Writing

CLiF Kids’ Poetry Contest!

National Poetry Month is coming up in April, but you don’t have to wait until then to get your poetic juices flowing! Poetry has lots of benefits for readers and writers of all ages, including building vocabulary, language, and imagination. It’s also fun! The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is hosting a Kids’ Poetry Contest. Children … Continued

Writing

The Importance of Encouraging Your Child to Write

Research shows that literacy skills are one of the strongest indicators of a child’s future success. But literacy isn’t just reading; writing effectively is an essential skill for success in school and in life, and has a lot of social and emotional benefits, too. Writing can help kids (and adults!) process their feelings, destress, and … Continued

Writing

Get to Work: How to Improve Your Writing

Whether you’re an aspiring author or a prolific journal-er, you can always improve your writing. The most important thing, I tell my students at New Degree Press/Creator Institute, is developing good habits and a regular practice. Schedule writing time into your routine. Not everyone can find time to write every day, though that’s a great … Continued

Writing

6 Tips To Find Your Own Unique Writing Style

Writing can be a miraculous activity that thrills both authors and readers from all over the world. Almost everyone starts writing at one point in life because somehow it just feels natural to express your thoughts and feelings in the textual form. But not everyone is capable of writing uniquely. It takes a genuine master … Continued

Presenter Profiles

Marv Klassen-Landis, Storyteller/Author/Poet

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Marv Klassen-Landis of Windsor, VT. Marv uses stories, writing, and theater to help kids and adults learn more about themselves. Marv is a co-founder of the Children’s Voices Theater. Watch a clip of Marv’s presentation from CLiF’s Virtual Author’s Series here. CLiF created the outline below … Continued

Writing

Announcing the Winners of CLiF’s Kids’ Writing Contest!

We asked kids 12 & under in New Hampshire and Vermont to reimagine their favorite fairy tales in keeping with the Collaborative Summer Learning Program’s 2020 theme: “Imagine Your Story.” We were impressed by all of the creative “fractured fairy tales” we received! Stories included “Humpty Mumpty,” who puts the king’s men together again, the … Continued

General

Boosting Your Literacy Skills: 5 Time-Tested Techniques

People often tend to keep the status quo even if there are proven ways to improve their skills or knowledge. Literacy is definitely one area many individuals can work on, particularly if you know that it represents a fundamental asset in the 21st century. Despite the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 … Continued

Writing

Submit to CLiF’s Kids’ Writing Contest!

What if the witch’s house in Hansel and Gretel was made of vegetables instead of candy? What if the Big Bad Wolf wasn’t so bad? What if your favorite fairy tales were different? Reimagine classic stories for CLiF’s “Fractured Fairy Tales” writing contest for kids! This summer’s Collaborative Summer Library Program’s theme is Imagine Your … Continued

Writing / Literacy Activities

Write On! Fun Writing Prompts

What better time to practice writing? In addition to being an important skill for self-expression and communication, and essential to success in school and life, writing can be a good way to process what’s happening, record your ideas, reduce stress, and have fun! Make writing a part of your child’s daily routine. You can even … Continued

Research

New research: Teaching, enjoying, encouraging reading and writing

Happy 2020 from your friends at CLiF. Compiled here, new research and insights for everyone working to improve success in and love of kids’ reading and writing. Get more program ideas from our website. For everyone: – Mississippi was the only state to see improvement in reading assessments, four things they are doing– Why children … Continued

General / Writing

3 Tips to Teach Kids to Learn Writing in a Fun Way

When you want your child to learn something new, the most important thing is to show him that the learning process will be interesting and engaging. Forcing your child to write and driving him into a rigid framework can result in a lack of interest/engagement in writing. For a preschool child, these are all abstractions … Continued

General

Literacy Is Not Only Reading To Write

Literacy is a set of skills needed to function in society. Communication skills, vocabulary, and comprehension are all essential, no matter what your personal or professional goals are. Literacy is not just about reading to write; it is an umbrella under which every aspect of thought processing and action comes with etiquettes. Below are some points to … Continued

General / Writing

Teaching Kids How to Unleash Their Creative Writing Genius

When they’re given the freedom to create, children are some of the most imaginatively creative and free thinkers. Nurturing that creativity is important in order keep it active and to encourage them to continue being creative. And, creative story writing is a great way for them to exercise their imaginations and explore the reaches of … Continued

General / Writing

How Writing (and Reading) Can Help Heal Trauma

Whenever I’ve dealt with something difficult in my life, I’ve turned to writing. Writing helps me process, work through challenges, and make sense of my emotions. It also helps me express myself to others. Sometimes the writing turns into something I share with the public; sometimes it never sees the light of day outside of … Continued

Presenter Profiles

Q & A with Rajnii Eddins

CLiF is proud to work with 64 talented authors, illustrators, poets, graphic novelists, and storytellers from every corner of Vermont and New Hampshire to inspire low-income, at-risk, and rural kids to love reading and writing. We send our amazing presenters to schools, libraries, after school programs, childcare centers, summer camps, affordable housing developments, and other … Continued

CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.

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