Being a good reader is a hugely beneficial and important skill for children. How does it help with writing, though? Reading helps with: Ideas Understanding story structure Seeing how writers use language in storytelling The more children read, the more likely they’ll use a range of ... READ the POST
Poems on the theme of loneliness
The inspiration for this post came from the poems, The Loner by Julie Holder and The New Boy by John Walsh. This is an ideal exercise for KS3 (ages 11-13). The first is about a boy who always stands by the wall in the school playground and never joins in. He’s reached a kind of stalemate where ... READ the POST
Book anthology in aid of Ukrainian refugees
I've partnered with book publisher, Saronti, to bring together a collection of stories written for children by children. It's called Sunflowers and Nightingales and all the proceeds from the sales will go to charities, such as War Child and Four Paws, helping the displaced people and animals of ... READ the POST
How to create a reading culture within your school.
As an author, I regularly visit schools to deliver creative writing workshops. What I’ve noticed, is that it's obvious when there’s a strong reading culture within the school. It’s not only that there are books, and references to books, everywhere you look, but there is also a marked difference ... READ the POST
How to write an acrostic poem
Acrostic poems are one of the most popular poetry forms. Children loving writing them and I think, perhaps, it’s because they have a starting point – something to work from. I’m going to take you through some steps you can do to practise before putting together your own acrostic poems. We’re ... READ the POST
Children can be published authors too.
Do you know any budding young authors? I’ve been making that publishing dream a reality for children for some time now. My holiday workshops involve a week of idea brainstorming, planning and writing. This results in the children receiving a copy of their story in beautiful hardback format ... READ the POST
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