Does your child love to write stories?

Writing stories can help children in so many ways. It not only improves literacy skills but also boosts creativity and imagination. Story writing helps build emotional intelligence and empathy by allowing children to understand their own and others’ feelings and their place in the world. To write a story, you must think about the order of things. Piecing together a cohesive plot requires cognitive thinking and an organisation of thoughts and ideas. The mere act of writing and finishing a story is a way of building confidence.

We have the science to back up the importance of story writing. However, we don’t necessarily need that to know and realise that writing and telling stories is, and has always been, a part of us. It’s in our DNA.

Children love stories because they have such amazing imaginations and part of their development is to use these imaginations to make sense of the world around them. We know as adults how nurturing it can be to lose yourself in a good book; that sense of being taken away from the present to another world, even if only for a short time, does wonders for the soul.

Story writing is similar to reading in that it gives you that escape.

The Storymakers Club began in 2017 as a way of offering children the opportunity to nurture their creative imaginations and develop their skills as writers. From humble beginnings as a small creative writing group, the club now offers various groups to choose from, all online to make them accessible.

The Story Writers group focuses specifically on writing stories. In this group, we work through the mechanics of story writing, from developing characters to plotting, planning and using various writing techniques to produce dynamic and interesting stories.

Open to children aged 7-11 years, the Story Writers group runs weekly during term time on a Thursday evening from 6-7 p.m.

Parents often contact me to say that their child loves to write stories, but needs guidance. Perhaps they start a story but can’t finish it, they have an idea but don’t know where to go next. This is where the Storymakers Club comes in. Under the guidance of a published author, the children can learn the techniques required to write a story from start to finish. Storytelling is a natural thing, a skill that we all innately possess. However, it is not always easy to write a story relying on that natural ability. Sometimes, and often, it requires guidance.

Learning the mechanics of story writing does not mean it takes away creativity. It merely enhances it, allowing for the free flow of ideas once you learn how to structure and write it all down.

You can book a place on the Story Writers group by visiting the booking page of the Storymakers website. If the term has already begun, you can still join but please contact me to arrange this. Alternatively, you can book a trial session before committing to the term.

Terms are 10 weeks at £175 per term.

Book a place on the course here:

Please also see the other classes on offer at the Storymakers Club:

Writer Buds: creative writing classes for children aged 8-11 years covering all styles of creative writing.
Wednesday Writing Club: where it all begins. Fuelling the imagination through short creative prompts and writing exercises.
Young Writers: a creative writing club for tweens and teens, open to children aged 12 and above.