How to Teach Opinion Writing for Kids

Writing is one of the versatile and helpful skills that kids can learn as they advance in life. Once they start to hold a pen or learn how to type, perhaps teaching opinion writing for kids is something you would like to try. As a parent or an educator, you may be wondering how you can start.

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Opinion Writing for Kids: Why is it Important?

Before I begin teaching the different strategies of opinion writing, it is helpful to know why this area of creating literature is important. Opinion writing activities help children to:

• Explain their view in a clear and concise manner
• Share their thoughts in written form
• Make convincing arguments for their perspective
• Teach critical thinking skills at an early age

Letting children explore their own perspectives is something that helps in many vocations, such as STEM, healthcare, law enforcement, or journalism.

In this post, I will be sharing the different opinion writing prompts, materials, and activities you can do to fully master this skill.

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Opinion Writing Activities: Ways to Master this Skill

Teach the concept of facts vs. opinions

Before getting started with opinion writing topics or activities, it is important to define to children what an opinion is in the first place. Opinions are defined as personal perspectives, while facts are established truths. Opinions are not necessarily right or wrong, they are how individual people see things.

Defining this and setting clear examples in the first place helps children to understand the differences between facts and opinions. It can also help them be respectful of others’ opinions as well.

Use opinion writing materials

Once you have set a definition for what an opinion is, you can now proceed to opinion writing examples. This can be done by using materials such as a prompt list, or a workbook with different kinds of topics for writing and discussion.

In the workbook “Opinion Writing for Kids”, you can find ready-made worksheets for students or your children to use for opinion writing. It has different topics which are age-appropriate, such as seasons, food preferences, or environment-related. Find it on Amazon.

Have a fun debate

Another great activity to do is start a debate before working on opinion writing activities. Debating helps in children’s thought processes and gives them a starting point on how they can make their own opinion writing examples.

To start a fun debate, you can have a fishbowl of topics and children can pick which side they are on, such as “fall is better than summer” or “summer is better than fall”. Give them time to form their arguments and explanations, and then give them the ground rules for debating such as being respectful and ending with the time limit.

After this activity, you can now proceed to let them write their opinions on the same topic.

Distinguishing opinion writing samples

You can also present samples of other people’s opinion writing. This is one way of teaching opinion writing for kids. Looking at stellar and not-so-great samples helps give a model that children can use when they create their own opinion pieces.

Dissect elements such as opinion statements, supporting points, arguments, and conclusions to see which pieces are great examples and which ones are not.

I hope you find these opinion writing for kids tips helpful in your teaching.

As always, don’t forget to check out the resource mentioned above, “Opinion Writing for Kids” on Amazon.

Also read:

Auditory Memory Disorder: Strategies To Improve for Kids and Adults

How to Teach Prepositions: Easy, Simple Ways

Educational Games for Kids: Fun Video Games To Play With Children

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