How To Help Children Write Longer Sentences

Many parents will agree that getting young children to put pen to paper is quite a task. To add to that, writing requires a good understanding of grammar rules and sentence structures. That makes writing sentences, especially long ones, a tough task for little children. 

Sometime back, we learnt about different sentence structures through the Code Game. Today, we will explore a fun way to write longer sentences using a strategy called – Stretchy Sentences. 

A step-by-step guide to write longer sentences

• Step 1: Get a slate, whiteboard or a blank paper and get the child to write five different ‘Wh’-questions on it – starting with Who, What, Where, When, and Why.
• Step 2: Help the child understand how to answer these ‘wh’-questions. Make a chart with the child and stick it on the wall so that the child has easy access to it. 

• Step 3: The parents and the child need to make a list of different things that you can see around the room that you are currently in. To make it fun, you could also get creative and add imaginary things. For example: chair, dog, pencil, unicorn, etc. 
• Step 4: Ask the child to pick one item from the list. Let’s say the child picks up the word ‘Dog’. 
• Step 5: Now, ask the child a question that starts with ‘What.’ Instruct the child to write down the answer in a complete sentence. 
  • For example: 
    • What is the dog doing?
    • The dog is sleeping.
• Step 6: After that, ask the child another ‘wh’-question that starts with ‘When.’ Ask the child to accommodate the new information in the previously written sentence. The child can write the longer sentence just below the old one. 
  • For example:
    • When did the dog sleep?
    • The dog slept in the afternoon.
• Step 7: Now it is time to ask a ‘Where’ question. As discussed in step 6, rewrite the sentence after adding new information or simply write a new one below the previous sentence.
  • For example:
    • Where did the dog sleep?
    • The dog slept on the sofa in the afternoon.
• Step 8: At the very end, ask a ‘Why’ question to complete the sentence. Rewrite the sentence after including the new information, as was covered in step 6, or just write a new complete sentence underneath the old one.
  • For example:
    • Why was the dog sleeping on the sofa in the afternoon?
    • The dog was sleeping on the sofa in the afternoon because he was tired.
• Step 9: Congratulate the child on writing such a long sentence. You could continue playing the game until you exhaust the word list. To make it more interesting, parents can join in and add to the fun! 

Parents can make this sentence-writing game even more fun by asking children to describe pictures and encouraging them to explain their reasoning. Parents should ensure that they put this skill to good use in their classes and write longer sentences in their essays and stories. 

As always, some children will find this game effortless while others may find it incredibly tough. Being patient with them by providing gentle nudges and clues can go a long way in making them comfortable with this exercise. Consistency is the key to success in everything. Be rest assured that as time goes on, they’ll gradually improve. 

What do you think of this game? Is this something that you think would be good for your child? Can you think of anything else that would make this game better? Share your thoughts in the section below or send us an email at storyweavers@byjus.com. 

Also read, 

• How To Encourage Children To Read More
• Three Simple Activities To Boost Your Child’s Emotional Quotient

References:

• https://www.education.gov.gy/web2/index.php/students-resources/primary-school-resources/grade-3/grade3-worksheets/grade-3-worksheets-language-arts/6206-grade-3-english-language-grammar-week-9-2022-consolidated-worksheet/file
• https://iowareadingresearch.org/blog/sentence-expanding
• https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/Pages/expanding-ideas.aspx