How to improve children's writing skills
Our organization, the Belmont Youth Writers (BYW), was founded in the spring of 2020. We provide free online writing classes to younger kids, who are primarily from Belmont, MA. However, we are hoping to expand to other towns and cities as well. In addition to the writing classes, BYW runs a virtual kids magazine called the Belmont Times. All who are interested may submit a piece to be published in the Belmont Times. Besides releasing editions every month, we also hold bi-monthly contests that offer young writers and artists opportunities to win prizes and be featured in the magazine.
We started this project with a couple of main goals in mind. Our first objective is to guide younger students in their writing journeys. Learning literary techniques will benefit pupils considerably in their futures. Writing is crucial in so many careers; with our courses, we are giving younger children earlier exposure to the different types of writing, especially essay writing. A further advantage of practicing writing is that each student’s creativity is continually exercised. This leads to advancement in constructive thinking and problem-solving skills.
Along with encouraging technical and creative improvement, we also aim to show kids how enjoyable writing can be! This is why we incorporate many fun activities for our pupils in the lesson plans—it allows students to associate writing with fun and happiness. With our classes and the Belmont Times, we are emphasizing the importance of writing and boosting its popularity as a subject. Encouraging children to discover an early passion in writing will give them lots of time to improve and continue nurturing this interest. Perhaps many of them will then become the new generation of BYW’s teachers, making our project expand significantly. We would like this program, as well as the magazine, to become a tradition in our community and beyond.
Furthermore, by launching this project, we wish to bridge the gap between grades in our community. We anticipate that our program, which has high schoolers working with elementary and middle schoolers, will help to further unite Belmont and bring better communication between kids of all grades. This is the biggest step to maintaining a healthy and thriving community. Especially in times like now, when communication is minimal and there is little normalcy in children’s lives, BYW’s classes and teachers offer a sense of comfort and a safe place to talk. In addition, we can also speak to students about our high school experiences, letting them know what to expect for the future.
Our project has brought a very positive impact on many individuals—our students, as well as young writers and artists for the Belmont Times. We are strengthening the unity of our community by providing a communication bridge between kids of all grades. We work for our fellow youth and our community, passing on literature’s shining beacon to light up each and every one of our futures.
