Spread the word!

When I started homeschooling I assumed that writing would be the easiest subject for me to teach. I mean, I am a writer after all! Oh how wrong I was. See, it turned out that Mr. C was an extremely reluctant writer. Thankfully, I’ve learned a thing or two, and while writing isn’t his very favorite subject, he doesn’t fight me on it like he used to! So if your boy is a struggling writer, you need these tips!

Boys Can Really Write When They Have the Right Tools

Boys Can Really Write When They Have the Right Tools!

*Note, I am a WriteShop Ambassador because of how much I love the curriculum. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own*

Why Boys Struggle With Writing

It’s really common for boys to struggle with writing for a variety of reasons. While girls often love to sit and write elaborate stories, our boys can be really reluctant writers. Some of this struggle comes from the fact that boys tend to focus more on gross motor skills while they fall a bit behind on their fine motor skills. Without the proper fine motor skills, writing can be exhausting and painful.

Some of this struggle comes from the fact that boys tend to focus more on gross motor skills while they fall a bit behind on their fine motor skills. Without the proper fine motor skills, writing can be exhausting and painful.

Beyond that, all kids (but especially boys) have vocabulary well beyond what they can write. They can become really frustrated when they have a complex sentence or paragraph in their mind but they can’t physically get it out onto the paper.

The final reason I’ve noticed my boys struggle with writing is that writing isn’t inherently active. You sit and use your hand to write a story. My boys do much better when we have active learning strategies in our homeschool!

Boys Can Really Write When They Have the Right Tools!

How WriteShop Helps Boys Write

I love using WriteShop writing curriculum because it is a perfect fit for active boys! Mr. C even told me this year that he loves writing since we started WriteShop, and that’s something I never thought I’d hear from him.

WriteShop takes a really hands-on and incremental approach to writing that I really appreciate. The curriculum uses writing projects to teach writing elements, and all of the writing projects have a purpose. We aren’t asking our kids to “write a paragraph” for no reason, so they’re more likely to put effort into it.

WriteShop also takes a lot of the pressure off of our boys who may be struggling with writing. First the writing projects can be taken at your kids pace. The curriculum has suggestions for doing a project every week, every two weeks, or every three weeks. It also gives ideas for giving kids an extra challenge or easing up a bit on expectations. Oh, and guided writing, which is one of my favorite parts of WriteShop, totally helps kids to understand the parts of writing without stressing about the physical act.

Tips For Helping Boys Write

Of course, guided writing. I talk a lot more about guided writing in my tips for helping reluctant writers post, but the premise is team-writing with your child. They come up with the ideas and sentences (with your guidance) and you do the physical act of writing. This helps expose them to grammar and punctuation rules without focusing so much on the physical handwriting.

I also find it really helpful to talk through a writing assignment before trying to write. When I ask Mr. C to write anything I hear “I don’t know what to write..” Now I will ask him a few questions about the writing prompt. After he’s told me a few of his answers or ideas, it’s easier for him to write them down.

Try to act it out! This is perfect for wiggly boys who need to have a bit more action in their writing lessons. When we needed to have Mr. C write a short story about space, we decided to act out his story before writing it. It really helped him to visualize a beginning, middle, and end.

I know that it can be tempting to just accept that boys don’t write, but it’s just not true. Boys can totally write when they’re given the right tools! If you’ve been struggling to teach your boy (or girl) to write because they’re reluctant or frustrated, I absolutely recommend using WriteShop curriculum. It has revolutionized writing in our homeschool, and I know it will help you as well!

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