Welcome to Wordplay Wisdom!
My daughter and I created Wordplay Wisdom to address the issues each of us experienced during her years as a young writer and my years as a parent who was working to nurture and protect a young writer.
Though I was experienced at searching for educational resources thanks to my years of homeschooling, I struggled to find rich yet age-appropriate writing instruction for her. I searched high and low for activities, communities, and resources for children who were enthusiastic about writing. There were clear paths for students who were drawn to math or science. There were also multiple options to serve brand-new writers and to coax reluctant writers.
However, there was a dearth of information for kids who were already enthusiastic writers.
So many resources simply repeated the same lessons taught to early elementary-aged students. But she had already mastered these lessons. Other resources offered new information, but contained readings or writing samples that were inappropriate to give to a 7-year-old. How could I support her learning and strengthen her skills without exposing her to the far-too-adult issues raised in many books about writing?
I also discovered links to intriguing writing camps for talented high schoolers but those years seemed miles away. How could I bridge the gap between my 7-year-old child and those glittering options for high schoolers?
We entered a period of exploration, trying anything I could think of to see what worked. I searched for well-written novels and poems that did not touch on topics that would cause my sensitive child nightmares. I created our own writing exercises to focus on a wide variety of skills. I searched for writing camps and opportunities for younger writers both in our community and online. We looked for others who loved writing as much as she did everywhere we went.
Sign Up for Writing Tips!
Tell us a little about yourself so we can send you information that is tailored to address your needs.
Finding options that covered new writing skills with child-friendly examples and peers proved incredibly frustrating for both of us. As one example, when Madelyn was 11-years-old, she attended a food writing workshop. I’d spoken with the hosts, a writing nonprofit, when I registered her and was assured she would be welcomed. When we arrived, we learned that all the other participants were in their 50s or 60s. The age difference was daunting but Madelyn was very interested in the topic. After a quick conference in the hallway, she took a deep breath and joined the group.
The instructor handed each participant a brownie, instructing them to eat it and then write about the experience. They could then share their writing with the small group. Great! It was, that is, until one of the participants compared the act of consuming the brownie to sex - in vivid detail. Madelyn was very embarrassed, and a little confused as to why this participant and the group leader continued to discuss sexual relations in front of her. I’m sure that many of the other adults were also uncomfortable with this situation. Thankfully, as we debriefed at home, Madelyn began to laugh at the day’s absurdity, finally sharing that she’d been able to get through the workshop because she’d thought the comparison was clichéd. Phew!
Madelyn and I know first-hand how tricky it can be to find serious craft information for sensitive kids, practical tips on common issues faced by young writers, and community with other eager young writers. Wordplay Wisdom was formed to share what we have discovered and created from scratch to save you from the learning curve and awkward situations that we faced. Here we address the needs we both struggled to meet so that we can make your writing experiences, and the experiences of nurturing a young writer, easier.
Welcome to Wordplay Wisdom!
Welcome…
My daughter and I created Wordplay Wisdom to address the issues each of us experienced during her years as a young writer and my years as a parent who was working to nurture and protect a young writer. We're here to help make this process easier for you!
Sign Up for Writing Tips!
Tell us a little about yourself so we can send you information that is tailored to address your needs.
© 2024 Wordplay Wisdom