how to motivate a child to write?

My kids write every day I dictate words.. sometimes they write by hand other times they do it with an old fashioned typingmachine. they are 9 and 6 years old. I also tell them to write nice, round letters and not the ones attached to eachother since they are teached that way at school their handwriting is getting worser. It's fun for them. also you can stimulate them by writing the shopping list (mine like that), what to do lists (mostly for me they like that too), write a letter/postcard to a friend or their sister, etc etc.. find out what the interest is (my son loves the cooking books, mine not the ones for kids) ..

Maybe writing a blog? That seems cooler than the ordinary diary writing, because you can insert pics and videos and also, if the kid creates a good name for it and deletes the history, it can be more difficult for their parents or bratty siblings to find it and read it, than it is with a paper-based journal. Or to write a tale, that could be interesting, too. But under 11 it's not as bad I think if they don't write excessively. For most people, it's the actual teenage years when they start feeling they have something to say. I started writing a diary when I was 12 or 13. Earlier, I would have felt as if it was kind of an obligation, because what fun it is writing what I did at school, what I ate for lunch and stuff... when teenage years come, comes the drama, questioning of stuff thought to us, love, friendship games, first betrayals, fangirling/boying over something, shared experiences with friends (I mean, under 11, in most families, kids are not let out together without any parental company)...

My daughter is nine years old now and she really likes to write. The way that I've gotten her to like writing is by encouraging her to keep a journal. This is an exercise that I did when I was a little girl and it was something that I really enjoyed and I like looking back at them now to see what I was going through in my life when I was the same age that my daughter is now. So, I've gotten Kathryn to start journaling as well. As a result of her journaling, she now likes to write short stories as well.

Why not make it more creative, like, let them make a collage or a scrapbook out of any picture they like and let them label it with their own story. Or why not ask them to record their thoughts everyday, anything they think they want to record using a voice recorder and then after the day they will listen to it and put into writing. I don't know if this help but just give it a try. Good luck.

Oddly enough I was motivated to write when I was a child. My grandfather was a loving man and I was the first grandchild. During a miserable apartheid childhood and also my parents' divorce, I grew to find comfort by reading and writing and keeping tabs on things - kind of like a girl's diary with some hard lessons thrown in. The mobile library also came to park for four hours on our property and I always took out books, most of the time, thrillers and detective stories and mysteries. My love for books grew over the years when my writing also became more serious. I realized my dream of being a writer and a filmmaker in my sixties. Writing is innate. You can't force it in a child, but you can aspire him with some really great books. Ask him what genre he likes and ask him to pick a book. Nagging him to write will only make him hate writing. Show him some pics and stories of super bright kids who are writers.

Children nowadays have fascinating imaginations that when put into writing it can be more colorful and can even have more impact on anyone. I have a little sister who is good at school. Though I seldom see her write on her notes. I'm doing my best to have her write more and appreciate the benefits of writing by starting on small thing like giving her a fancy, colorful notebook where she can make a daily journal of what transpired during the day. I'm thinking also of enlisting her to a summer class that has writing course in it while she can play and enjoy with other kids.