Whether you're a teacher, parent, or simply an observer, you've probably heard some of the most imaginative, creative, and downright hilarious stories from young children. Kids are natural storytellers, but when it comes to translating their thoughts and ideas onto paper, they can often face challenges.
We spoke with local elementary school teacher Laura Brown, M.A. and high school student Nia Mya Reese about how they recommend supporting young writers.
Write About What You Know and Love
Laura Brown has been teaching elementary aged children for 20 years, and she advises young writers to start with topics or prompts that spark their interest. “If a child loves unicorns, encourage them to create a story about unicorns,” Brown suggests. “Allowing students the freedom to explore subjects they care about not only makes the writing process more enjoyable but also ignites their creativity.”
Nia Mya Reese, a writing prodigy, started her writing journey at an impressively young age. “I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing in some form,” she says.
Reese wrote her first book in the first grade. The assignment was to write about something she was an expert at, so she chose to write about “dealing with and caring for” her “annoying little brother, Ronald.” Her book was published two years later when she was just eight years old!
Find the Right Medium
Brown encourages her students to express themselves through the medium that best suits them. “If typing is easier for your child, let them type out their thoughts or use voice-to-text tools,” she advises, emphasizing that all students can become writers in their own way. She also suggests having children dictate their thoughts while an adult writes them down, allowing the child’s creativity to be captured on paper.
For Reese, role-playing was her initial form of expression. “I couldn’t fully express everything I wanted to with elementary-level writing,” she explains.
Share with Others
Not every child identifies as a writer, but parents and teachers should encourage them to share their stories. Brown recommends hosting publishing parties where students can share their work with classmates or parents. This builds confidence, as does reading their story aloud to the class. She reminds parents and teachers that “sparking students’ interests helps new writers feel invested in the process.”
Reese encourages hesitant young writers to “write anyway.” She adds, “It’s important to have high expectations for your future abilities, but don’t let the fear of not getting it perfect stop you. Avoiding something because you don’t think you can do it right won’t give you the chance to learn how to do it right!”
The writing process can be challenging, but with the support of teachers, parents, and classmates, almost any young writer can bring their imagination to life on paper.
Alabama Public Television also encourages all young writers, kindergarten through third grade, to submit their best stories and poetry to the annual Young Writers Contest. The deadline to enter is April 1, 2025.
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