I’m all for taking a break from schoolwork over the summer, but I also think there are ways to improve your student’s writing skills without directly working on them.

For the purposes of this post, I’m going to break writing down into three parts:

  • Technical (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.)
  • Composition (organization, creativity, etc.)
  • Physical (the ability to write legibly and fluidly)

My approach to working on the first two items are simple – reading.  

I’m a huge proponent of reading books.  Through them, you learn the technical aspects of writing, composition, and so much more.   Here’s what Anne Lamott says in Bird by Bird:

“Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave.  They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.  They are full of all of the things you don’t get in real life – wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat.”

No matter what you do in life, I think you will be a much better person if you read. 

The photos in this post are from our recent trip to Rifle Falls in Colorado and symbolize all the places you can travel with books. Plus, they’re more interesting to look at than photos of books.

I believe there are books out there for every child. Maybe it’s Garfield.  Or Shakespeare.  You just have to help your kids hunt down the right books.  It can take some work if your child proclaims they don’t like to read.  Or that they can’t find ANYTHING in a library full of books.  I’ve heard that one before, particularly when they hit the teenage years and it seems like most books are vampire romances.  Nothing wrong with those, it just seems that’s all there are if you’re looking for something else.  (My advice for teens having a hard time finding books? – head to the adult section.)

I’ve spent hours wandering around the library and online looking for new books. When my kids go through a phase of not being able to find anything to read, I don’t mind picking up 4 or 5 at the library that I think might interest them in the hopes that one will grab their attention.  That one will usually lead to others by the same author or other authors in the same genre.

As I mentioned in another post, rereading has value too.  Favorite books tattered by multiple readings help us learn the rhythms of an author we enjoy.  When we sit down to write, we’ll unconsciously mimic some of the writing tools they used that so captured our imagination.

Downstream from the falls.

I know some kids struggle with reading due to dyslexia and other issues.  This post is not meant to address those problems specifically, but I do want to put forth the idea of read-alouds or audio books.

Whether your child is able to read independently or not, I think it’s important to read aloud.  We have done this LONG past when many families stop.  If your child has a hard time sitting while you read, make it easy.  Have them draw, build legos, eat cookies, or whatever they need to do to stay in the room while you read.  I promise they’ll start to listen and enjoy.  Humor and anecdotes from books will become part of your family conversations.

If you/your kids/your whole family don’t like a book, stop reading it.  Seriously.  You don’t need to slog through a book because you started it.  Life is too short.  You’re not reading to get a grade in a required college class.  Move on.  It’s not quitting.  It’s figuring out what you like and don’t like.  You might even talk about why you didn’t like it.  

“It was boring.”  
“Why?” 
“They spent forever describing stuff.  Nothing ever happened.”

There.  Now they know it’s important to keep the reader’s attention.  Internally, they’ll think about what doesn’t do it for them.  And they’ll see how to do it when they find a book that hooks them in.  The point right now is to get them reading or listening to you read.  Why?  Hold on, I’m finally getting to the point here…

Reading teaches you grammar, spelling, punctuation, composition, organization, and creativity.  In short, it shows you how to write.  Granted, your kids may not learn how to write a scientific report or a research paper from the books they choose to read, but they will learn the skills to help them write well, no matter the genre.  And they’ll also discover new people, places, and even worlds in those books.

Hiking up the canyon past Rifle Falls.

That’s how I like to work on grammar and composition in the summer without doing ‘summer school’.  In my next homeschooling blog post, I’ll talk about how to address the physical skills needed for writing without pulling out pencil and paper.