Homeschooling involves doing all sorts of things together, from domestic chores to reading one another’s writing. Sophie and Rose — open edition licensed print by Steve Henderson at Great Big Canvas.

This is the second in a three-part article series on teaching your children to write, and write well.

The first part of this series (Home-schooling? Yes, you can teach your child to write) addressed many home-schooling instructors’ reluctance to teach their children to write, because they — the instructors — don’t know grammar. Grammar is essential to writing well, they are convinced, so they purchase workbooks for their 6-year-olds that launch into nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions.

While these basic building blocks of language construction are important to learn, they can wait. Plus, an older child can pick them up relatively quickly. What is difficult to pick up without consistent and constant practice, however, is the actual composition process of writing.

In other words, the more you write, the better you write.

I wrote Grammar Despair to help people write, and write well, something you can do without a degree in Grammar. Paperback and Digital at Amazon.com.

And all you need to get started is a pen, paper and something to say.

Throughout our home-schooling experience, writing consisted of sitting down for a set period of time and … writing. Younger children spent 15 minutes, older children up to an hour — daily. Most of the time, subject matter was up to the child, and if they were absolutely flummoxed (“I can’t think of anything at all to write” was, in a young child’s mind, sufficient to be excused from the task) I offered them three choices, one of which they had to pick. Generally, before they opted for this alternative, they found something to write about.

And my job?

Read the rest of the article, published at Deseret News.

Part III of this series, Real Life Writing, will be posted Monday, July 22.

Indian Hill — licensed open edition print by Steve Henderson at Light in the Box.

All of the fine art in my articles is by my Norwegian Artist, Steve Henderson, a professional, award-winning painter who sells his work as originals and prints, both licensed open editions and signed limited edition prints.

Find more of Steve Henderson’s Art in the following online venues:

• Steve Henderson Fine Art (original paintings, signed limited edition prints, posters)
• Great Big Canvas (licensed open edition art prints)
• Light in the Box (licensed open edition art prints)
• Sagebrush Fine Art (licensed open edition art posters)
• Amazon.com, AllPosters.com, Art.com (licensed open edition art posters)

Manufacturers and retailers — license Steve’s work through Art Licensing