How do I get my 6yo to be more creative with his writing?

[NatalieJane]

We had parent's evening, he is doing brilliantly with everything, except his writing. He is having no problems with the actual mechanics of writing, but his teacher says he has little imagination, and that come the SAT's next year he is going to find it difficult.

Now to be honest, I couldn't give a fig about the SAT's, but I don't want him to fall behind in daily school life.

If I sit him down and ask him to write a story, 99% of the time he will write 'I love my Mummy, I love my Daddy, I love my brother' and that is it. He does enjoy writing and colouring, so the problem is just with his imagination, and I guess confidence?

So how do I get him to start thinking about something else? I have tried asking things along the lines of Goldilocks went into the three bear's house, ate the porridge, broke the chair, went to sleep, but what else did she do whilst she was there? He just looks at me blankly, so I might add a suggestion of my own like maybe she played with Baby bear's toys before she went to sleep? So he will then write his story, but will just add that she played with the toys, without adding anything himself.

Should I just let him carry on as he is, if he obviously isn't ready to be that creative yet? Or should I try and coax him into it, and how?!

I wouldn't worry yet. This year dc's school has been using a strategy called Big Writing in KS1 to develop their confidence and imagination. Encourage him to read and discuss characters, themes, plot etc and it will come through eventually.

Thanks Lizs.

We have been taking it in turns this morning to write a part of a story each, I started it, he took over, then I had another go etc. he seems to be able to follow a lead, but not just do it off his own back.

When I think this time last year he could barely write a correct whole sentence without help, it seems such a shame to push him too hard and end up with him resenting having to do it.

Take it in small steps; look at pictures and describe them (verbally)
eg
The wood
the dark wood
the dark scary wood

Talk to him about what you are doing/can see, Who do you think that person is? What job do they do? What is their favourite breakfast? Give some silly examples "I think that person is a spaceman who eats spaghetti on toast every Tuesday"

It will come in time, tbh, the most creative of writers are always voracious readers; the more he reads (lots of different genre, from cereal boxes to comics to books) the more his imagination will be let loose in his reading.

Can you play a game with him. Take t in turns to write a sentence or part f a sentence each to make up a story. The sillier the better, even if it nonsense to start with. You can work on the plot, story line, writing for an audience bit later.

So, you start

"Once upon a time thee was a little boy"

He adds something about the little boy

"The boy was happy because"

Then you add the next bit, and so on.

Ooops, seen you have done this already! Sorry, will read better next time

Give him the start of the story and then do "what happens next"

Give him starts of sentences to finish

"The children were excited because"
"The dog was wet because"
"Fred was angry because"

See that is the bit I don't really understand, his teacher said normally in a child who reads as much as him, the imagination will come through in the writing, so she thinks it is more of a confidence thing.

But then I don't understand that either because at home, he will have a go at anything and if he get's it right great, if he get's it wrong, it's not the end of the world, he just tries again.

At home, when he is doing a bit of roleplay, it is always about the same thing, maybe he is lacking in imagination....

I am going around in circles aren't I!!

Natalie what does she mean when she says 'little imagination' is that just with his writing ? Does he play imaginative games etc.
I had this with ds 6 although the teacher wasn't at all worried she just said at 6 thay need to start broadening their story skills so read a wide range of books with him and get him to read books with you that aren't school books especially chapter stories like horrid henry etc.

IS this just about writing it down I wonder?

There is sometimes a bit of anxiety around making things that permanant so writing can become restricted. Especially if you care what people think, so you play it safe.

I am sure you can relate. Think how many people lurk on here rather than commit their thoughts to be viewed and judged. Or panic about using the most appropriate words that are also tricky to spell.

If this might be the problem how about...

Taking turns to make up stories and practising stories orally - a great storyteller is an skill to aspire to!
Tell each other spooky stories round a torch in the dark
Use a tape recorder
Write a rough just for a laugh story on a blackboard/whiteboard
Write in chalk on the patio
Write sentences/paragraphs on different bits of paper and stick them on a wall

How about getting him to draw a story, a bit like a comic book or a toddlers picture book?

Perhaps he's just not very imaginative? Some people are, and others aren't.

Not imaginative people can be very useful because they know how things work, and what time the train is and how to run a profitable business. They can't write stories of course, but they don't have to because they are too busy being CEOs of international companies and flying around the world having meetings.

I don't think you can make someone creative if they just aren't very creative. Are you? I mean if you tell him a story about the woman walking up the pavement towards you does he just stare at you? Does he get that?

Big Writing is great for developing writing skills but like everything children need to develop imaginative skills. Lots of stories, having "adventures" help to develop composition skills.

With my class I use a picture
Ask the children to look at it very carefully then close their eyes and imagine they are there.

What can you see?
What do you think you can hear?
Can you smell anything?
Can you think of any words to describe how you might feel?
What are you thinking?

For example a picture of a forest
Why are the trees looking at you?
Are they saying anything?
Does anyone live in the forest?
Where might the path lead?
What will you do next?

i've been having a bit of an issue with my (obv genius ) 9 yo. He has ideas that are quicker than his writing so he gets frustrated. We're working on typing and also on talking about stuff. As well as little projects. Lately he's been designing a 'business plan' for an orange juice idea. Which involves lots of writing and creativity. He likes this kind of thing much more than 'stories' per se...

Though he reads loads.

TBH I'm not sure the literacy hour really helps things - seems so 'anti-creative' to me (how does a story scaffold help them think for themselves exactly? Or am I missing the point?)

I have to admit we don't have a literacy hour it doesn't give children time to write creatively. They just get nicely started and it's plenary time.

Sue Palmer's Skeletons for Writing can help some children organise their thoughts www.sheffield.gov.uk/EasySite/lib/serveDocument.asp?doc=66035&pgid=83257

Pie Corbett's Story Chests are great and you can copy the ideas easily at home.

An exciting looking box containing "interesting" objects close eyes and pick out 3 objects then try to make up a story that contains all three things. Do it together without writing anything down until the skill is developed.

To answer some of the questions, he isn't very imaginative when playing, he doesn't do typical 'boys toys', he and DH have just built a pirate ship thingy out of lego (or something similar...) and he doesn't play with it, he'll take a little bit off, undo it, and put it back together again, this is him 'playing'. He will play board games, read books, make things out of bits of cardboard and create imaginative things that are 3D, he just doesn't seem to either understand how, or want to, write what he see's in his head into a story. He can tell me what he see's though very well.

Slur he will draw a story, but it is always about the same thing, he has a very big thing about going to the supermarket, he has been like it for years, for as long as I can remember, he will draw a story board of getting in the car, parking in the carpark, getting a trolley, doing the shopping, going to the check out, putting shopping in the car and putting trolley back, coming home and putting shopping away. He is very good with the details, even drawing a map of how we get there, and can pin point the aisle we are on to get fruit and veg, or cereal or something. I'm not sure if the fact that it always leads back to a supermarket is part of the problem.

The very odd time he has started a story about something different, it is always about somewhere we have been or done, and will always always always include a trip to the supermarket in it some where!

Does he find writing generally a chore, lots of boys his age do and physically difficult and tiring. Try to keep your exercises verbal, get figures out of the toy box and role play perhaps, make things out of playdoh or cut out pictures from magazines to make a story board.

No, the writing he does do, he enjoys, and he will choose to sit at his desk and write and draw over watching telly or whatever a lot of the time.

I guess as someone said he just isn't a very imaginative person. I'll keep gently coaxing him, but I am not going to push it, I've never pushed him with anything, so I'm not going to start now!

I have also found a lot of the time with him that one day he just doesn't get something, and then the next day it all seems to fall into place and he understands, so maybe it will be like that with this? Who know's?!!

Anyway, thanks everyone, there are some really good ideas on here, I'll try some of them over the holidays, see if we can at least get him thinking about something else other than supermarkets!

One of the things I find with my ds (aged 7) is he doesn't like having to write about things that don't interest him, and he definitely prefers non-fiction to fiction (quite common with boys). Last year I pointed this out to his teacher, so she got them all doing non-fiction writing. He did some great work about fire engines. He also started writing a cricket diary when the world cup was on.

This year he has written some stories which are a bit more imaginative, although tbh, they read a bit more like a news report than a story e.g. he wrote a story about a lifeboat rescue, but it was full of stuff like technical details about the boat rather than describing the people in it, and what they felt etc.

I do think this is partly a boy thing, and the school curriculum seems to cater much better for girls IMO.

He has a pretty much a half and half collection of fiction and non-fiction books, up until about 6 months ago he did prefer the stories, but now he would rather wade through a book about racing cars or bugs and insects than read a story. Though they do only bring home story books from school, and I haven't seen many non-fiction type books in their little library, so maybe that is a bit of an issue?

Actually thinking about it, since he has been reading more independantly he will choose a non-fiction book over a fiction one, I wonder if that has something to do with it?

Oh yes, I agree with what was said below, children who read stories a lot I'm sure are more inventive with their own story telling. But to be honest, I don't think it is going to help making him read fiction if he isn't attracted to it.

Is he quite flexible generally do you think? In his thinking I mean, or even his behaviours I suppose. Does he play imaginatively at all? You might see him playing with something imaginatively and ask him questions about it, and not worry too much about the writing down?

Don't make him read fiction, read it with him he's only 6 bedtime stories. Sue Palmer and Ros Bayley advocate 5 a day shared stories in Foundations of Literacy provide a wealth of ideas.

i wrote the same story over and over again, was rather angry about not being in reception any more, it wasn't explained to me at all. i also pretended not to know how to read.

Yes sorry should have explained further, when I said more independantly, I meant I still sit with him and we talk about what he is reading and the pictures and I'll ask him questions about it, I just meant that he would choose to sit with a non-fiction over a fiction book, when he is doing it for himself.

I have no intention of making him read anything, I love the fact that he will take himself off upstairs and pick a book up himself, I am not going force him into something that would change his enjoyment of books.

Fishie, I don't think he has any issues with not being in reception, to be fair when he was 2 or 3 weeks into Y1 I think he did realise that there was more work, but he loves it now, he is in a bit of a half way class between Y1 and Y2 now, which he is keeping up with emotionally and with learning ability, just not with imagination it seems!

I guess I'm advocating good old fashioned bed time stories. Not talking to him about the book 9that can be a bit schooly) but sharing stories just for the pleasure of the words and the pictures they can conjure up in the mind.

I just let him choose what we read, he has a few favourite fiction books that will come out a couple of times a month, most other times it is non-fiction, should I be encouraging more fiction then?

TBH, I don't have any problem with how much he reads, whether it is fiction or non-fiction, I am just pleased he has got the reading bug that got me through my childhood, and into adulthood.

We have today been sending emails to each other, not exactly stories but I did manage to get him to answer a few questions that weren't to do with a supermarket, or how much he loves us all. I thought we were doing quite well until he replied with one saying ' is dead' which threw me a bit, he says he was just playing, but I'm not sure what to make of it TBH.