April 10th is National Encourage a Young Writer Day. A day to inspire and encourage children of all ages to pick up a pen and give writing a go. Even preschoolers who can’t read or write can get involved through their image making. Children this age tend to need more space to draw, so best to give them paper which is at least A4 in size or larger. Sit with them whilst they start drawing and talk about each picture to help your child develop a story. Then once at least four A4 pages have been created, start sticking each left-end side together using a small strip of double sided tape until all have been joined. Once joined, the pages should resemble an accordion and fold back into itself whilst also being able to fold out into one, long frieze. Creating this keepsake of your child’s picture story can help them really engage with their imagination and feel proud of what they have made with you.

The original idea for the accordion book can be found here, and there’s also a wonderful idea for a foldable mini book which could be great for older children who are able to work to smaller pages. Details here.

For more ideas, Lauren Pitts from The Cambridge University Press, has written about 4 simple ways to encourage a young writer including writing letters and details of their free Word Fun World app. Read more here.

We know how important it is for your child to feel comfortable when drawing and writing. And this is why we’ve created a selection of desks and tables to suit your young children including our super popular Forest Table and Chairs which happen to look great too! Plus we have a desk and chair brand new for 2021 which comes with 3 handy little wooden pen pots. All available next month.