Difficulty with Composition Writing

When children have a difficult time writing papers, it can be due to a number of reasons.

Motivation. Some kids don't like to write. Their hand may hurt. They may have messy handwriting. Using a keyboard may help.
Mechanics. Some kids don't understand how to write sentences. They may have a hard time with spelling and grammar. They may have a hard time with capitalization and punctuation. This is called mechanics.
Organization. Some kids have a hard time getting organized. Some have a hard time thinking of ideas.

Here are some helpful hints for the different kinds of writing difficulties children may have.

Trouble with Writing Mechanics

Make a list of punctuation rules with your child that he can refer to.
Copy a page from your child's favorite book. Circle the punctuation used on the page.
Show your child how punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. Model an example by writing one sentence three times. Use a question mark, an explanation point, and a period. Discuss how it changes the meaning of the sentence. For example, "You took my new book?" "You took my new book!" and "You took my new book."

Make sure your child knows how to write all capital letters.
Copy a page from your child's favorite book. Circle the capitals used on the page.
Write a story without using capital letters. Have your child grade it as if he were the teacher.

It can be helpful for e children to make up songs for spelling rules. (I before E except after C and when pronounced A as in neighbor or weigh...)
Some children do better if they use other senses. For example, trace words in sand or salt. Use felt letters to spell words. This can help practice spelling words without the demand of writing them on paper.
Children should be encouraged to write their ideas down first. They can fix the spelling later.
Your child to make a dictionary of most commonly misspelled words. They can keep this at their desk to refer to while they are editing their writing.
Show your child how to look up words in a dictionary.

Use games to practice. For example, give children cards with subjects, verbs, and adjectives written on them. They can then play a game of cards, drawing and trading cards until they have enough words to form a phrase.
Cut out pictures for your child to create a sentence about each picture. Give your child a list of words that could describe the picture. Have him choose the best word (adapted from Miller, 1997).

Trouble with Finding and Organizing Ideas

Have your child think about what the finished assignment will look like.
Provide "jump-starts". For example, give the first sentence of a paragraph they are to write.
Set short term goals with frequent short breaks.
Help with strategies to check his work. For example, use COPS. This stands for "Capitalization- Organization- Punctuation- Spelling". It is an easy acronym to remember.
After your child writes an essay, allow a day or two before he edits it.
Help your child break down large tasks into smaller ones. A checklist may help.

Create a safe environment that promotes risk taking and creative thinking.
Help your child to start a project. Give a prompt or start a story. Show a picture or give a sentence.
Your child can keep an Idea Journal.
Have your child list things they would like to do if they had "Time on My Hands." They can list books to read or activities to try. They can list places to visit or animals to see (Adapted from The Mind That's Mine, 1997).
Use your child's favorite books to inspire them to come up with ideas (Adapted from Fiderer, 1997).

Have your child write thoughts and ideas down first. They can worry about spelling and grammar later.
Encourage the use of a tape recorder, planning sheets, or planning software.
Write out a list of transition words (e.g., first, usually, finally). Have your child refer to this list to use them.