Any tips on helping a kid to write papers/stories?

When mine were in the lower elementary grades, they did writer's workshop-style writing. It wasn't about spelling or grammar, it was about being able to take a memory and write it down - beginning, middle, end - sensory detail, etc.

It worked well for us - writing hasn't been a problem now in MS/HS.

I would encourage you to come up w/a list of topics w/him - one actual happenings "small moments" and one for stories. Then he could go to the list when he's stuck for an idea. You could also look into getting him story cubes. That might help spark his imagination.

I was going to suggest that. If it’s homework, have him tell you the story. You write what he says and have him copy it.

Writing can seem like a daunting task even for adults. 1st grade is pretty much their first time writing true sentences and stories.

Like someone said above, sometimes they need a guide at first to see they can do it, like training wheels.

At this age, there are no real essay structure (intro, conclusion) but there are First, second, then, lastly, for example. I would write those 4 words on a paper, or similar words, and give him a less vague topic.

So if the topic is "What you did over Winter Break," narrow it down and say, would you like to write about opening presents on Christmas morning or decorating the tree? And then I would write your own quick story from your perspective. "On Christmas morning, I was excited! First I put on slippers. Second I drank coffee. Then I took pictures. Last I cleaned up the paper." Something really, really simple.

Good luck!

OH MY GOD!!!! Am I the only one with her mouth agape? WTF?! The teacher takes away privileges because this FIRST GRADER can't write a story? For God's sake, what is this world coming to?

I seriously can't even.

My son, when he was in 1st grade, could not write a story. In fact, when he was in 5th grade, his teacher took me aside and told me that he wouldn't pass his 5th grade writing SOL (standards of learning here in VA). She wasn't wrong. But my son was in a gifted public school and he didn't think like everyone else. He also has dysgraphia, so writing is very difficult, if not impossible for him. But even without my son's learning disabilities, if someone had told me that my 6yo had to write a story or not get computer privileges, or be sent to work alone, I would have exploded! Let 6-year-olds be kids, FFS!!!

I'm not going to get calm on this one, but johnnysmom here are some tips I used with my son. We spent a fair amount of time in the car and that's where I did his work with him because when he was home, I wanted him to play. In the car, I'd give him a topic, say "What are your favorite toys?" and he'd have to describe his toys to me. I told him we had to play the game at school. They like three things, so you always say, "I like my Xbox, my bike and Monopoly." Then you explain why you like each one of them. You finish off by saying, "In conclusion comma" and my son would go crazy. "It's NOT the conclusion, Mom!! There's always more!" We still laugh about it, but I taught him how to play the game. It was hard at first and then got easier. He got a 598 out of 600 on his SOL and his writing today (as a senior) is extraordinary. I don't have a problem with YOU working on it with him (that is great), but the day we punish our 6-year-old kids because they can't write a story is the day our educational system fails.

Giving writing “prompts” (like this teacher is doing) is one of the worst ways to teach writing in primary grades and is NOT best practice. Any writing expert—Lucy Caulkins, Katie Wood Ray, Donald Graves, Matt Glover (I just went to a workshop with him!)—would tell you the same. Forcing kids to write about a topic that someone else chooses only stifles them. What if he doesn’t have any good ideas for what he did on Halloween but has an awesome idea about his recent baseball game?

The topic DOES NOT MATTER. You can teach the same skills no matter what the STUDENT chooses to write about. One student may write about ballet class and another may write about being sad on a rainy day. You can still teach about making sure stories have a beginning, middle and end, or how to use correct punctuation or how to add sensory details. The topic doesn’t matter, but if a child writes about something they are excited about, you will get much better results.

It is absolutely OK to assign specific genres (personal narratives, informational texts, letter writing, persuasive writing, etc) so that teachers can teach specific skills related to those genres. What state are you in? Neither the common core or Texas (which covers a lot of states) requires kids to write fiction stories like fairy tales in first grade.

Using mentor texts (like 950nancy mentioned) is also a great idea (and your son’s teacher should be doing that, as well). 

I hope your son’s teacher uses a workshop model. In this model, the teacher gives a mini lesson for a skill the whole class needs, but then conferences with INDIVIDUAL kids on a regular basis to work on the skills that particular kid needs. The idea is to give little nudges and not expect perfection on every skill all at once. It’s important to remember it’s about the PROCESS not the PRODUCT. My kinders have writing folders stuffed full of papers. They don’t finish, or “publish” every piece. But they get a lot of practice writing every day.

The more I read your post, the angrier I get. Your son is in first grade, and she is going to make him HATE writing for the rest of his life. It sounds like his teacher needs some serious writing PD.  

She should really google Lucy Caulkins.

Our first graders always were given papers or journals with a very large place to draw, and then a much smaller space to write. They would draw something of their own choice and then tell the story behind the picture. Now, my kids were very different. One didn't even use the entire 4 or 5 lines available while the other flipped the paper over and continued to write on the back, but they both still learned to start writing stories/ideas/etc. this way.

I hate that she's punishing him for not writing. My gosh. I just feel that will make the writing time even more stressful and non-productive for him.


At home, perhaps you can get some Rory's Story cubes? The story cubes are by Gamewright and both Amazon and Target have them. They have endless add-on sets if it turns out to be something he enjoys. Being that it's a game (a dice game with pictures on each side to build a story around) and he doesn't have to actually write the stories down may help him exercise his imagination in a way that feels less like what he's being asked to do in school. And then when he is at school, perhaps he can fall back on some of the stories you created while playing if he cannot come up with something new to write about right then and there.

You can possibly even manipulate the game to start it off with cubes that mimic the topic she has set for that week's assignment.

Good luck!

Here's the website for the product:

www.storycubes.com/

It took us forever to get a diagnosis, and even then we never did get a 504.  The schools were happy to accommodate him with what he needed in general, and I just asked that he never be made to sing in class (his biggest concern).  So when his French class went caroling, he filmed the group.  

I just thought I had a smart quirky kid.  But then, at a scout event, a mom was all excited that we had an ASD kid, too.  I talked to the school counselor and DS's 5th grade teacher, who was also certified in special ed.  She said, "I thought you knew!"  I just thought he was so smart he didn't really relate with his peers.  He was 10 or 11 then.  But we didn't change much--we were just more deliberate with what we did.  

One thing that helped with his socialization, was when he had a playdate, we talked about what they could do, what  if it didn't interest him, what the polite things were to say.  And I was careful to keep them about an hour.  At 6, his coping skills would waver after that.  And, as he got older, I learned that it was ok for him to not have a huge group of friends and that he did better one on one.  One or two good friends is all he really needs and his idea of a great Saturday night is to go to the engineering computer lab and work on a project.  Sounds sad, but there are usually about 10 or students in there and they work with each other.  He's happy and his grades are good, so it all works.

Please do not write for him (even if it’s his own words) and have him re-copy it. It will not help him develop skills as a writer, will make him dependent on others and he will never develop confidence as a writer.

Honestly— yes. It just teaches kids that there is only one way to write a sentence. And there are so many ways to write a sentence!

If I we’re you, I would help him brainstorm a list of things he can write about for whatever genre he’s working on. I’m assuming it’s personal narrative? One mistake many kids make is thinking stories all have to be about grand moments and big events, when in reality, “small moments” are better. Examples might include finding a quarter in the couch, spilling milk at breakfast, having a bad dream, seeing a frog in the backyard...the possibilities are endless.

And since thinking about ideas is hard for him, anytime he tells you a story about something that happened or something happens when you’re with him—tell him that it would make a great story and he should add it to his list. 

Once he’s settled on a story idea, have him orally tell the story. Then have him sketch pictures to tell the story. Have him think in terms of beginning, middle and end, but do not limit it to just 3 parts. As Matt Glover says, it’s really beginning, middle, middle, middle, middle..... end. Give him a separate piece of paper for each part of his story. I think it IS ok to show kids how to draw things if that’s where he’s getting stuck. Sometimes kids need to see what shapes to use to draw a simple person or dog or whatever. 

Once he’s ready to write, it is SUPER IMPORTANT to focus on one thing at a time. If he’s having trouble forming sentences, focus on JUST THAT. Don’t worry about using correct punctuation or capital letters, handwriting (which should be taught separately from writing) or even spelling. Let him master one thing instead of trying to worry about 50 and produce perfect writing. The goal is not to produce a perfect piece, it’s to practice and master skills. When the pressure of not worrying about all that goes away, he might write loads.

Take it one sentence at a time. Have him orally say the sentence several times, for example: Last night, i went on a walk with my dog.  Count the words and write that many lines on his paper. Have him write the words and go back and read what he wrote often. It’s ok to help him remember his sentence. If he spells a word wrong or makes a letter wrong—LET IT GO! Remember the skill you’re practicing...writing words to make a sentence. If he has to go back and correct every mistake, he will get frustrated and lose focus on what he’s trying to do. When the piece is done, put it away. Maybe he’ll want to come back and revise it/make it better later. Maybe he won’t. It doesn’t matter. 

Give him help in the beginning, but as he gets better, pull back and let him do more on his own. Once you feel like he has mastered this skill (or is very close), add a new skill. One skill. Every kid is different, but basically, I choose the skills that are going to make his writing easier to read, first. Is he leaving spaces? Is he using basic punctuation? Is his phonetic spelling grade-level appropriate? Tackle those skills ONE AT A TIME. Model a skill and then have him write with that skill in mind. He should build on the skills he’s already learned. Eventually, add more advanced skills like word choice, sentence fluency, sensory details, adding voice  (

I respectfully disagree with this. In the case of malibou's nephew, he took off on his own after a few sessions. My own children have benefited from this as well, especially my perfectionist child. She now writes poetry, short stories and even a chapter book in her free time. It certainly didn't cripple her.

I’m glad it worked in those cases, but research shows that, in general, it’s not a good practice.