Developed in partnership with Education Services Australia

The Australian Curriculum sets the goal for what all students should learn as they progress through their school life. Skills in the Year 3-4 curriculum include:

• developing writing skills
• exploring ideas and emotions.

It’s easy to help your child practise these skills as part of everyday life – just use these simple ideas.

Encourage regular writing

The more your child writes, the better they will get. While your child probably won't appreciate being given more 'homework', try giving them a diary, journal or notebook where they can write anything they like, whenever they like, just for themselves.

Encourage your child to not worry about how much they write – a short note, a few sentences, or a whole page are all great. Also encourage them to think creatively about what they write – lists, graphs and sketches are just as good as traditional diary entries. If your child is struggling for ideas, you could suggest:

• a joke they heard
• a record of their soccer goals 
• something that makes them happy 
• a funny thing that someone said
• a description of their birthday cake
• a list of movies they want to watch.

Assure your child that they don't have to show their writing to anyone unless they want to. If your child does share their writing with you, show interest, praise their effort, and resist the temptation to point out any mistakes. 

Also check what kind of book your child would like to write in. Some like to have a fancy notebook or diary, while others may be like children's author Andy Griffiths, who prefers an ordinary exercise book where he doesn’t feel he has to write neatly, or write ‘special’ stuff.

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In the video Andy Griffith's advice for becoming a brave writer, children's author Andy Griffith shares his thoughts on writing a journal as a way to improve creative writing skills.

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