Original Thought: Partnership Writing

Parent-child partnership is the key at this stage of development

What is Partnership Writing?

Partnership Writing is the most overlooked stage of writing development. It is a writing-revising-editing partnership between a young writer and a writing coach (YOU!). It’s the stage where parent and child write together, with the parent providing the much-needed support to get those precious, quirky insights to the page.

Is my child in the Partnership Writing stage?

Your child:

  • can write a sentence or a few words at a time but tires easily.
  • needs help with spelling, punctuation, and getting rich vocabulary to the page.
  • shows interest in using a pencil or keyboard but is not ready to “go it alone.”
  • needs modeling for how to take thoughts and put them in writing.

In other words, your child wants to share thoughts and ideas through writing but original writing does not reflect the mind-life or verbal fluency. This is often seen in nine- and ten-year-olds but don’t be governed by age range. Focus instead on the description and match it to your child.

If your child is over the age of ten but at the Jot It Down level developmentally, we recommend using Partnership Writing. The writing projects in this program will be better suited to an older child's interest and maturity levels.

In a family with multiple children and a range of developmental stages, Partnership Writing can be easily adapted for use with children at the Jot It Down! and the Faltering Ownership stages of development.

Purchase Partnership Writing here: Partnership Writing

Read more about the Partnership Writing stage of writing here:

Partnership Writing Primer

Partnership Writing Podcast

Natural Stages of Growth in Writing

Helpful Guide for all the Stages of Writing Growth