Have your child write in shaving cream, sand, soil, or even the steam in the bathroom mirror! This is a fun and tactile experience particularly useful for children struggling with letter formation and fine motor skills.

Incorporate writing experiences into every day life. For example, ask your child to help you write the shopping list, take down a phone number or message, help send invites to a party, write a birthday card to a relative, or even makes signs to go around the house for visitors/younger family members. Children need to see that writing is a useful skill needed in all kinds of situations, not just when they are required to write a story for school work.

For older children, give them a 'secret journal.' Preferably with a lock on it, encourage your child to have a place where they can write their secret thoughts which no one else can see. Make it into a fun experience by letting them decorate it. You could even have a special time of day set aside for them to write in it if that works for you.

Don't be critical! When children are learning to write it can be so tempting to correct every spelling mistake and misplaced capital letter. However, especially for reluctant writers, this can be demoralising. Resist the urge to correct every detail and make sure you praise even their smallest attempts to get their thoughts on paper so that writing is associated with the 'feel-good' factor.

Keep a set of magnet letters handy. These can be used in all sorts of ways, starting with letter recognition, moving through phonics and spelling. This way, spelling can be a focus, without the difficulties of letter formation getting in the way.

Make use of the computer. This is another helpful way of encouraging your child to get their ideas down on paper without the burden of physical writing. Mistakes are easily erased, so confidence levels stay high. This is great for times when it is the ideas that count, not the act of physical writing.

Relax! If you are stressing out over the quality or quantity of your child's writing, they will pick up on it and writing will become associated with tense situations. So take a deep breath, think about how you are going to incorporate a small, meaningful act of writing into your child's every day life, and smile as your encourage them to participate. If they don't want to, don't push it, just try again later or on another day. If you have serious concerns, seek advice from an educational specialist.