Writing is scary; even professional writers will tell you that they struggle. But they know which writing models to use, so they can overcome their fears. Most kids struggle to write because they lack clear models. Once they have these models, they have less fear.

When children are in elementary school, it’s actually fine for their writing to be simple. At this age, many kids lack the cognitive development for sophisticated ideas. But starting in 6th grade, kids must produce more sophisticated writing, including five-paragraph essays. At this point, if their writing is simple, kids might need more feedback, practice with sentence combining, or grammar instruction.

Your child might feel nervous about writing, so he writes sentences that feel safe to him. Or he might need more help combining his ideas into longer sentences. Learning grammar helps students by showing them logical ways to build longer, more sophisticated sentences. 

Their active vocabulary is smaller than their reading vocabulary; many students can guess the meaning of a word from context but are unable to use the word properly in a sentence.

Some students read well and think well but struggle to organize their thoughts. They need a lot of practice writing thesis statements and topic sentences.

There are two parts to developing sophisticated writing: improving sentence complexity and improving thinking. To improve sentence complexity, kids should study grammar and use that knowledge to write more sophisticated sentences. To improve thinking, kids should write out their ideas and discuss them with adults who can help point out weaknesses in the argument.

Good vocabulary helps kids express themselves clearly and write sophisticated arguments. It helps them avoid needless repetition and gives them pride in their work.  

In school English classes, teachers usually have 25-30 students per class and 125 – 150 students total. That means that grading a single essay assignment for all classes could take 20-25 hours of work. Since teachers don’t have this time, they assign essays rarely and take weeks to return them.

Parents can make sure that their kids are completing regular writing assignments from school, receiving good (and timely) comments from the teacher, and reading age-appropriate books. Warning: Kids, especially preteens and teens, will likely resist parent-led writing assignments.

No. Kids need to face the challenge of writing without AI help. Writing is a complex skill that requires kids to create, reason, and edit, and these skills need years of practice. Letting kids use AI to write essays is like allowing them to use calculators to complete basic arithmetic instead of requiring them to learn mental math.

He might just prefer other books. Ask him what he would like to read, buy him those books, and see what happens. Restrain the urge to pass judgment on his taste.

Yes, graphic novels are fine so for kids, so long as they read chapter books as well. Many advanced readers have read a lot of graphic novels, comic strip collections, and manga. But they also read more advanced books. (Keep in mind that reading graphic novels is better than playing video games.) 

There are two types of “good books”: The books kids want to read for fun, and the books that challenge them. For fun books, let kids read what they want to read. Light reading helps to build focus and attention. For challenging books, rely on texts assigned at school or by a tutor. Many students benefit from guidance when reading more challenging books, especially in middle school and high school. 

No, not for kids. At this age, they should slow down their reading so that they can focus. They need to understand books at a slow pace before they can understand them at a fast pace.

No. iPads have games stored on them and are connected to the distractions of the Internet. By using a e-reader that is exclusively for reading, your child will build focus.

1. Improve vocabulary.
2. Increase the number of hours spent each week reading.
3. Read with focus (don’t skim).
4. Read aloud (to avoid skimming).
5. Discuss the reading with a teacher, a tutor, a parent, or an intelligent group of friends. 

To improve vocabulary, kids should look up the meanings of unknown words in their books (but no more than two words per page). To remember these words, kids should write the definitions in a notebook or on vocabulary cards.

For decades, the best vocabulary books have been the Wordly Wise series, by Kenneth Hodkinson. Out of all the vocab books I’ve read, these contain the best mix of age-appropriate words and learning exercises. 

We don’t recommend using apps or websites for vocabulary study. They are connected to phones and the web, which are a source of endless distraction for kids. Free versions of vocab apps contain ads, another distraction. 

You could create a family reading time during which the entire family reads books of their choosing for 15-30 minutes daily. Kids learn to value reading when they see adults reading. The books should be books for enjoyment, not textbooks or other school reading assignments.