiation, active spatial visualization, and storytelling.
UEC Philippines: A Unique Way to Teach Creative Writing
One of the reasons why I like UEC Philippines is because they make writing fun.
Unlike traditional schools, Unique English Classroom provides kids with a chance to run wild with their imagination.
Children learn the basics of reading to the intricacies of storytelling, reading, and writing through four progressive programs.
UEC also focuses on the more important aspect of communication: reading comprehension and confidence in communication.
Headed by Catherine Khoo, children under the Unique English Classroom program get to explore the English language through practical application.
They also use different ways to fire up your kid’s imagination and improve their storytelling and creative writing skills.
Younger kids learn reading and writing through storytelling activities.
Later on, they progress to drawings and illustrations to tell their stories.
They also do comic books with their own stories.
They even play Dungeons & Dragons and learn how to develop their own world and characters. Dungeons & Dragons will be available in all UEC Centers this coming summer. This activity is for kids ages 9 to 16 yo. I told Zeeka about it and she said she can’t wait to be 9 years old! haha!
Check out the kids of UEC San Mateo as they play it here: https://www.facebook.com/UniqueEnglishClassroom/videos/1486421058176426/
Help your future writer excel in creative writing. Learn more about UEC Philippines today.
For inquiries, check out their website here: https://uecyoungauthors.com.ph/
