The bluebells are out across Kent this weekend. Use this as an ideal opportunity to boost your child’s creative writing.
Take a notebook with you, or be prepared to record some content on your phone. All you need to gather is a simple list. What different sounds can you hear? What can you smell? What does the ground feel like? What is on the ground? What do you see when you look up? What types of trees can you see? Which plants? Are there any signs of animals, or can you spot any?
When you get home use google to add a bit of authenticity. There are sites that list British coppice woodland trees and birds that might be spotted there too.
Once you have a clearly organised list of words (just title each column: See, Hear, Smell, Trees, Birds, Other) type them up and print them out in a reasonably large font.
Again, take the stress out of the session by typing for your child. Ask him or her to create simple sentences that make absolute sense on their own, simply by linking the words in their list together.
Once they have 5 sentences you can play around with the openings together: Overhead… Underfoot… In the distance…
Bank this little description somewhere. Ideally have it presented beautifully in a smart notebook or even laminate it on the wall. On another day, go somewhere else and bank another one – perhaps a busy high street or a beach.
Once your child has a number of these, encourage him or her to use them in their creative writing at school and to draw on them in tests. There is nothing like a bit of pre-planning to boost confidence and improve results.