Choosing your own adventure is one of childhood’s greatest gifts – and ongoing Covid challenges and restrictions make it even more crucial for kids. Experts say the joys of escapism and the ability to “control the narrative” both mean that making up stories – whatever your age – is a boon for wellbeing, resilience and empathy.
And as the annual Kids News Short Story Competition opens today, opportunity knocks for kids to feel good by having some fiction-writing fun.
Inventive pursuits like creative writing take kids outside of their environment, giving their brain and body some much-needed relief from everything that is going on around them, says Australian Childhood Foundation founder and CEO Dr Joe Tucci says
“Play is really for kids a vitamin B shot, it’s a booster; it enables their brain to be stress-free (and) have less pressure on it,” Dr Tucci says.
“As it does that, it grows, develops and supports their connection to other people … and those relationships offer children the support they need to then overcome a challenge like being locked down.
“Imagination is restorative and it’s also an opportunity to step outside your world and any of the challenges that world presents at the moment.”
Dr Tucci and Jenny Atkinson, the founder and CEO of children’s writing platform Littlescribe, agree that exciting kids about writing means that all bets are on. That means farts, silliness and bottoms are all in, but parental criticisms and corrections are strictly o-u-t.
Atkinson also strongly encourages young authors to write by hand first, pointing to new research from WA’s Murdoch University, where Dr Anabela Malpique and Associate Professor Deborah Pino Pasternak’s study shows that children’s handwriting skills can predict their reading and writing abilities later in life.
“When we talk about the decline of writing, a lot of people think we mean handwriting and how neat it is,” Atkinson says.
“We don’t. What we mean is the decline in the ability of your child to communicate what they know so we now know it. When your child handwrites more, they become better at writing.
“As much as you can use this writing as escapism and all those things that are valuable, you can also be empowered by it. One of the things we tend to do is not encourage kids to have a voice (and) my observation is they often nail the salient points incredibly well and we’ve got a lot to learn from them.”
Indeed, year 8 student Amaeh Reed, a winner of the Kids News Short Story Competition for the past two years, says writing can help kids turn difficult emotions into positive ones.
“I feel like when you’re writing, you can just really let your emotions out,” said Amaeh, who turns 14 this week.
“Whether you’re writing from your own or a character’s perspective, especially during Covid and times like that, it’s a really great way to be able to feel what you’re feeling and put it into something that can turn out really beautiful or really amazing.”
Amaeh said writing was a “place for me to go wild and free” and she loved to sit and write on the balcony of the family’s Brisbane home.
“I really love being outside and hearing the little noises of nature around me, they really inspire me as I’m writing. It makes me feel really calm when I’m writing as well,” she said.
HOW TO ENTER
The 2021 Kids News Short Story competition, proudly supported by HarperCollins, is open now at kidsnews.com.au
- Great prizes include iPads, book packs and publication
- Entry is free to all resident Australian children in four age groups from kindy to year 9
- Kids may enter one story only on any theme or topic
- For years 5 to 9, stories must be between 500 and 1000 words
- For kindergarten to year 4, stories must be between 250 and 750 words
- HarperCollins judges include megastar children’s author Jackie French, AM
- Entries must be registered and submitted by the classroom teacher, including parent or guardian consent
- Entry form, terms and conditions at kidsnews.com.au
AMAEH’S SIX SECRETS
Two-time winner Amaeh Reed shares her tips for top tales:
1. Write about something you like
2. Read and research to inspire ideas for stories and characters.
3. Put yourself in your character’s shoes, mind, feelings and heart
4. Expand your vocabulary to help bring your story to life
5. Proofread, read your story aloud and get a fresh eyes
6. Plan first: is it funny or sad, set in the past or the future, set in a foreign country or a made up world?
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