Learning to Write Sentences

Learning to write sentences is an important step for your child. Much of their speech may consist of sentence fragments, so they may not grasp the idea of sentences at first. Luckily, there are many ways to help them understand how to write sentences.

Teach Them the Basics

When you start to teach writing sentences, make sure your child understands interrogative words, like who, what, when, where, why, and how. These words link sentences together, and they help your child become more inquisitive, as well. Teach them about sentence structure by showing them subjects and objects. Show them simple sentences that use an interrogative to answer a question. For example, ask them to write how they get to the store, and they might write, "I ride in the car to the store." Teach them about action words (verbs), and show them how to use them in a sentence.

Rules for Sentences

Children need to know that sentences begin with a capital letter, they have to have a verb, or a doing word, and they have to have a subject that is using the verb. For example, "Today is cold and snowy." Today is the subject, cold and snowy are the descriptive words. Sentences can vary in length, but children need to learn that sentences that are too long often contain run-ons, and that is poor sentence writing. They should learn to separate ideas into different sentences.

When learning to write sentences, help your child use the Internet to play games that teach them about sentences. Many websites offer games, quizzes, and worksheets that will help in teaching how to write short and long sentences. Make sure the games are enjoyable for your child, and help them learn by working with them to understand how sentences function, and how they are an integral part of writing.

When you teach your children to write sentences, don't make the lesson too long, they may lose interest in the work. Spend a few minutes every day encouraging them to write about their activities and what they are thinking about, and going over the basics of sentences. When they're done, make sure you praise them and find something positive about what they've written. This can help them feel proud about what they've done and look forward to their next lesson. Make learning to write sentences a fun activity, and they'll enjoy writing much more.