Mindprint Toolbox

Search Results

Please wait...

Scribe for Your Child

Tags

ELA: Writing Study Skills & Tools ^Extra-curricular/At-Home Elementary School Strategy

Skills

Fine Motor Skills Working Memory Processing Speed Visual Motor Speed

Scribe for Your Child

If your child has plenty of ideas but doesn't like writing or struggles with handwriting

Teach It!

  1. Objective: A parent or teacher will write down their child's ideas when brainstorming for a writing assignment or project, so the child can focus mental energy on creative ideas and not on the mechanics of writing or trying to remember everything before they can write it down.
  2. Key Takeaways: a) Give your child the opportunity to think on his own by alleviating the stress of remembering and writing. b) When your child begins a writing assignment or project, help him brainstorm by being his scribe. Write down all ideas he shares. Limit your job to writing so you are supporting your child's free flow of ideas, without giving input. c) You might help your child group the related ideas once they are all down on paper.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Children with attention, working memory, organization or writing weaknesses sometimes have difficulty starting new projects because they cannot hold all their new ideas in their minds for very long. However, these weaknesses need not interfere with a child's ability to think creatively and brainstorm ideas. While students need to develop and improve on these weaker skills, there are plenty of opportunities to do that too. At times parents should make the decision to alleviate some of the burden of the more basic tasks that can slow them down so that their critical thinking skills continue to develop.