The stories that weread, wrote and heardas children shapedthe memories of ourchildhood. Charactersthat we loved, fantasy worlds weimagined and pictures we created allform our own personal histories ofgrowing up. It's through this creativitythat children start to expressthemselves, learn how to articulatetheir opinions and develop personalconfidence.

Though impressive forincorporating multiple languages,Hong Kong's education system oftenlacks creative guidance for our children.English lessons frequently focus onmastering the complexities of grammar,rather than encouraging a breadthof reading and creative writing. Inaddition, children's busy schedulesand the easy distractions of TV andcomputers leave less time for imaginaryplay. As tutors, we often notice in ourHong Kong students a willingness to sitand listen attentively, but a reluctanceto engage creatively and think freely.As a result, we spend a lot of timebuilding students' confidence toapproach questions differently and toenjoy the challenge of the grey areas,not just to look at the black and white.

It's never too early to encouragethe development of little writers andthinkers. As award-winning children'sauthor Elizabeth Laird says, "Read, read,read, write, write, write". Children shouldbe read to from just a few months old,in the readers' arms or close by. Even ifthey cannot yet understand the story orcharacters, listening to the cadence ofa parent's voice and the child's physicalproximity to the reader is enormouslybeneficial in helping children in theirlanguage development. Not only doesit expose them to a range of vocabularyand phrasing, but it also creates anawareness of narrative sequencing -important skills for developing both theirtalking and writing.

Students who have been readto from a young age have bettercomprehension skills, a widervocabulary, more accurate grammarand much greater creativity in their ownstory writing. Discuss the books withyour children while you read them, talkabout your favourite characters andhink about other adventures these

" English lessons frequently focu 01mastering the complexities of grammar

rather than encouraging a breadth ofreading and creative writing. "

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characters might get up to. This shouldalso create a lifelong love of reading andlanguage.

Once a reader, your child willnaturally be acquiring the tools tobecome a writer too. A great way todevelop this at home is to encourageyour children to keep a daily journal,writing down things that happen tothem and around them and the way thatthey feel. Perhaps encourage them toillustrate the entries. Then, starting at ayoung age with sequencing exercises tofamiliarise children with plot structure,help them build towards writing fullstories with a carefully structured anddeveloped beginning, middle and end. Afun starter exercise is to give your childa set of sequencing picture cards andask them to arrange them into an orderthat matches a story they will narrateto you as they sort through them. Justas you would encourage your child toread many different forms of writing,so encourage them to write widely aswell. From recipes to poems and fromadventure stories to song lyrics, theyshould have fun with finding their voice.Ask children to read their stories aloudto you to see how they sound - a greatway to develop their performance skillsas well.

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As they grow

One of the difficulties that we seeolder students facing, particularly whenit comes to university, is an inabilityto form reasoned arguments fromindependent thought. Creative writingfrom a young age helps to prevent theseproblems; the impact is broader thansimply learning how to write stories. Itteaches you how to write well across alldisciplines, to understand the value ofstructure and to think carefully beforecommitting pen to paper. These areessential attributes when it comes toessay-writing and developing a higherlevel of academic acumen.

Thinking and writing creativelyis not just important for artisticallyleaning children. Discussion, debate andstructured thought throughout childhoodand adolescence lead to constructiveuniversity tutorials, and then to effectiveteamwork and business leadership inadulthood. Whether your child becomesan economist, entrepreneur or author,these skills developed in childhood willlast a lifetime.

If your child is more of a sciencewhiz than a bookworm, getting him/herto set aside the test tubes and pick upa pen needn't be a challenge. Creativewriting should always be fun and tailoredto your child's specific interests. Youngscientists might like to research a topicand try writing their own encyclopaediaentry. Sports fans might like to imaginean interview with their favourite football

player. TV addicts could write a reviewof the latest film or even try their handat writing their own script. As JK Rowlingcommented in a BBC interview, "Writewhat you know: your own interests,feelings, beliefs, friends, family and evenpets will be your raw materials when youstart writing." Writing what they knowand love will help children learn to lovewriting itself and show parents theirunique view of the world.

As your child grows, put together ascrapbook of their writing and this willreflect the changes in their interests andgoals. Children love to see theirown progression and compare theirability now with what they have writtenin the past. Our students often flickback through their writings and exclaim,"Wow! Look what I wrote back thenand wasn't my handwriting funny!"Competing with their younger selves inthis way continually inspires childrento become more accomplished writers.Not only does their handwriting changeover time but so does their writing: theynaturally progress from writing simpledescriptions to more developed piecesabout their hopes, fears, opinions andinterests.

A personal anthology that capturestheir childhood in a way that adultmemories miss is something that yourchildren will always treasure'. The skillsthat they acquire in creating thisanthology will give them an inquiringmind and writing aptitude - the firmestfoundation for lifelong learning. tiJ

" Creative writing shouldalways be fun and tailored to

your child's specific interests. "

Eleano~ Smallwood and.•.~~~

Hungerford are thejnan-aging directors of .\:::r-" c

brings the highest standard of academic ' '-~'-- s.Visit www.britishtutors.com for more -:

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