Write yourself! Set an example by letting your children see you writing letters, both formal and informal, filling in forms and even shopping lists. Involve your children in all those daily activities which need written communication. Let them add to letters you write to relatives and friends. Perhaps you've always wanted to write a short story? Try it. Read it to your children and see what they think of it. Let them see that making changes can improve it.

Simple things can make writing easier and more enjoyable:

• Provide a good place for your child to write - a desk or table with a smooth surface and good lighting
• Provide plenty of materials - pens and pencils of various colours and kinds, pads of paper, a diary to keep, attractive stationery and envelopes. For older children a dictionary and thesaurus are useful.
• Give them plenty of time to write - people often need lots of thinking time, so be patient!
• Respond to your child's writing. Concentrate on what they have written, rather than on how they have written it - focus on the contents, not the grammar, spelling or handwriting.
• Praise your child - say something positive about what they've written.
• Encourage your child to write a journal or a private diary - if not every day, then perhaps of special events or a holiday. Encourage them to write postcards, thank-you letters to relatives for presents, to make lists, or copy favourite poems or song lyrics.
• If they like to draw or make collages, encourage them to mix writing in with their pictures, perhaps describing what they've drawn, or telling a story and illustrating it.
• Publish their work