Planning blog posts

Plan blog posts

One exercise you may want to encourage your children to do is to sit down and plan their blog posts.

This has a number of advantaged including:

• knowing what to post
• time to research topics
• time to write posts before typing them in to the blog
• finding the right picture to go with the post

It is up to you and your child how far in advance you plan, with children, you may not want to go more than 1 month ahead. One of the easiest ways to plan is to sit down with a calendar – one that has spaces large enough to write in on each day.

First, mark in any special days. This could include public activities such as Christmas and Easter, as well as family events, such as birthdays, and also school events, such as school holidays and excursions.

Next, look at what would make a good blog post. If they are school or family events, talk about how you can turn them in to a post without revealing too much detail about your child. For example, if your child is going to perform at school assembly, rather than post about the performance, they could share their tips for overcoming nerves, how much fun it is to perform, or, if your child is a budding comedy writer, tips on how to fake it, or even how to get out of it!

Look at what events may need some research. For example, in April, we observe ANZAC Day. Your child may want to post about some aspect of ANZAC Day. Talk with your child about the sorts of things they could research. It could be as simple as “What does ANZAC stand for?” to more detailed research about World War 1.

Also look at what they may be doing at school. For example, some schools may look at Christmas traditions, so your child may have a project researching the history of Christmas Stockings, for example. Work out if there is a way to turn this in to a blog post.

With your child, review the notes you have made during this process, and then work out which items are going to be posts and when they will be posted. Your child will then have a plan of what they can post for the next month (or whatever period they decided on).

Keep in mind, that this won’t work for every child. Some children will work well to a plan, and others will prefer to blog whatever they feel like at the time. Your child will find their own blogging style.

Guest post on your blog

Invite your child to be a guest blogger

If you or your child are unsure about having a blog to themselves, you can introduce them to blogging by inviting them to do a guest post on your blog.

Whatever they write about, make sure it fits in with the theme of your blog, just like any other guest post.

Some ideas could include:

• Their take on an activity or event you have blogged about
• A review of a product, toy or activity
• Their thoughts on life
• A play, craft or activity idea

The topic of their post will depend on the theme of your blog. You could also give them your digital camera and invite them to participate in a “Wordless Wednesday” post or take photos of the activity they are blogging about.

If a single post works well, they may be a regular on your blog, working up to when you are both ready for your child to have a blog of their own.

YOU are in control

Be in control of your child's blog

One advantage of a self hosted blog for your children is you can have more control over the posts that are published. Simply set yourself up as the admin user of the site and set up an account for your child.

Change the settings so your child is an author so they can submit posts, however they won’t have the permissions to publish them. You can then go in and approve posts for publishing.

One big advantage of this is you have the opportunity to check posts for anything that may identify your child or for any details you don’t want made public. You then have the choice of simply editing the post yourself, or asking your child to edit it first.

A good idea when editing posts is to explain to your child why you are editing their work. If it is simply a spelling error, work out if it was a typo or your child really wasn’t sure how to spell the word, then practice it with them. If it is something you don’t want public, explain that to your child the reasons behind this so they will know for next time.

Then, when the post meets your approval, publish the post to the blog.

Remember that YOU are in control of your child’s blog.

Write It Out First

Get your child to write their posts first

One issue with kids and technology is handwriting. Many kids are reluctant to write when they can type, and so many children have messy handwriting that is nearly illegible.

If handwriting is an issue with your child, you may want to get them to write out their posts in a note book before they type them up for publishing. This has a number of advantages. The first is, obviously, that your child will then be able to practice their handwriting.

The second is you will be able to check their post for spelling and grammar as well as making sure they aren’t putting anything inappropriate or things that will easily identify them, such as their school name.

The third is they will be able to start getting their thoughts down on paper before putting them on the screen. It is a good skill to learn, even though it may be easier to rearrange things in Word or even in the blog post window. This can also be a good discipline so they can write down ideas if they don’t have easy access to a computer.

If your child is reluctant to practice their handwriting but are enthusiastic about their blog, typing up their post can be their reward for practising. However don’t make this a hard and fast rule, especially if your child is always resistant. You may want to have a deal with your child that for every post they hand write first, they can type a post directly in to the computer.

Blogging should be fun

Blogging should be fun

Blogging should be a fun activity for kids. There is no point in having a blog for your child if they don’t enjoy it.

If your child is a reluctant writer, try and make it fun by setting some challenges and rewards, and finding some topics they are interested in.

Another way to keep things fun is to mix it up a bit. For example, if your child is having trouble writing a long post, have them type up their footy tips for the week, or do a “wordless” post by choosing a clip art photo and putting it up.

Your child may also simply want some time off from writing blog posts. If this is the case, give them a break and come back to it another day.

Blogging should be enjoyable for both you and your child, and not a chore or something you both come to hate.