Child Skill Development

Every year, Rainbow Resource Center receives hundreds of stories from young storytellers pouring their hearts and imaginations onto paper. We just finished up our 11^th annual summer book contest, and once again, I was blown away by the students’ talent! Of course, only a handful of stories could place overall, but regardless of scoring, if a student wrote an entire book, is that still not an amazing victory? They created a story out of thin air! Maybe as the parent of a reluctant writer, you’re wondering, how do I help my student write like that? Or maybe you have a voracious writer who consumes any piece of paper she sees and you’re wondering, how do I help her improve? As a writer who began her journey very young—and self-published three novels as a teenager—I would love to share some encouragement and practical tips for you as you cheer on your young writers.

For the last 10 summers, I have been honored to work on the Rainbow Resource Summer Book Contest for young authors from ages 7 to 18. Every student who writes and illustrates a story (and sends it in) receives a hardcover copy of their book in the mail. Since it is their book, the contest rules state that parents are not allowed to help. “At all?” you might ask. And of course, any parent involved in their child’s life would want to help with the creation of their child’s book! But for this contest, this is their product, and the challenge presents a unique opportunity for your child to learn how to take ownership to make a vision come to life.

Ever given your child a simple job like “Clean your room” or “Go get your math done,” and they respond as if you just asked them to climb Mt. Everest? Many kids (and adults!) today struggle with weak executive functioning skills, making it difficult to get organized, stay focused, and even know where to begin a task. The good news is that you can help them develop these skills, starting with one important strategy: teaching them to break big tasks down into manageable steps.

Is it just me, or are homeschooled kids particularly good at exploring their interests? There seems to be a natural curiosity that, when combined with a flexible schedule, leads them on all sorts of rabbit trails. With time and research, practice and development, these interests can become a hobby. These hobbies can become a high school elective and, if we are lucky, these interests can lead to a lifelong profession!

I fear our culture has forgotten the great benefits of kids experiencing a proper amount of risk. It’s a way to strengthen problem-solving skills! When we’ve worked out a problem and succeeded, the result is great satisfaction. Let's talk about risk-taking play as a way to introduce kids to activities that have uncertain outcomes. Dealing with this uncertainty will help them learn to operate outside of their comfort zones!

As home educators, we want our children to learn facts and information. But truly, our goal is not just for them to hoard information, like we’re filling some giant pitcher with water. Very simply put, we learn stuff to apply it in context. We want our children to take that “pitcher of knowledge” and skillfully use the contents to grow things. Learning is, in actuality, using what we’ve learned to discern, analyze, create, build… We want our kids to be excited to say, “I know stuff and I can do things!”

It’s what we want as parents. It’s what our students want as learners. But how does it happen? How do we get our children learning and working without our direct guidance? Let's look at the stages of their journey.

Are you a parent of a reluctant reader waiting for your child to find reading fun? Don’t give up! This perceived delay may not be about reading difficulties but more about your child recognizing the joy and the why of reading. As I talk to parents who are concerned about a child reading, we have found that nonfiction leveled readers will repeatedly open that door for their reluctant readers. 

Planner work is so much more than developing To-Do lists. It is a brilliant way to work on handwriting for littles, time management responsibilities for middles and older, and can lead to developing independence in one’s own work and priorities. The struggle to stay organized as a family unit can be an unnerving task as well. Taking intentional time to work with students to organize their own schoolwork each day and for the semester develops those self-management skills and can be a huge help for busy parents.

Social Emotional Learning - I am sure you have heard the phrase. It’s the new buzz word circulating the educational realm. This phrase may be described as 21st century skills, character education, or soft skills. You may wonder, what exactly do these terms mean?