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Effective strategies for teaching essay writing to kids.

Writing essays can be a daunting task for kids, but it doesn’t have to be boring! With the right tips and tricks, essay writing can become a fun and creative activity that helps children express their thoughts and ideas effectively. In this article, we will explore some strategies to make essay writing engaging and enjoyable for young writers.

From brainstorming techniques to organization strategies, there are plenty of ways to make the writing process more enjoyable and productive for kids. Whether they’re tackling a school assignment or simply exploring their creativity, these tips will help kids develop their writing skills and unleash their imagination. So, let’s dive in and discover the secrets of fun and effective essay writing for kids!

Tips for Engaging Kids

Engaging kids in essay writing can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can also be a fun and rewarding experience. Here are some tips to help make the writing process more enjoyable for kids:

Inspiring Creativity

One way to inspire creativity in kids when writing essays is to encourage them to think outside the box. Encourage them to brainstorm ideas, explore different perspectives, and experiment with unique writing styles. Provide them with prompts that challenge their imagination and inspire them to delve into their creative side. Encourage them to use descriptive language, vivid imagery, and engaging storytelling techniques to bring their ideas to life on paper. By fostering a creative environment and encouraging kids to express themselves freely, you can help them develop their writing skills while having fun in the process.

Choosing Fun Topics

When it comes to writing an essay, choosing a fun and engaging topic is essential. Encourage your child to pick a subject that they are passionate about and that will spark their interest. This could be anything from their favorite animal to an exciting vacation they went on. By selecting a topic that excites them, your child will be more motivated to research and write about it.

One way to help your child choose a fun topic is to brainstorm together. Sit down with them and make a list of all the things they enjoy and find interesting. This could include hobbies, sports, books, movies, or even science experiments. Once you have a list, discuss each topic and the potential essay ideas that could stem from them.

Encouraging Imagination

Encouraging kids to use their imagination can greatly enhance their essay writing skills. One way to do this is by prompting them to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas. Encourage them to brainstorm different angles or perspectives on a topic and explore unique ways to present their thoughts.

Another tip is to introduce visual aids or storytelling techniques that spark their imagination. Encourage them to visualize a scene or character in their mind before putting it down on paper. This can help them create vivid and engaging descriptions that captivate the reader.

Lastly, praise and validate their imaginative ideas. Let them know that creativity is valued and that there are no wrong answers when it comes to exploring their imagination. This positive reinforcement can boost their confidence and inspire them to write more creatively.

Tricks for Effective Writing

1. Start with a strong introduction: Grab the reader’s attention with an interesting hook or a thought-provoking question.

2. Organize your ideas: Create an outline or mind map to structure your essay and ensure a logical flow of information.

3. Use descriptive language: Paint a vivid picture with your words to engage the reader and make your writing come to life.

4. Revise and edit: Always review and proofread your essay to check for spelling and grammar errors, as well as to refine your ideas and arguments.

5. Keep it concise: Be clear and concise in your writing, avoiding unnecessary fluff or repetition to keep the reader engaged.

6. Seek feedback: Share your work with others and welcome constructive criticism to improve your writing skills.

7. Practice, practice, practice: The more you write, the better you will become, so keep practicing and honing your craft.

Organizing Ideas

One of the key elements of writing an effective essay is organizing your ideas in a logical and coherent manner. Before you start writing, take some time to brainstorm and outline your thoughts. This will help you create a roadmap for your essay and ensure that your ideas flow smoothly from one point to the next.

Start by jotting down your main ideas or arguments in bullet points. Then, organize these points into a logical sequence that makes sense. You can use headings, subheadings, or even create a mind map to visually represent the structure of your essay.

Remember to use transition words and phrases to connect your ideas and guide your reader through your essay. Words like “however,” “in addition,” and “on the other hand” can help signal shifts between paragraphs or ideas.

By taking the time to organize your ideas before you start writing, you’ll find that the writing process becomes much smoother and more enjoyable. Your essay will also be clearer and more compelling for your readers.

Using Descriptive Language

One way to make your essays more engaging is to use descriptive language. Descriptive language helps paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, making your writing more interesting and memorable.

When describing a scene or character, use adjectives and adverbs to bring your writing to life. For example, instead of saying “the dog ran quickly,” you could say “the brown dog dashed across the yard with lightning speed.”

Another tip is to appeal to the reader’s senses. Describe how things look, sound, smell, taste, and feel. This will help your reader connect with your writing on a deeper level.

Remember to show, not tell. Instead of simply stating facts, show your readers through vivid descriptions. For instance, instead of saying “the cake was delicious,” describe the taste, texture, and aroma of the cake to make the reader’s mouth water.

Incorporating descriptive language into your essays will make them more engaging and enjoyable to read. Experiment with different words and phrases to find the right balance and create a memorable piece of writing.

Editing and Proofreading

Once you have finished writing your essay, it’s important to edit and proofread it carefully. Editing involves reviewing your essay for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Proofreading is the process of checking for consistency in your ideas and ensuring that your essay flows well.

Here are some tips for editing and proofreading your essay:

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Home » Articles » How to Write a Great Essay (Tips for Kids)

How to Write a Great Essay (Tips for Kids)

Writing a great essay can be fun and easy if kids follow some simple tips like brainstorming ideas, creating an outline, and writing clear and concise sentences. Academized services can be incredibly helpful for young writers, providing guidance and examples to ensure they understand the basics of essay writing. With the support of Academized.com essay writing service, kids can learn to organize their thoughts and present them effectively, making the writing process less daunting and more enjoyable.

With the right guidance and practice, anyone can become a skilled essay writer. In this post, we’ll explore some valuable tips to help kids write great essays.

The Essay Structure

Before you start writing, it’s essential to understand the basic structure of an essay. A well-structured essay consists of three main parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

1. The Introduction

The introduction is where you capture the reader’s attention and provide an overview of your essay’s main idea or thesis statement. It should be concise and engaging, leaving the reader eager to learn more.

2. The Body

The body is the meat of your essay, where you present your arguments, evidence, and supporting details. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or point, supporting your thesis statement.

3. The Conclusion

The conclusion is your final opportunity to reinforce your main idea and leave a lasting impression on the reader. It should summarize your key points and provide a sense of closure.

Prewriting: Brainstorming and Planning

An Academized overview can show kids how professional writing services can assist in honing their essay-writing skills through expert tips and examples. Before you start writing, take some time to brainstorm and plan your essay. This step is crucial as it helps organize your thoughts and ideas, making the writing process smoother.

1. Brainstorming

Jot down any thoughts, ideas, or examples that come to mind related to your essay topic. Don’t worry about organizing them yet; just let your ideas flow freely.

2. Creating an Outline

Once you’ve brainstormed, organize your ideas into a logical outline. This will serve as a roadmap for your essay, ensuring that your thoughts are structured and coherent.

Creating an Engaging Introduction

The introduction is the first impression your reader will have of your essay, so it’s essential to make it captivating. Here are some tips for writing an engaging introduction:

1. Use a Hook

Start with an attention-grabbing statement, such as a quote, a rhetorical question, or an interesting fact related to your topic. This will pique the reader’s interest and encourage them to keep reading.

2. Provide Background Information

Give your reader some context by providing relevant background information about your topic. This will help them understand the importance and significance of your essay.

3. State Your Thesis

Clearly state your thesis statement, which is the main idea or argument of your essay. This will guide the reader through the rest of your essay and ensure that your writing stays focused.

Developing a Strong Body

The body of your essay is where you present your arguments, evidence, and supporting details. Here are some tips for developing a strong body:

1. Use Topic Sentences

Begin each body paragraph with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea or argument of that paragraph. This will help your reader follow your train of thought.

2. Provide Evidence and Examples

Support your arguments with relevant evidence, facts, examples, or quotes from reliable sources. This will strengthen your essay and make it more persuasive.

3. Analyze and Explain

Don’t just present information; analyze and explain it. Show your reader how the evidence supports your argument and why it’s important.

4. Transition Smoothly

Use transition words and phrases to guide your reader from one idea to the next, creating a smooth and logical flow throughout your essay.

Writing a Great Conclusion

The conclusion is your final opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your reader. Here are some tips for writing a compelling conclusion:

1. Restate Your Thesis

Briefly restate your thesis statement, but in different words than you used in the introduction. This will remind the reader of your main argument.

2. Summarize Key Points

Summarize the main points or arguments you’ve made throughout your essay. This will reinforce your ideas and leave a strong impression on the reader.

3. End with a Memorable Closing Statement

Conclude your essay with a memorable closing statement, such as a thought-provoking question, a call to action, or a powerful quote. This will leave the reader with something to ponder long after they’ve finished reading.

Revising and Editing

Once you’ve written your first draft, it’s time to revise and edit your essay. This step is crucial for improving the quality and clarity of your writing.

1. Read Your Essay Aloud

Reading your essay aloud can help you identify areas that need improvement, such as awkward phrasing, poor flow, or unclear explanations.

2. Check for Clarity and Coherence

Ensure that your ideas are clearly expressed and that your essay flows logically from one point to the next. If something is unclear or confusing, revise it.

3. Proofread for Errors

Carefully proofread your essay for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. These small mistakes can detract from the overall quality of your writing.

4. Get Feedback

Ask a trusted friend, family member, or teacher to read your essay and provide feedback. Fresh eyes can often spot areas for improvement that you may have missed.

Statistics and Facts

To support the importance of writing essays and the need for guidance, here’s a table with relevant statistics:

By following these tips and incorporating relevant statistics and facts, kids can develop the skills needed to write great essays. Remember, writing is a process that takes practice, but with dedication and guidance, anyone can become a skilled essay writer.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Life Experiences — Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories Essay Examples

Childhood memories essay topics.

Childhood memories are the recollections of experiences, people, and events from our early years. These memories shape our personalities, influence our behaviors, and contribute to our understanding of the world. Exploring childhood memories can evoke nostalgia, highlight important life lessons, and offer insights into one's personal development. Writing about childhood memories allows us to reflect on the past, understand our present, and share meaningful stories that connect us with others.

Childhood Memories Essay Prompt Samples

Before we embark on this journey down memory lane, let's first understand what a childhood memories essay entails. An essay prompt typically serves as your guiding star in crafting your piece. Here are a few samples to give you an idea of what to expect:

• "Write an essay about a significant childhood memory that shaped your character."
• "Describe a vivid childhood experience that left a lasting impact on your life."
• "Reflect on a cherished memory from your early years and discuss its significance."

These prompts serve as the foundation for your essay. They help you identify the core theme and purpose of your narrative.

Brainstorming the Perfect Childhood Memories Essay Topics

It's time to brainstorm and select the most fitting topic for your childhood memories essay. Consider the following points:

• Emotional Impact: Think about memories that evoke strong emotions. These are often the most compelling stories.
• Life Lessons: Reflect on memories that taught you valuable life lessons or shaped your perspective.
• Vividness: Choose memories with vivid details and sensory experiences; they make your essay come alive.
• Uniqueness: Opt for memories that stand out or have a unique twist, avoiding overly common topics.

By considering these points, you can pinpoint a memory that not only resonates with you but also captivates your readers.

Examples of Unique Essay Topics

Now, let's explore some unique and captivating essay topics that revolve around childhood memories. These topics are sure to stand out from the crowd:

• "The Day I Discovered a Hidden Treasure in Grandma's Attic.
• A Magical Encounter with a Friendly Stray Cat: My Childhood Confidant.
• The Great Lemonade Stand Adventure: Lessons in Entrepreneurship.
• An Unexpected Journey: Getting Lost and Finding My Way Home.
• The Night Our Backyard Turned into an Enchanted Forest

These topics offer a fresh perspective on childhood memories, ensuring your essay engages your audience from start to finish.

Crafting Inspiring Paragraphs and Phrases

To bring your childhood memories essay to life, you need to infuse it with captivating paragraphs and phrases. Here are some samples to inspire your writing:

• "As I climbed up the creaky attic stairs, the dust danced in the sunlight streaming through the cracks. There, amidst forgotten relics of the past, I stumbled upon a weathered, leather-bound journal that held secrets from generations long gone."
• "The stray cat, with its fur as soft as memories themselves, became my confidant. We'd spend endless afternoons together, sharing secrets only a child and a feline friend could understand."
• "With a cardboard sign in hand and a heart full of dreams, I set up my first lemonade stand on that scorching summer day. The taste of success was as sweet as the lemonade itself."
• "As twilight descended, the stars emerged in our enchanted backyard. Fireflies danced, and the trees whispered secrets to my young ears, painting a canvas of wonder and magic."

Feel free to use these samples as a starting point for your own narrative. Remember, the key is to paint a vivid and emotional picture with your words.

With these insights, you're well on your way to crafting an outstanding childhood memories essay that will leave a lasting impression. Embrace the nostalgia, choose a unique topic, and let your words transport your readers back to your cherished moments of the past.

Childhood Memories: The Best Trips from My Childhood

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Nostalgia of My Childhood Years

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Childhood Memories and Thier Influence on Me

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About My Grandpa in My Childhood Memories

Memories of my childhood home, personal writing: my childhood story, priceless picture: the importance of my mom's picture in my life, the role of memorable memories in our lives, my horrible experience of getting lost in the jungle, a personal narrative about disneyland, the happiest place on earth, the beautiful feeling of exploring different things in life, personal account of my experience as a teen, personal account of leadership in sixth grade and experience as an accident victim, the characterization of the narrator's childhood memories in cherry bomb, a story by maxine clair, an analysis of the pictures representing my convergence and personality, motherhood and childhood in gabriela mistral’s works, interpretation of theodore roethke’s poem my papa’s waltz, an observation of infants and toddlers, my life's journey: childhood memories to career accomplishments, personal story of life as a christian and educational aspiration of being a nurse, personal narrative: childhood memories with my grandparents, which way of thinking is better, dreaming big or being satisfied with small thoughts, childhood memories in annie dillard's 'the chase'.

Childhood memories are the recollections and impressions of events, experiences, people, and emotions from one's early years, typically from infancy through adolescence. These memories can be vivid or vague and often hold significant emotional value. They play a crucial role in shaping an individual's personality, values, and worldview, influencing behaviors and attitudes in later life. Childhood memories can encompass a wide range of experiences, from everyday moments to significant life events, and are often revisited with nostalgia and reflection.

• Most people’s earliest memories typically date back to around age 3 to 4 years, though some can recall events from as early as age 2.
• Childhood memories are often fragmented and less detailed compared to adult memories due to the ongoing development of the brain's hippocampus, which is crucial for memory formation.
• Sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes can trigger vivid childhood memories, bringing past experiences to the forefront of one’s mind.
• People often selectively remember pleasant childhood experiences and may subconsciously block out more traumatic or negative events.
• The ability to recall childhood memories can change with age, with some memories becoming clearer and others fading over time.

Exploring childhood memories is important because they shape our identity, values, and behaviors. Understanding these memories provides insights into personal development and emotional well-being. Reflecting on childhood experiences can foster empathy, enhance self-awareness, and improve mental health. Delving into childhood memories essay topics allows for a deeper connection with others through shared stories and experiences, enriching our understanding of human nature.

Relevant topics

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• Law of Life
• Life Changing Experience

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How to write a perfect essay

Need to write an essay? Does the assignment feel as big as climbing Mount Everest? Fear not. You’re up to the challenge! The following step-by step tips from the Nat Geo Kids Almanac will help you with this monumental task. 

Sometimes the subject matter of your essay is assigned to you, sometimes it’s not. Either way, you have to decide what you want to say. Start by brainstorming some ideas, writing down any thoughts you have about the subject. Then read over everything you’ve come up with and consider which idea you think is the strongest. Ask yourself what you want to write about the most. Keep in mind the goal of your essay. Can you achieve the goal of the assignment with this topic? If so, you’re good to go.

WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE

This is the main idea of your essay, a statement of your thoughts on the subject. Again, consider the goal of your essay. Think of the topic sentence as an introduction that tells your reader what the rest of your essay will be about.

OUTLINE YOUR IDEAS

Once you have a good topic sentence, you then need to support that main idea with more detailed information, facts, thoughts, and examples. These supporting points answer one question about your topic sentence—“Why?” This is where research and perhaps more brainstorming come in. Then organize these points in the way you think makes the most sense, probably in order of importance. Now you have an outline for your essay.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, WRITE!

Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your essay. Use transitions to make your writing flow.

Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your entire essay and 5 restates your main idea.

PROOFREAD AND REVISE

Check for errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Look for ways to make your writing clear, understandable, and interesting. Use descriptive verbs, adjectives, or adverbs when possible. It also helps to have someone else read your work to point out things you might have missed. Then make the necessary corrections and changes in a second draft. Repeat this revision process once more to make your final draft as good as you can.

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Childhood Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on childhood.

Childhood is the most fun and memorable time in anyone’s life. It’s the first stage of life which we enjoy in whatever way we like. Besides, this is the time that shapes up the future. The parents love and care for their children and the children to the same too. Moreover, it’s the golden period of life in which we can teach children everything.

Memories of Childhood

The memories of childhood ultimately become the life long memory which always brings a smile on our faces. Only the grownups know the real value of childhood because the children do not understand these things.

Moreover, Children’s have no worries, no stress, and they are free from the filth of worldly life. Also, when an individual collects memories of his/her childhood they give a delighted feeling.

Besides, bad memories haunt the person his entire life. Apart from this, as we grow we feel more attachment to our childhood and we want to get back those days but we can’t. That’s why many people say ‘time is neither a friend nor a foe’. Because the time which is gone can’t come back and neither do our childhood. It is a time which many poets and writer praises in their creations.

Importance of Childhood

For children, it has no importance but if you ask an adult it is very important. Moreover, it a time when the moral and social character of the children develop. In this stage of life, we can easily remodel the mindset of someone.

Also, it is very important to understand that the mindset of children can be easily altered in this time. So, we have to keep a close eye on our children.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

What Should You Do in Childhood?

In childhood, one should need to enjoy his/her life without any worry. It is a time in which one should have to take care of his diet, his health, and immunity. Besides, the children should be taught to be neat and clean, to eat, read, sleep, play, and to do exercise regularly and these things should be in the habits of the child.

Moreover, we should try to influence children to start productive habits such as reading, writing that should help them in later life. But the books they read and what they write should be carefully checked by the parents.

Care for Everyone

Children are like buds, they care for everyone equally without any discrimination. Also, they are of helpful nature and help everyone around them.

Moreover, they teach everyone the lesson of humanity that they have forgotten in this hectic lifestyle of this world. Besides, these children are the future of the country and if they do not grow properly then in future how can they help in the growth of the nation .

In conclusion, we can say that childhood is the time that makes our adulthood special. Also, children’s are like pottery vessels whom you can shape in any way you like. Besides, this their innocence and helpful nature gives everyone the message of humanity.

Most importantly, they learn by either making mistakes or seeing their elders.

FAQs about Childhood

Q.1 Why childhood is the best period of life? A.1 It is the best time of life because the memories that we make in our childhood always brings a smile on our face. Also, it is the time when the character of the child is shaped. Besides, it also is the best time to understand life and gain knowledge.

Q.2 What is the most important characteristics of a child? A.2 According to me, the most important characteristics of a child is his innocence and helpful nature.

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How I Know You Wrote Your Kid’s College Essay

The paradox of the overzealous editing of the college essay by many helicopter parents is that they don’t know what a college essay is really about.

By JM Farkas

Henceforth.

It was right there in the last sentence of the first paragraph of Mikey’s college essay. I was supposed to believe this typical high school senior, who had inhabited this planet for a slight 17 years, chose to use the word “henceforth.” Mikey was a good kid. He worked hard in school. He loved basketball and girls and math.

He had a certain way with words, but “henceforth” wasn’t one of his words.

When I circled it, Mikey met my raised eyebrows with his signature closed-mouth smile: “O.K., so maybe my mom wrote that part.”

No kidding, Mikey.

The paradox of the overzealous editing of the college essay by many helicopter parents is that they don’t know what a college essay is really about. Unlike the other parts of the application, where high grade point averages and SAT scores reign supreme, the essay is less about being impressive than it is about being authentic.

It can take some convincing for many kids and parents to believe that when it comes to writing the essays, in particular, college admissions officers care about who students are. The essays should reveal their personalities, passions, dreams, weird talents, favorite foods, sickest playlists, inexplicable loves and undeniable quirks.

Do you like to eat the marshmallows before the milk in your Lucky Charms? A tiny but specific detail like this will probably be more vivid than an entirely forced and forgettable essay on community service.

The college essay is about the true things students want the colleges to know about them that can’t be seen via grades and standardized tests. Are you kind? Resilient? Curious? Creative? Are you any fun? And contrary to popular belief, it’s not about unattainable standards or curing cancer. In fact, a good test of a college essay is: Can the writer convince the reader that she would make a great roommate?

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How to Teach Your Child to Write an Essay – Step by Step

Children are naturally creative, and essay writing should come easy to them. But it usually doesn’t. 

So, how can you teach your child essay writing while making the process enjoyable for both of you?

I’m Tutor Phil, and in this article I’ll show you how to teach your child how to express thoughts on paper, even if some resistance is present.

We’ll first learn three principles that will help you make progress fast. And then we’ll go through the step-by-step process of teaching your child how to write an essay. 

Principle 1. Clarity equals motivation

We’ve all heard the expression: “You can lead the horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink.” One of your concerns can be your child’s motivation. 

You may be convinced that your child hates writing or is really bored with it. Perhaps your child will do anything to avoid sitting down to write. 

And you know what – any or all of the above may be true. But your child can still learn how to write an essay because it is not the lack of motivation per se that is the problem.

In this short video, Dr. Lee Hausner gives some eye-opening advice about motivating a child:

Here are the key points Dr. Hausner makes:

• You cannot create motivation in somebody else.
• Strong parents often mistakenly feel that they can transfer their motivation onto their children.
• Motivation is internal.
• Simplistic formula: “ Activity + Satisfaction = Motivation .”
• Conversely, “ Activity + Stress & Pressure = Avoidance .”
• Create an environment where your child can be successful and enjoy what he does. 
• Encourage and reward any small success and bit of progress. 

Let’s apply these principles to motivating a child in writing an essay. 

How to motivate a child to write

Chances are that if your child would rather not engage in writing, that is primarily because the process is fuzzy in his mind (and I’ll use the pronoun “he” to refer to your child throughout the tutorial, for the sake of elegance and brevity). 

You see, essay writing is not really taught in school. It is taught kind of sort of, but not really. 

Assigning a topic, grading the essays, and making suggestions for improvement is not teaching. It’s only a part of the process. 

To teach is to give the student a method, a step-by-step process, in which every step can be measured and improved. 

That’s what I’m about to give you. And that’s what you will need to effectively teach your child. 

But when a child does not have a step-by-step method, the process is fuzzy in his mind. And whatever is fuzzy is viewed as complicated and difficult because it’s like eating an elephant whole. 

Let’s revisit Dr. Hausner’s formula: “ Activity + Satisfaction = Motivation .”

Activity can be satisfying only if it is successful to some degree. When your child succeeds at something, and you acknowledge him for it, that becomes fun, enjoyable, and satisfying.

But you see, it’s hard to succeed at something without knowing what you’re doing. And even if you succeed, if you did not follow a recipe, then in the back of your mind you suspect that you probably can’t repeat or replicate the success.

Not knowing what to do while being expected to do it is a recipe for avoidance. And guess what – your child probably got his share of fuzzy instructions.

For example, consider this instruction:

“Tie it all together.”  

This statement is meaningless – to a child or even to an adult. What does it really mean to “tie it all together?” And yet, this is how they usually teach how to write a conclusion paragraph, as an example. 

But such a statement only creates fuzziness and demotivates.

So, in this tutorial, we’ll be cultivating clarity. I’ll be giving you crystal clear instructions so you could develop clarity in yourself and help your child develop it, too.

Principle 2. Writing is thinking on paper

An essay consists of sentences. The word “ sentence ” comes from the Latin word “sententia,” which means “thought.” 

Thus, to write literally means to express thoughts on paper. Why is this important?

This is important because by teaching your child how to write an essay, you’re really teaching him how to think . 

Your child will carry this skill through his entire life. It will be useful, even indispensable in:

• Acing standardized tests
• Writing papers in college
• Putting together reports and presentation professionally
• Defending a point of view effectively

You can tell I take essay writing seriously 🙂

But if you ever run out of patience yourself, just remember that you’re really teaching your child how to think. 

Principle 3. Essays are built not written

When you child hears the word “ write ,” he gets that queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

We’ll make it a lot easier for him by thinking of writing an essay and referring to it as just “ building an essay.”

If your child has ever loved playing with Lego, then the method you’re about to learn will feel familiar, both in terms of motivation and developing the skill. 

By the way, if you want to brush up your own essay writing skills before you sit down with your child to teach him, I highly recommend this article: Essay Writing for Beginners . 

All right – without further ado, here are…

Six steps to teaching your child essay writing: 

Step 1. Pick a topic and say something about it

In order to write, your child must write about something . That something is the subject of the essay. In this step, you want to help your child pick a topic and say something about it. 

In essence, you’re asking your child these two questions:

What will your essay be about?

• What about it?

For example, 

“My essay will be about grandma’s lasagna.”

“Okay. What about grandma’s lasagna?”

“It’s my favorite food.”

The result will be a complete main point, also known as the thesis. A thesis is the main point of the entire essay summarized in one sentence: 

“My grandma’s lasagna is my favorite food.”

Boom! Now, the reader knows exactly what this essay will be about. It is also clear that this is going to be a glowing review. 

Here’s my short video explaining what a thesis is:

When teaching a child, it’s important to keep the topic unilateral. In other words, it should be either positive or negative. It should be one simple idea. 

Don’t start out trying to develop a more complex topic that offers a balanced perspective with positives and negatives. Don’t do a compare/contrast, either. Keep it simple for now. 

This is the first step because the main point is the genesis for all other ideas in the essay . 

How to help your child pick a topic

Encourage your child to pick a topic he can get excited about because then he’ll be enthusiastic thinking and talking about it. 

Try to think of some of the things you know he is interested in. He can write an essay about absolutely anything.

It doesn’t have to be a serious or an academic subject. It could be anything from apple pie to Spiderman. 

Of course, the subject should be informed by your child’s age, as well. But once you sit down to work on essay writing, make it clear to your child that he can pick any topic he wants. 

Ask your child what he would like to write about or “build into an essay.” And whatever he chooses, just run with it. That’s what your first essay together will be about. 

Once you’re settled on the topic, just have your child write it down on a piece of paper or type it into the computer.

Here is a list of suggestions for essay topics to give a try:

• What I love the most about the summer
• My favorite thing to do on weekends
• John is my best friend because…
• Essay writing is…
• My least favorite day of the week is…
• My favorite season is…
• It is important to be brave (intelligent, skillful at something, etc.)
• If I could have any animal for a pet, it would be…
• My sister (brother) makes my life (exciting, difficult, etc.)
• Holidays are fun times (or dreadful times).

Remember – this is not the only or the last essay you’ll write together. Just encourage your child to pick a topic and write it down. Now, you’re ready for the next step. 

Step 2. Practice the Power of Three

We’re building our essays, remember? Not writing them. At least at this point, all you’ve done is encouraged your child to pick a topic. No writing involved yet.

In this step, no real writing is involved, either. It’s just a mental exercise, really. 

In writing or building an essay, it is necessary to break things into parts. Young children love to break things because they want to see how something works or what it looks like inside. 

How do you write an essay about an egg?

You must first divide the concept of an egg into parts. How do you do that? I highly recommend this simple technique I call the Power of Three. 

Three is an optimal number for a young brain, and really for adults, as well, to think about and process. Our brain thinks like this: “One, two, three, many.”

One doesn’t help us because you’re not dividing. Two is okay but not quite enough ideas to develop.

Three is easy to deal with while giving your child a challenge. And let’s set the record straight – thinking is not easy. It is challenging. This is why so few people teach it. 

But we’re making it fun by breaking it into steps and providing clear instructions. 

Okay, so back to the egg. Let’s apply the power of three to the idea of an egg:

You see, if we only have a whole egg as an idea, it’s like staring at the blank screen or sheet of paper. Nothing causes the writer’s block better than one solid piece.

But now that we’ve divided this idea into three sub-ideas, or supporting ideas, this makes our life discussing eggs a lot easier. 

Now, if we wanted to write an essay about eggs, we can discuss:

• The yolk and its color, taste, and nutritional content
• The egg white, its color, taste, and nutritional content
• The shell, its color, texture, and shape

Note that when we divide a topic or an idea, each part must be different from the other parts in some important ways. In other words, we want three distinct parts. 

You can use this part of the tutorial and ask your child to think about how to divide an egg into parts. It’s a very intuitive step, and your child will love the challenge. 

And by the way, you child may get very creative about it because the answer is not necessarily the yolks, the white, and the shell. It could be:

• Chicken eggs
• Ostrich eggs
• Boiled eggs

Whatever way to divide eggs into three concepts your child comes up with, approve and praise it. Now, let’s apply the power of three to an actual topic. 

We need a topic that we’ll use for the rest of the tutorial. Here it is:

“If I could have any animal for a pet, it would be a panther.”

Applying the Power of Three to an essay topic

Let’s apply what we just learned to this topic about a panther. Note that we have the entire thesis, a complete main point. Our subject is “a panther as a pet.”

We’re just using this example with an understanding that panthers don’t make good pets and belong in the wild. But since we asked, we should roll with the child’s imagination. 

Now, you want to encourage your child to come up with three reasons why he would choose a panther as a pet.

This is a challenging step. The first one or two reasons will come relatively easily. The third reason usually makes the child, anyone really, scratch his head a little.

Let’s come up with three reasons why a panther might make a great pet. 

Reason 1. Panthers are magnificently beautiful.

Great! That’s a good reason. 

Reason 2. A panther is more powerful than virtually any other pet.

That’s another legitimate reason to want a panther for a pet – you’re the king of the neighborhood, if not the whole town. 

And now, we’re thinking of reason 3, which will be the most challenging, so be ready for that. 

Reason 3. Panthers are loyal.

I’m making this one up because I really have no idea if panthers are loyal to their human owners when they have any. But I need a reason, this is just a practice essay, and anything goes. 

When your child comes up with a reason that is not necessarily true or plausible, let him run with it. What really matters is how well he can support his points by using his logic and imagination. 

Working with facts is next level. Right now, you want your child to get comfortable dividing topics into subtopics. 

The only criterion that matters is whether this subtopic actually helps support the main idea. If it does, it works. 

Step 3. Build a clear thesis statement 

Once you know the topic and the supporting points, you have everything you need to write out the thesis statement. Note that there is a difference between a thesis and a thesis statement.

Here’s a short video with a simple definition and example of a thesis statement:

Once you and your child have completed steps 1 & 2 thoroughly, step 3 is really easy. All you need to do is write out the thesis statement, using the information you already have. 

In fact, at this point, you should have every sentence of your statement and just need to put them all together into one paragraph. Let’s write out our complete thesis statement:

“If I could have any animal for a pet, it would be a panther, for three reasons. Panthers are magnificently beautiful. They are more powerful than virtually any other kind of a pet. And they are loyal.”

Note that we added the phrase “ for three reasons ” to indicate that we are introducing the actual reasons. In other words, we are building an introductory paragraph. We’re just presenting our main and supporting points here. 

When you read this opening paragraph, you unmistakably come away with a clear idea of what this essay is about. It makes a simple statement and declares three reasons why it is true. And that’s it. 

It is so clear that not even the least careful reader in the world can possibly miss the point. This is the kind of writing you want to cultivate in your child. Because, remember, writing reflects thinking. It would be impossible to write this paragraph without thinking clearly. 

Note also that there is no need for embellishments or other kinds of fluff. Elegant writing is like sculpture – you take away until there is no more left to take away. 

And guess what – we now have a great first paragraph going! Without much writing, we have just written the first paragraph. We were mostly building and dividing and thinking and imagining. And the result is a whole opening paragraph. 

Step 4. Build the body of the essay 

The body of the essay is where the main point is supported with evidence. Let’s revisit one of the rules of writing – to write an essay, you need to divide things into parts.

The body of the essay is always divided into sections. Now, since your child is presumably a beginner, we simply call the sections paragraphs. 

But keep in mind that a section can have more than one paragraph. An essay does not necessarily have the standard 5-paragraph structure. It can be as long as your child wants. 

But in this tutorial, each of our sections has just one paragraph, and that’s perfectly sufficient. 

How many sections will our body of the essay have? Well, we used the power of three, we came up with three supporting points, and so the body of the essay should naturally contain three paragraphs. 

How long should the paragraphs be? Let me show you how to gauge word count.

This is just an example of how you can teach your child to distribute the number of words across paragraphs. 

As you can see, our body paragraphs should probably be longer than the introductory paragraph and the conclusion. 

This is how I always teach my students to go about a writing assignment that has a certain word count requirement. The essay above will contain about 400 words.

If your child needs to write 600 words, then the following might be a good distribution:

• Introductory paragraph – 75 words
• Body paragraph 1 – 150 words
• Body paragraph 2 – 150 words
• Body paragraph 3 – 150 words
• Conclusion – 75 words

By doing this kind of essay arithmetic, it is easy to map out how much to write in each paragraph and not go overboard in any part of the essay. 

Body paragraph structure 

A paragraph in the body of an essay has a distinct structure. And this structure is not restrictive but it is rather liberating because your child will know exactly how to build it out.

The first sentence in the body paragraph is always the lead sentence. It must summarize the contents of the paragraph. 

The good news is that this sentence is usually a form of one of the sentences that we’ve already written. How so?

Well, in our thesis statement, we have three supporting points. Each of them is essentially a lead sentence for that section or paragraph of the essay. For example, consider this sentence from our thesis statement:

“Panthers are magnificently beautiful.”

This is the first reason that your child would like a panther as a pet. It is also a very clear standalone sentence. 

It is also an almost perfect lead sentence. I say “ almost ” because we don’t want to repeat sentences in an essay. 

So, we’ll take this sentence as a base and add one or two words to it. We can also change a word or two by using synonyms. That way, we’ll expand it just slightly and turn it into a perfect lead sentence for our first body paragraph:

“ Panthers are very beautiful and graceful animals.”

Okay, so we added the epithet “graceful,” but that’s okay because grace is virtually synonymous with beauty. And now we have a great lead sentence and are ready to proceed. 

Let’s write out the entire first body paragraph and see how it works:

“ Panthers are very graceful and beautiful animals. When portrayed in documentaries about animals, panthers are nicely balanced. They are not as huge as tigers or lions. And their size allows them to be nimble and flexible. Their size and agility make them move very beautifully, almost artistically. When I imagine walking with a pet like that on the street, I can see people staring at my panther and admiring its beauty. It would definitely be the most beautiful pet in my entire neighborhood.”

The first sentence, as we already know, is the lead sentence. The next three sentences explain how panthers’ balanced size and agility make them graceful. 

The following sentence is an explanation of how these qualities make them beautiful through the power of movement. 

And finally comes the most specific bit of evidence – an example. This child paints a perfect picture of himself walking his pet panther on a leash. People admire the animal’s beauty, and the kid gets a tremendous kick out of this experience. 

It is an example because it contains imagery, perhaps even sounds. It is a specific event happening in a particular place and time. 

As you can see, this paragraph proceeds from general to specific. It also follows the structure in the diagram perfectly. 

Guide your child through writing two more of these paragraphs, following the same organization. And you’re done with the body. 

Proceeding from general to specific

Argumentative (expository) essays always proceed from general to specific. Our most general statement is the thesis, and it’s the first statement in the essay. 

Then we have our supporting points, and each of them is more specific than the thesis but more general than anything else in the essay. 

Each lead sentence is slightly more specific than the preceding supporting points in the thesis statement. 

Then, an explanation is even more specific. And finally, examples are the most specific elements in an essay. 

When working with your child, cultivate this ability to see the difference between the general and the specific. And help your child proceed in that manner in the essay. 

This ability is a mark of a developed and mature writer and thinker. 

Step 5. Add the conclusion

I almost always recommend concluding an essay with a simple restatement. Meaning, your child should learn how to say the same things in different words in the conclusion. 

Why did I say, “almost?” Because some teachers will require that your child write a conclusion without repetition. 

In that case, the teacher should instruct the student what she expects to read in the conclusion. A great way to deal with this situation is to approach the teacher and ask what kind of a conclusion she expects. 

And she’ll say what she wants, and your child will simply abide. 

But in the vast majority of cases, simple restatement works just fine. All it really entails is writing out an equivalent of the thesis statement – only using different words and phrases. 

Here is our thesis statement:

And here’s our conclusion:

“I would love to have a panther as a pet. Panthers are such magnificent animals that everyone would admire my pet. People would also respect it and keep some distance because of its power. And the loyalty of panthers would definitely seal the deal.”

All we did was restate the points previously made. Let your child master writing this kind of a conclusion. And if you’d like a detailed tutorial on how to write conclusions, I wrote one you can access here . 

Step 6. Add an introductory sentence

The final step is to add one sentence in the first paragraph. I didn’t use to teach it because it’s perfectly fine to get straight to the point in an essay.

This little introduction is an equivalent of clearing your throat 🙂

However, teachers in school and professors in college expect some kind of an introduction. So, all your child has to do is add one introductory sentence right before the thesis. 

This sentence should be even more general than the thesis. It should kind of pull the reader from his world into the world of the essay. 

Let’s write such a sentence as our introduction:

“Not all pets are created equal, and people have their choices.”

And here’s our complete introductory paragraph:

And this concludes the tutorial. You can keep coming back to it as often as you want to follow the steps, using different topics. 

If you’d like the help of a professional, don’t hesitate and hit me up . 

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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My Kid Can’t Write an Essay Without Having a Meltdown

She gets overwhelmed every time—but breaking down the assignment into smaller steps could help her manage it.

Editor’s Note: Every Tuesday, Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer take questions from readers about their kids’ education. Have one? Email them at [email protected].

Dear Abby and Brian,

My daughter is in ninth grade and is really struggling with essay writing. English, history, the subject doesn’t matter—she has a meltdown every time. She just stares at the screen and doesn’t know where to start.

I try to remember what I learned in high school about the Roman empire or Robert Frost to get her going. I’ve tried to leave her alone, or to sit there doing the work along with her. None of it ever seems to help. I find myself dreading her getting an essay assignment, because whenever she does, the night before it’s due nearly always ends with her in tears or yelling at me.

What can I do?

Julia Virginia

Dear Julia,

Seeing your daughter so upset when confronted with writing assignments can be painful. We appreciate your instinct to help, but neither leaving your daughter alone nor sitting there doing the work along with her is the right approach. What will help is taking an assignment that overwhelms her and breaking it down into a series of small, manageable steps that she can do on her own. The goal is not to get an essay written no matter what, but to set her up for being an independent, confident student who doesn’t rely on you at every turn.

You’ll want to sit down with her and say something like “I know essay writing has been really hard, but it will help if you can think about it as a set of smaller steps and budget enough time for each.” Then go through these steps with her:

• Read the material, highlighting important points and taking notes.

This is the starting point for any good essay writing. Suggest that even before she is assigned a writing prompt, she begins taking notes on the material as she reads it. Annotation should serve as a conversation with the text: She should mark significant or reaction-provoking passages and jot down a few words about why they are noteworthy.

• Review the notes, looking for one thread that ties everything together.

This is how she will begin building her thesis. Teachers sometimes disagree over whether students should start with a working thesis and then find evidence to build their case, or start with examples and see where they lead. We believe that the thesis and examples should be developed together; as your daughter narrows down evidence, her thesis can evolve.

• Write topic sentences for each of the body paragraphs, and then match topic sentences with examples and analysis to build an outline.

Your daughter should think about defending her thesis with a series of sub-arguments, each expressed as a topic sentence for her body paragraphs. Many students have difficulty connecting their arguments to evidence, because they are inclined to summarize the material rather than critically evaluate it. Your daughter can ask herself what her examples reveal about her topic sentences and then delve into the importance of word choice and literary devices as is relevant.

• Write introduction and conclusion paragraphs.

With topic sentences, examples, and analysis for each body paragraph together in outline form, your daughter can move on to her introduction and conclusion. The focus of her introduction should be general background information leading up to the thesis, and the conclusion should offer new insight into the significance of the topic and a parting thought for the reader to ponder.

• Use the outline, introductory paragraph, and conclusion to write a first draft.

Once she has completed an outline, she’ll have a straightforward road map for writing a draft with more thoroughly developed ideas.

• Look over the draft twice: once to ensure that the argument flows logically and a second time to eliminate errors in grammar and syntax, as well as to sharpen word choice.

We recommend that all editing be done while reading the work aloud from a printed draft, pencil in hand. Once these revisions are implemented, she’ll have a final draft ready to go.

If a single major assignment becomes six minor ones, your daughter is far less likely to feel overwhelmed. This process, from start to finish, will take about a week, so she should plan accordingly. With a calendar in front of her, she should look at what assignments she has coming up for the rest of the semester and mark deadlines for each of these steps so that she won’t have to rush at the end. Remember that writing always takes longer than it seems it should. Helping your daughter plan well in advance should allow her to approach writing with less trepidation and instead see it as a process composed of clear, manageable steps.

As she does this more and more, she’ll find that her belief in herself will grow—and you won’t cringe when you hear about the English essay due next week.

B y submitting a letter, you are agreeing to let The Atlantic use it—in part or in full—and we may edit it for length and/or clarity.

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How to describe your child to a teacher (including templates) [2024 update].

Can you believe the summer is ending...again? With each new school year, you are given the opportunity to expand and perfect your communication style with your child’s teacher. Our learning and development specialist Emily Andrews outlined some effective communication strategies for parents that you can take into consideration to get your relationship off on the right foot.

But, we know that the beginning of the school year can be an incredibly hectic time for parents, teachers, and children. Establish a strong relationship between you and your child’s teacher is important. To help set your child up for success in school, we’ve outlined tips and templates to help you describe your child in letters, paragraphs, and in person.

How to describe your child to a teacher

Sample letter describing your child, describe your child in a paragraph.

Some schools send out forms with questions for parents to answer about their children. Others ask parents to write a letter describing their child. Still others don’t formally ask questions and assume the parent will let them know on their own either in an email, call, or in the parent-teacher conference. 

Whatever the case is with your child’s school, understanding how to describe your child to a teacher in a clear and concise way can help establish good communication between you and your child’s teacher as well as help the teacher be the best possible advocate for your child.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you prepare to describe your child to a teacher.

• Start with a blank slate. Assume your child’s teacher knows nothing about them. Introduce yourself, your child, and your family structure. Let the teacher know if they have a nickname and what pronouns they use.
• Talk about their strengths and their weaknesses. Try to remove yourself from the situation and speak neutrally about your child. What are they good at? What do they need help with? Be honest because your child’s teacher will see it themselves anyway and it is best for them to be prepared.
• Be specific. When describing your child and how they are in school and at home, be as specific as possible. Refer back to past assessments so that their teacher knows what to expect and how they can be the best champion for your child. When you describe your child's personality , use temperament terminology so you and their teacher are on the same page.
• Keep it friendly and upbeat. This is the start of a new year and a new opportunity for your child to grow and learn. Their teacher is going to lead them on this new journey, so you and your child should be excited!
• Be a partner. In your letter, express your intent to act as a partner to the teacher. You will work together with them to help your child be successful this year.

Now, we’ll outline some tips and templates to help you shorten and lengthen your description based on school requirements and time constraints. This will help ensure you hit all of the right points so you, your child, and their teacher will be successful and happy this year.

Dear Mr. Cohen,

I want to start by saying how excited we are for this school year! We have heard great things about your class and I know Jeremy and I are both thrilled for a new year of learning and adventure.

I thought it would be helpful for me to introduce you to Jeremy in this letter and let you know some information about him from home and from his past assessments. To start, Jeremy (he/him) is an excellent student and he is really motivated to do well in class. He is definitely best at math and can do a lot of math in his head very quickly. 

However, because he is so advanced in this subject, he sometimes disrupts the class during these lessons. His teacher last year wrote this on one of his early assessments, “Jeremy can add & subtract large numbers in his head and he is often bored during math lessons because he is ahead of other students.”

Jeremy loves sports and competition, so we were able to develop an internal competition to help pay attention and stay focused in math class. I will continue that process at home, which should hopefully help keep the disruptions at bay. But, if you see this occurring in class again, please let me know. I want to be your partner this year to help make class as enjoyable and successful for you, Jeremy, and all of the students.

At home and in his other subjects, Jeremy is very quiet. He might need some additional prompting to answer questions, but he is doing the work and paying attention. Jeremy comes from a single parent household, but luckily, I work from home so I am able to be there with him when he returns from school each day.

Looking forward to working with you to make this the best year yet for Jeremy!

Sarah Miller

Use our editable template to write and send a letter describing your child to their teacher

If your school gives you a form to fill out at the beginning of the year or before the first parent-teacher conference, they might ask you to describe your child in a paragraph. We know, your child is your precious baby (despite how old they actually are!) and one paragraph might not feel like enough space. But, you can do it! Use these tips and our template to hit all of the key points.

Tips to describe your child in a paragraph

• Stay focused. Remove the fluff and keep it as clear as possible since you do not have a lot of space.
• Talk about your concerns. Does your child have a medical condition, allergy, bathroom issue, learning disability, or something of the sort? You want to make sure you talk to your child’s teachers about your concerns because it is the most important for them to understand.
• Use examples. Since you do not have a lot of space, spend the time using actual examples from the past so your child’s teacher understands what you are saying and how they can help this year.

Use this template to describe your child in a paragraph:

“Jeremy (he/him) excels at math but can get disruptive during the lessons because of this. His teacher last year reported that, “Jeremy can add & subtract large numbers in his head and he is often bored during math lessons because he is ahead of other students.” He loves sports and competition, so games and challenges help keep him attentive. In his other subjects (and at home), Jeremy is quiet. He doesn’t enjoy reading on his own but he will do it for class. He is very motivated to do well in school.”

Hopefully our tips and templates will help you as you navigate how to describe your child to a teacher, but ultimately, you know your child best and you know what needs to be said to get them the support and care they need for a successful school year. The team at Sawyer is always here to help if you are looking for resources or fun activities for your children. Best of luck ahead!

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Memoir coach and author Marion Roach

Welcome to The Memoir Project, the portal to your writing life.

How To Write About Your Kids Without Making Them Crazy(er)

HOW TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR KIDS is a classic dilemma for many memoir writers. It’s one of the questions I get asked all the time in my classes and personal memoir coaching. And since I have a kid, and I’ve written about her, I really do get how tricky it can be. I mean, you don’t want to make them crazy, right? I remember well the day my daughter told me I had to stop writing about her. It was hard, but I agreed. Kind of (you notice I’m writing about her now, right?). It may happen to you. You, too may be forbidden, so until then, let’s get writing about our kids, shall we?

I have four basic rules for writing about kids, and they run the gamut from what not to write about to what to remember to keep in mind all the time. In a nutshell, forget cutesy, anything adorable, or all-too-personal anecdotes. Those simply are too small.

Instead, think about those things that will resonate with your readers, which is never the cute, inside-baseball jokes of your own family, or the sigh-ing-ly adorable things your kid did. Instead, as in writing any piece of memoir, think about the universal.

What can you write about that others, after reading it, will either learn something, have something confirmed, or be pushed a little to think even more deeply about their own parenting?

How about some examples?

Want some examples? I’ve got them right here, each illustrating one of the four rules of writing about your kids.

• Do not be overly sentimental when writing about your kids. For this, I offer you an essay on what I call birthday party hell . As you can tell, I am not sentimental about these bashes.
• When writing about your kids, zero in on a specific, universal idea , like how life’s big moments happen in the small stuff of life.
• Explore a quandary other parents have . For me, this was imaginary friends, after hearing one too many times that they were dangerous foils who your kid will use to blame for her bad behavior. I doubted it. Here’s why.
• Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself when writing memoir . If a theme resonates with your readers, write more about it. Here is another on the imaginary friend idea, this time from another angle.

And what about you? What have you learned while writing about your kids that you might like to share with others?

Want to learn more about how to write memoir? Please consider joining one of my live, online classes . They start all the time and range from one-night, 90-minute sessions, to a six-month Master Class.

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Related posts:

• Writing Memoir by Making Lists: It’s as Easy as One, Two, Three
• Write it Up to Write it Down
• How to Write Good Characterization in Memoir? Think Pooh

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Reader interactions.

Karen DeBonis says

March 1, 2017 at 7:34 am

Marion – what about writing about adult children? Do the rules change? Obviously you’d want to very careful … any specific recommendations?

marion says

March 16, 2017 at 7:45 am

Three pieces of advice: To be respectful. Like a doctor, to first, do no harm. And to be accurate.

Kathy Rushing says

March 1, 2017 at 7:44 am

Great question, @Karen DeBonis–I recently wrote a post about a devastating breakup our son had when he was in his mid 20’s. He didn’t want his name used, but if anyone that know him read my post they would know, because I also used the tatto he got as a result as the featured image :).

Some guidelines would be great to have. Thank you, Marion!

March 1, 2017 at 8:03 am

Kathy – I’d love to read your post. Would you post a link to it?

March 1, 2017 at 10:35 am

Sure, Karen, here you go. Thanks for reading! http://kathyrushing.com/hpfp

March 1, 2017 at 1:58 pm

Thanks Kathy – great post. So glad he made it out of the despair with his spirit intact. I think having you as a mom was a good thing!

March 1, 2017 at 3:01 pm

thank you so much, Karen!

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How to Write an Essay for Kids? A Complete Guide for all the Basics Steps and Outline

While essay writing is an integral part of your children’s academic life, it also helps them to achieve great heights in the real world. Writing a good piece is a skill for life as it is used in every aspect, whether it be a job resume or an email, and practising essay writing is an excellent way to hone your writing skills.

Before knowing how to write an essay for kids, let’s look at the five benefits of composing good essays that may not be known to you:

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Improves Reading Ability

Children who show an early interest in writing will ultimately enjoy reading, according to experts. Reading and writing are deeply connected. Early writing instruction helps children learn word arrangement and coherence of thoughts which will pay off while reading.

Brain Development

Handwriting is essential for brain development and cognition, which is why children should be taught to write. The process of writing activates the brain areas responsible for critical thinking, logical reasoning and problem-solving.

Thoughts can be Organised

An organised way of thinking is necessary for writing essays with a clear beginning, middle, and end. So, if a kid sits to write, they will be focusing on organising their thoughts to create a good piece.

Improves Memory

The most effective way for students to learn their material is to write it down on a piece of paper. Your child will be more confident in their abilities to memorise a subject if they are better at writing. Doing writing exercises regularly will improve memory power, and it is likely that their grades also improve in the long run.

Writing Boosts Creativity and Imagination

To write well, your child needs to use both logical thinking and creative imagination. Writing puts both the right and left brain into action as they set out to find a way to create something easy for another person to read and understand. Writing allows them to explore ideas and possibilities, make up new stories, and do anything else they can dream of.

How to Write an Essay for Kids?

Step 1: ask your kid to brainstorm and research.

The first and foremost step to create any piece of good writing is consuming as much information as possible about the topic. This helps them look at different information and analyse things in their own way.Ask your child to brainstorm a few ideas, write down any thoughts about the subject, and look for other ideas in books or videos. Then tell them to figure out their strongest of thoughts that will convey their writing goals clearly.

Also Read: Best Online Coding Classes for Kids: A Complete Guide to Get the Best

Step 2: Tell Them to Make a Rough Outline

The outline is the base of an essay, and it saves a lot of time. It is great for structuring and organising ideas in a thoughtful and sequential flow. This approach allows your child to choose appropriate information or quotes from sources before writing, which gives them a solid foundation for a good writing assignment. Moreover, developing these ideas will make it easier for you to write your essays.

How to Write an Essay Outline for Kids?

If you are confused, then go with these basic rules:

#1. The Introduction

Discuss the topic of your essay and its theme in this part. Giving the views on the theme of the essay is crucial as it helps you support it in each paragraph of your essay body.

#2. Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay will have at least three paragraphs. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence followed by an argument related to the theme. Here, discuss all the supporting evidence such as data, facts and examples to substantiate the topic.

But, if your kid has just started writing, adding one body paragraph is enough to practice. According to their improvement, they could include as many as they want.

#3. The Conclusion

Last but not least, come up with a conclusion that is the logical outcome of the body of the essay. It is important to end an essay while maintaining the flow. Here, put the finishing touches on the essay. Briefly summarise the topic and the objective of the essay.

Step 3: It’s Time for Your Kids to Write

You should tell them to follow their outline and write down each supporting point in an individual paragraph. Encourage them to use descriptive words to put their ideas across clearly to the reader. Also, going into detail, using specific information to elaborate on a point can help. Introduce your kids to transition words; this helps in maintaining the flow of the structure.

Lastly, staying on track is the key to making sure everything included is somehow related to the essay’s main idea.

How to Write Conclusion for an Essay for Kids?

While writing the conclusion of the essay, your child should keep in mind the following points:

#1. Do not repeat the introduction in this part.

#2. Do not add new content or arguments.

#3. Do not end it too abruptly.

The following points can help them write a good conclusion:

#1. Start by examining the content of each paragraph.

#2. Refer to the introductory paragraph for guidance.

#3. Leaving a note which makes the reader ponder makes the conclusion thought-provoking.

How to Write a 5 Paragraph Essay for Kids?

Here is the proper outline of writing a 5 paragraph essay:

1. Introduction

Introduce the topic and explain the theme

2. Body Paragraph One

Write the main sentence by supporting them with examples or facts. Also, explain the logical connection of those examples and facts with the theme of the essay.

3. Body Paragraph Two

Write the other main sentence by supporting them with examples or facts. Explain the logical connection of those examples and facts with the essay’s theme in this paragraph too.

4. Body Paragraph Three

Repeat the process mentioned in the outline for body paragraphs one and two.

5. Conclusion

Summarise all the main points of the essay and write a logical outcome that incites the reader to think.

How Your Kids Can Learn Essay Writing with The Real School Of Montessori?

We hope that this article cleared your doubts on how you can teach essay writing to your kids. For better guidance on essay writing for kids, check out the Real School Of Montessori website.

In this new age school, mentors provide one-on-one teaching and make sure your child receives a comprehensive education in different subjects. What makes Real School Of Montessori unique is that they have real-world goals. This will allow your child to become problem solvers, thinkers, and innovators through personalised,  project-based learning.

Book a masterclass now and give your kid a taste of a fun learning environment.

Also Read: Scratch Coding for Kids: Simplifying the Concepts of Coding for Super Kids

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About the Author

Shilpa is a professional web content writer and is in deep love with travelling. She completed her mass communication degree and is now dedicatedly playing with words to guide her readers to get the best for themselves. Developing educational content for UPSC, IELTS aspirants from breakthrough research work is her forte. Strongly driven by her zodiac sign Sagittarius, Shilpa loves to live her life on her own notes and completely agrees with the idea of ‘live and let live. Apart from writing and travelling, most of the time she can be seen in the avatar of 'hooman' mom to her pets and street dogs or else you can also catch her wearing the toque blanche and creating magic in the kitchen on weekends.

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Essay Writing Help for Kids

If your English teacher just announced an assignment to write a five-paragraph essay, these words probably didn't bring joy to your heart. But writing essays is going to be part of your life while you are in school in many subjects, not just English, so it's an important skill for you to learn. Essays don't have to be a headache or anything to be scared of: Once you learn the basic steps to write an essay, it will be much simpler and faster to do.

What Are You Writing About?

Before you can start writing your essay, you need to determine two things: what type of essay it is and what the question is asking. There are five main types of essays that you will encounter: narrative, expository, persuasive, literary, and process. A narrative essay asks for you to provide a story or personal view of a topic. Expository essays will give you a topic and ask you to research it and analyze it. Persuasive essays are meant to argue for a point of view, backing up the position with facts. Literary essays are ones written about books, either summarizing them or answering questions about them. And a process essay is a "how-to" essay that tells the reader the steps they need to follow to do something.

After you determine what kind of essay has been assigned, you need to break down exactly what it is asking you to discuss. The easiest way to do this is to reword the question in your own words, especially if the essay prompt uses words that you are not familiar with. For example, a persuasive essay prompt might read, "Advocate for or against a change in the school lunch menu to include fast food." When you break this down into easier language, it's really asking, "Do you think they should serve fast food at school for lunch?"

Making an Outline

Outlining is a very important step in writing an essay. Many people skip this step, but the result is an essay that is hard to read and doesn't flow well from one idea to the next. Outlines can be a bit scary because a lot of times, they have a fancy structure to them, but they do not have to follow any super-strict format. You make an outline so you have a clear road map for your essay: It doesn't matter in the end how they are formatted or what they look like.

At the very least, your outline should state the main thoughts for each paragraph. If you want, you can add some of the important points that you are going to use to support your main point. Lay out your outline in the same order as your paper. This is a good time to make sure that the way you have your sections listed makes sense for the topic.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is nothing more than your main point or focus of the paper. It is usually a single sentence and gives the reader a preview of what you are going to be talking about. Your thesis statement comes at the end of your introduction. It is important because it helps the reader know the point of the essay. As they read your words, they already have an idea of what you want them to understand about the topic.

A thesis statement should not try to fit in all of the points of the essay. It also should not be a title or a statement of fact. For example, "Recycling aluminum cans reduces carbon dioxide in the environment" wouldn't be a good thesis statement because this is a fact. The thesis should take a position that you'll support in the rest of the essay, such as, "Recycling aluminum cans is an easy and effective way to help improve the environment." Your essay could then go on to talk about all of the ways that recycling cans helps the environment and how simple it is to recycle.

A thesis statement should not be written in first person and should take a clear stance. Phrases like "I think," "we believe," or "it seems" should not be used. Instead, just make the statement. The whole point of the essay is to help the reader understand or agree with your statement. Also, keep the thesis focused on the main topic. You might have multiple points that you are going to talk about in the essay, but there should only be one main theme in your thesis statement.

Introduction

The introduction is a very important part of your paper. This is where you set the stage for your essay and grab the reader's attention. There are lots of different ways to write an introduction, but there are a couple of key parts no matter how you decide to go about it. The introduction should introduce the topic and have your thesis statement at the very end of it. Don't use phrases like "in this essay" or "for this assignment": Those are boring phrases that won't get the reader's attention. Above all else, the introduction should be interesting and make the reader want to continue. Some great ways to grab a reader's attention are to use a story, state some interesting or surprising facts, or open with a powerful quotation. Don't get too carried away with your introduction, though. It should be short and should introduce the points you are going to make in the paper.

Body of the Essay

Your essay should have several paragraphs, depending on your assignment. A lot of times, you will use a five-paragraph plan: one for the introduction, three for the body, and one for the conclusion. Each body paragraph should focus on one main point from your outline. You should open the paragraph with a statement that makes your main point. Then, add several sentences that support that statement. At the end of the paragraph, transition to your next point and paragraph. Follow this basic framework for each point that you made in your outline.

Once you have written a paragraph for each of your main ideas, now, you need to finish the whole paper with a conclusion. Your conclusion should be a summary of the points you made in your paper. You don't want to use your exact words over again, however. Try to help the reader connect all of your points back to the thesis. You should also link your conclusion back to your introduction. If you started with a story, write your conclusion like you are writing the end of that story. If you opened with some startling facts, maybe add a few more that particularly support your viewpoint.

An essay assignment can be intimidating, and trying to come up with words to fill a blank page can be difficult. However, with a little practice, you can tackle any English assignment with confidence!

• Getting Your Essay Started Step by Step
• Book Report Basics
• Get it Write: Transition Phrases
• Outlining Essays
• 10 Tips to Improve Your Writing
• Proofreading Tips
• Write an Introduction
• 10-Step Essay-Writing Process
• Essay Template
• Writing Conclusions
• Five-Paragraph Essays
• Complete Essay-Writing Workbook
• Workbook for Cause-and-Effect Essays
• Guide to a Descriptive or Profile Essay
• How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement
• How to Use Quotations Correctly
• Sentence Structure and Grammar Guide
• Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Tips
• How to Structure Strong Supporting Paragraphs
• How to Write Essays
• Top Tips for Writing an Effective Essay
• Process (How-to) Essay Framework

6 ways to improve a college essay

by: Carol Lloyd | Updated: May 6, 2024

Print article

If your high school senior is anything like mine, then they may have a handful of college essays in various states of undress. One is a daydream in search of an idea, others are dutiful outlines, two are actual drafts. Not a single one of them is ready for submission — not even close.

But that’s not what my daughter thinks. To her, her second drafts are “ready” and her first drafts are “close.”

The good news is that she’s got time. The bad news is that she doesn’t know how much work lies ahead. Unless your child goes to a high school with a particularly rigorous approach to writing, college essays are probably your teen’s first encounter with the woes and wonders of extensive rewriting .

So how can you nudge your child to keep working on those “final drafts”? Start by encouraging your teen to reread their “final” draft for these six things. And remember to give your child lots and lots of props for their continued effort. In this day and age, it’s tough being a college applicant. Let your teen know you admire all their hard work.

Begin with a bang

To be or (preferably) not to be, make it sticky with the five senses, add sweet morsels, balance bravado, don’t summarize. instead, push boundaries.

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How to teach your children essay writing in 5 steps

When you sit down to teach your children essay writing you might not initially know where to begin. Essay writing is the cornerstone of any education and half or more of the subjects your kids are likely to tackle in their school lifetime will require essay writing skills. Writing tips for kids are something that will take them from being a mediocre student to one that shines. Confidence when writing is something that can truly be learned – very few people are born with this important skill. That’s good news, in fact. Like anything worthwhile doing, all great writing takes is practice and dedication.

How to inspire your kids to love writing

Teach Your Children Essay Writing in 5 Steps

Step 1: start with basics.

Lots of kids aren’t great with grammar. Grammar takes time to learn and many parents and guardians simply don’t correct their young children enough, which is doing them a disservice. Some parents might even find these little mistakes cute, funny or charming – but that’s where very young children get into trouble later in life. Some common grammatical errors made by children are listed by writer Amanda Morin here . Phrases like, ““I goed to the store with Daddy so we could buy traps to catch the mouses ,” or, “I’d rather have cookies then cake.” You need to correct your children and equip them with the basics of spelling and grammar. You don’t have to deliver a massive lecture on writing concepts or run the whole grammar gauntlet in one day. Do this step by step, correct them gently when they make a mistake and select grammar and spelling practices which are appropriate for their grade, age, and essay requirements.

Step 2: Create an outline

When spending time with young children we can see them struggling to find the correct words when speaking; this is even more apparent when they’re tasked with writing. The vast majority of children are not initially confident when expressing their thoughts on paper, so it’s an important step to teach your children essay writing in a sensible way. To help your children with essay writing, teach them how to create a structure of the message or story they want to tell. When they perfect this, creating an outline for an essay becomes easier. Once your kids understand “logical context”, their mission is half accomplished. Impart the importance of structure: an introduction, body of the essay (including arguments and structured thoughts), and a well-thought out conclusion. Have them practise with something fun, such as an age appropriate story or fairytale.

Step 3: Provide examples and practise a lot

Give your kids examples! Children work better when they have some examples of what they are trying to do lying in front of them. This tactic, called “learning by example”, will help your children get more ideas about creating their own essay papers. Work on these together and add some creativity to the task. If your kids are young, find fun examples of coordinated text and ask them to point out what structure a piece of writing has – for example, where the beginning, middle and end is. Make sure you don’t overload your kids with tasks either; do the work in small bursts and keep them engaged. Reward them with something fun, such as stickers or colourful pens, or even a new book or two.

Step 4: Don’t push your kids too much

Essay writing is a very hard and complex task; even most adults find it challenging! Striving for perfection is never the best way to get your children immersed in a writing task. Give them plenty of breaks and lots of encouragement. When they make an error, make sure you are gentle with them so you don’t affect their confidence levels. Setting them up for success in this way will give them more confidence at school. Praise them when they do well and offer positive reinforcement.

Step 5: Read to your children and encourage them to read on their own

It should go without saying but all great writers started as readers. Make reading fun! When kids are little (even from when they are babies) read to them: fairy tales, interesting stories and books designed for kids. Find out what subjects your kids love; they might surprise you! Do they love dinosaurs, science, bugs, or stories about witches and wizards? Choose age appropriate books that they will find a genuine interest in. When you are reading to your children, you’ll notice that they’ll definitely catch some words out of the text, and even remember them almost perfectly. This increases their word capacity and vocabulary. Educate your children to love reading on their own. Give them a couple of different books of one or two genres, and ask their opinions.

Essay writing skills help children throughout their school lives

It’s true – writing can be as difficult a subject to teach and assess as it is to learn and for this reason, you, as a parent, need a lot of patience while teaching your children. Remember to enjoy your time together and build a stronger rapport with your kids. This is where parent involvement can make a big difference to their learning outcomes.

When you teach your children essay writing you are giving them a lifelong skill. Encouraging your children to develop strong writing skills at a young age is worthwhile and may make all the difference to their future school success. Essay writing skills can have a lifelong positive impact on a child’s writing and may make essay writing an easier and more enjoyable process throughout their lives.

Essay writing skills for pre-teens and teens

Once your children reach the age of ten, their essay writing needs may ramp up as school requires more of them. However, some students still struggle with essay writing skills in junior or primary school with one study revealling , that “even with spell check and a thesaurus on hand, just 27% of students are able to write well-developed essays with proper language use.” It might be worthwhile to encourage older children to seek out help and to gain lots of feedback. Advise them to break tasks down into workable sections and give themselves ample time to complete tasks. Use these 12 tips to create a school essay when you get stuck.

12 tips on creating an essay outline and plan

• Before you begin: Clearly and carefully read the essay task before you begin
• Beginning, middle & end: Think about narrative, structure and formatting; and then create a writing plan
• Experts: Remember to include arguments from expert references and highlight your main points with examples
• Individual expression: Express your own individual thoughts on the essay topic, framed in context of the wider narrative
• Problem solving: Look to solve problems that arise in different, unique ways (think ‘outside the square’)
• Thoroughness: Analyse what is required of you and ensure the task has been covered end-to-end

Most school essay requirements are similar, when you break them down to their bare elements. Master these simple points:

• Cover a topic fully: make sure you consider all relevant arguments and include a sufficient number of individual ideas, based on your research.
• Be critical! Edit out all info that isn’t necessary to the final draft and be select only the most important arguments for your final essay.
• Annotate: Find evidence and examples; use thorough research from accredited sources.
• Planning: Preparing a plan will help you write logically and consistently as well as adhere to the overall essay structure.
• Proofing: Avoid mistakes; proofread your content at least twice before submitting.
• Formatting & flow: Make sure you include a strong introduction and satisfying conclusion.

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Teach Your Child Essay Writing in 6 Steps

Start with the basics.

Before you dive into that essay you’ll want to make sure your child has a good grasp on basic writing concepts. Grammar and spelling are the foundation on which you can help your child build that first essay. Once you’re satisfied with their understanding of these concepts, begin teaching them what a thesis is, and how to write one. “A lot of kids have trouble writing in a focused way, so help guide them and keep them on track. You’ll probably want to reinforce the idea that the thesis guides everything else they write in their essay,” recommends Paul Winston, educator at PaperFellows .

An outline is a plan or a description of the essay, showing the most important parts of it. Every essay includes an introduction, exposition, and conclusion. Outlines help people get organized when writing, and this should help your child as well. Write down the topic and their main goal which helps them clearly identify their main idea and their opinions about it. There are plenty of outline types out there, so you can easily find one that best suits your child. Then all you have to do is pull it together – creating a list of all the parts that will be in the essay.

Get them practicing

Kick start your child’s creative process by giving them some examples. It’s a lot easier to show them a concrete example, rather than trying to explain what you want them to do. As they practice they will get closer and closer to where you want them to be. Practicing is where the real improvement will come from, but be sure not to overwork them. Give them breaks and reward them for their hard work.

There are plenty of ways in which they can develop their essay writing skills. You just have to find something that sparks their interest. For instance, if your child likes video games, you can ask him to write a report on that. If they like books or comic books or TV shows, ask them to write reports where they'll compare two similar stories etc.

Encourage reading

Reading is a great way for your child to soak up all kinds of information about vocabulary and how sentences work together. The more you read to your child , or they read on their own, the better their writing will become. If they’re just not showing an interest in reading , explore your child’s favorite things in order find the right material. Once you get them interested and reading on their own, you’ll notice them picking up new words, which can be very exciting and rewarding for a parent.

Harness the power of technology

Technology gets a bad rap for distracting kids (and adults) from reading and writing, but technology can be a useful tool in enhancing your child’s experiences with the written word. Pinterest can be useful for the writing process. Your child will be identifying lots of topics and resources they may want to use for their essay, and Pinterest is a fantastic way of organizing those ideas. Just create a few boards and show your child how to pin sources onto a board. You might even find that the reason your child is struggling with an essay is because they prefer using an iPad to writing on paper or a laptop.

Try out these resources for extra help teaching essay writing

Writing can be tricky, and so can teaching writing to children. Check out these online tools for help teaching your children essay writing:

• StateofWriting & Studydemic

These are grammar resources you can use to check over your child’s writing for grammatical mistakes.

• Boomessays & Essayroo

These are online proofreading tools, listed by Simplegrad , you can use to make sure your child’s essay is polished and error-free.

• ViaWriting & Academadvisor

Check out these academic blogs for ideas and suggestions on how to teach your children essay writing. There are lots of posts here by parents who have successfully helped their children with essay writing.

• Academized & UKWritings

These are editing tools, recommended in Academized review , you can use to go over your child’s writing for typos and other mistakes.

• My Writing Way & Writing Populist

Check out these essay writing guides for help improving the writing in your child’s essay. If you struggle with writing yourself, these guides can prepare you to help your child with their essay.

Though there might be challenges as you teach your child the methods of essay writing, do your best to make the learning process fun, and eventually your child’s understanding will grow to excelling at essay writing.

about the author... Grace Carter is a teacher at  Big Assignments  and  Assignment Help  services. She teaches academic writing and curates edtech processes. Also, Grace tutors at  OX Essays  writing website. 

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• Knowledge Base
• How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

• Catch your reader’s attention.
• Give background on your topic.
• Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

• Braille was an extremely important invention.
• The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

• The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
• The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

• Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

• Historical, geographical, or social context
• An outline of the debate you’re addressing
• A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
• Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

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As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

• Argumentative
• Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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12 Awesome and Effective Essay Writing Tips for Kids!

Kids grow up too fast and start school before you know it! Once they hit 4th & 5th grade, they need to start writing essays. As parents, you may not have all the essay writing tools and feel pressured to teach your kid essay writing skills, but if you know the tricks, you'll be better able to help your kids with their school projects, especially their essay projects.

Here, we will teach you 12 effective methods for essay writing that will definitely help your kids with their school projects.

1. Perfect the skill of reading

The most remarkable writers happen to be extensive readers. For your kid to become impeccable in writing, they must first perfect their reading skills. Writing will only flow when you equip your kid with enough information. Cultivate the habit of reading in your kids early on. This allows them to obtain a vast array of information to use while writing essays and compositions.

2. Brainstorm

Encouraging your kid to brainstorm allows their young minds to go as wild as they possibly can. The finest essays kids will write are born in their deepest fantasies and backed up with proper mentorship into achieving good results. Under appropriate coaching, you will have yourself a fully-fledged professional writer ready to be the next Charles Dickens.

3. Work with an outline

If you have no idea where you are headed, you'll find yourself somewhere else. Life is so much better when you plan your next step. The same applies to essay writing. The better you plan it, the more exemplary your work turns out.

Essay outlines broadly impact and improve the quality of an essay. Writing tends to be less frustrating with an overview. Teaching your children to use an essay outline entitles them to plan sufficiently for writing.

4. Understand an essay question

Essays answer the question of how, not the question of what. This can happen only by first understanding what is expected from you in an article. Once your kid masters the art of understanding what a paper entails, he is ready to write a novel and flow from beginning to end. This way, no essay will be too challenging to answer since they know how to go about it.

5. Make technology work for you

You do not have to bumble all by yourself as you try to give your child the best writing skills. Allow the internet to chip into the journey. Every day, technology brings us new services to make our lives easier. A quick example is the online paper writing services available to use, and luckily there is no shortage of academic writing help for kids. There are plenty of professional essay services that are ready to coach your kids with their essay writings

6. Be patient

Learning a new skill takes time. Let your kids take their time. You do not want them giving up before they even start. Let them talk to you about the challenges they are facing and be patient and supportive. Try solving any problems they may have, and do not give up. They'll get there.

7. Practice as often as possible

Wine gets better as it ages, and so does the quality of essays after practicing. Create a routine that accommodates steady essay writing practice, allowing them to sharpen their skills.

Give them assignments, allowing them to fine-tune the skills they have already acquired. With the professional help of a trusted essay writing service , this process will be off your shoulder and you will get custom-written papers online from academic experts.

8. Obtain examples of essays for kids from the internet

Having a guide speeds up the study process and increases the grasping power. You might wonder where to get such material that improves your child's skills. Your first guess is correct! Google. Google allows you access to so much material that will enable you to mentor your child. Once you find these resources, sit and go through them with your child. Be the teacher for the day and watch the progress unfold before your eyes.

9. Try out new writing techniques

The most exciting way to learn is by trying out various subjects to add some spice to the experience. Trying new tactics allows the young student to sharpen his mind and increase his grasping power. It also creates excitement in the learning process. Anyone would be excited to learn a new concept, but a kid's excitement is double that of an adult.

10. Editing and proofreading

Polish the shoe till it shines. The challenging part is over, and your kid is done writing. Now, it is time to check his work for any mistakes. Please take your time proofreading the essay for any errors. It is essential to do this process with your kid so that he can learn from his mistakes. Explain to your kid why editing is vital in essay writing, and teach him to proofread his work as soon as he is done writing.

11. Encourage your kid

Offer words of affirmation that will allow your kids to flourish, dust off any issues, and go on with his writing. With every milestone, no matter how small, congratulate them and reward them if possible.

12. Keep sentences clear and concise

One of the most important attributes of a good essay is the ability to explain something in a way that is understandable. This can only be possible if sentences are well constructed and concise. Encourage the use of short sentences in every essay your child writes so that his essay is easy to understand and delivers the point without confusion. Simplifying the sentences will also help your kid to have a better writing experience.

The school experience is shared between the parent and the child. Employ a professional writing service and tips to help your kids in their writing journey.

Disclaimer: This article is part of a paid campaign.

• Education Guide

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