How Much Writing Should an 8th Grader Do?
Whether you're homeschooling, trying to help your child write a book, or even just trying to fill some time in their schedule during summer break, the question of "How much writing should my child be doing?" can come up a lot. Do they need to be working on a personal journal, as well as a school journal, and an entire book of Language Arts lessons? How do I know when I've done enough, or when I've crossed over into too much?
When we started homeschooling at our house, I was completely overwhelmed with all the curriculum choices. I wanted to do everything all at once, and I simultaneously didn't want to overdo it or leave us all burned out. While I sometimes still feel like we're just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, one thing I am really proud of is our Language Arts routine. My kids are each working on a novel to publish, and to learn about the genre they chose we read books together and on their own. We also do really fun novel studies that I love putting together.
But how much should your child be writing every day? My recommendations will vary a lot by age, so let's use an 8th grader as an example:
- Choose One: Have your child either start or end their day with a journal entry. This can be a simple sentence reflecting on their day, a list of goals, or an entire short story if they so choose! (Check out solo RPG journaling for a fun idea for the writers in your family.)
- For Homeschoolers: Aim for 20+ minutes of your chosen Language Arts curriculum every day.
- For Everyone: Try to do some silent reading for 20 minutes at least twice a week. This is bare minimum, and in my opinion, you can't read too much! Great readers make great writers.
- For Storytellers Studio students: Do a SS lesson when you can, but spend at least 20 minutes on your manuscript 4-5x a week. Remember that the first draft is the hardest, and once you power through that, you'll have a lot more momentum for the editing and publishing phases!
Come join us at Storytellers Studio where we learn to become great writers and publish our own novels for sale!