I spent nearly ten years directing a college writing program and have seen freshmen with all levels of writing skills. Reading, writing, speaking, thinking are all interrelated -- I realize that sounds obvious. Grammar drills don't help kids write better sentences; reading good writing, listening to and talking with articulate people does. The hardest thing to teach a college freshman is to ask good questions. So the best way to help your child become a better writer is to engage them in critical conversation -- ask them questions, ask them to support their responses ("girls in my school are treated so unfairly!" "What makes you say that?" "It's just true!" "I'm sure it is, but what kinds of things are happening? why would you say they are unfair?"). And kids need to know how to write/speak in something other than "simple" sentences: talk to them in dependent clauses ("Although I agree with you, I also think. . . " "While I agree that the world is falling apart, it is also important to realize. . . ").

And don't sweat it. The hardest thing to unteach is that a kid is a bad writer or hates writing.

writopia. It's fantastic. http://www.writopialab.org/

What works for my child (and worked for my students long ago when I taught writing) is once the child feels enough revision has taken place and the final draft is in place, I have the child read the story or paper out loud to me (or to himself).

The writer will catch so many areas that can be improved- structure, grammar, punctuation, logic, flow- just by hearing his own writing in the natural cadence of his voice.

Then, once those revisions are made, I have the child read it out loud once again.

Once the writing sounds good when read out loud, the writing is a complete piece.

This technique might not create a "WRITER", but it will help your child improve the overall quality of his writing, particularly if your family is one that speaks in non-slang and grammatically correct English language, and your child is used to hearing proper language used on a daily basis.

In 4th or 5th grade, DD made improving her writing a project of hers because she decided she wanted to be an author (she's now working on a degree in a STEM field lol). She read a few "how to" articles on the internet and started a journal. She has always been a voracious reader, but she started to take notes on the books she read. It was just what she liked and didn't to start, but it gradually became more specific as her interests in different aspects of crafting a written work waxed and waned. She would try to reflect that in her writing. She had a teacher that she really liked, and would show her what she was working on to get feedback. She still takes notes when she reads, and she still writes for fun quite a bit.

Younger DS is passionate about many things, but writing has never been one of them. What DD did would never work for him because he would never put in the necessary thought or effort. We are going to get him a writing tutor and see how that goes.

Anonymous wrote:

Teach them how to type. If a child is struggling with poor handwriting, knowing how to type can make all the difference.

My son went from barely wanting to write one sentence to typing out long, involved stories for fun .

Agree. Once my son learned keyboarding it made all the difference. His school technology teacher taught it in primary grades. He won't write anything by hand, but writes well on the computer.

The school recommended the typing practice around 5th or 6th grade. DS practiced at home and at school and what a HUGE difference in a very short amount of time.

DS has always been a reader but he wasn't the type to challenge himself so, as he got a little older, I did start to suggest some books (classics) that would both interest AND challenge him a bit and it's made a big, big difference in his reading/writing level, IMO.

My kids school had overall fantastic writing instruction in MS and HS via their school (GDS), definitely a strength of the school, and classes small enough that lots of feedback on essays and creative writing that they turned in. Also lots of drafts/revising and chances to bring up grades by really working on fixing any problems in submitted work after a first round of feedback. When they arrived at college recently, they found they were extremely well prepared in terms of their writing skills. One child was very private about written work and during MS and early HS would have felt very defensive about getting feedback on writing from parents, so was glad that so much input was given via teachers. Other child more open with us and we did give limited feedback on her work, or got to read pieces she was proud of after getting them back. Agree with PPs that a love of reading, both fiction and nonfiction, also really helps. They spent lots of time, particularly in the summers, reading for pleasure.

Teach them how to type. If a child is struggling with poor handwriting, knowing how to type can make all the difference.

My son went from barely wanting to write one sentence to typing out long, involved stories for fun .

Agree. Once my son learned keyboarding it made all the difference. His school technology teacher taught it in primary grades. He won't write anything by hand, but writes well on the computer.

Teach them how to type. If a child is struggling with poor handwriting, knowing how to type can make all the difference.

My son went from barely wanting to write one sentence to typing out long, involved stories for fun .

MS English teacher here. When you say you want to improve your child's writing, do you mean academic writing? Creative writing? Writing in general? Is the problem grammar? Lack of development? Trouble getting started?
I agree with PP about reading - my strongest readers are usually my strongest writers too. Also, writing is like a sport and takes practice.
Do NOT make your child write book reports - there's no faster way to kill a love of reading, IMO. Journaling is usually a good strategy to help with general writing issues. I had one mother who bought a journal for herself and one for her daughter and they had writing time together each night. Start small - five to ten minutes a night, and increase the time as your child builds stamina.
Graphic organizers are also helpful. Weaker MS/HS writers still benefit from them, even though they are sometimes considered elementary.
Best way to find a writing tutor is through the school. Ask a former teacher (most can't tutor current students) or ask the guidance counselor for recommendations.