About this episode
If your homeschooler recoils at the sight of a blank page, this conversation with Julie Bogart—author of Help! My Kid Hates Writing and founder of Brave Writer—is exactly what you need. Together, we explore how to shift from making writing a chore to crafting it as a joyful path of self-expression. You’ll discover practical strategies on how to help reluctant writers, plus powerful insight into reclaiming your own voice in the process.
How to Help Reluctant Writers? Writing Begins with Self‑Expression
Julie reminds us that writing is for the writer first, not the grader. It’s a tool for self‑discovery—not a performance. When kids (and moms) write from the inside out, they find a deeper meaning and voice.
Writing itself was a life preserver, a healer, a cheerleader, a clarifier, a challenger. It was the way for me to get clear on who I really was to help me find my voice, and now I see with other women that it doesn’t matter if you like to write, it’s more about you being able to express yourself fully.
Teresa Wiedrick, author of Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer
https://youtu.be/crQBIriQWFs?si=v2yqWn6wXWAo4Aao
How to Help for Reluctant Writers
The key to encouraging writing isn’t more structure—it’s freedom. When children are allowed to explore ideas in their own style—without policing grammar—their unique voice emerges.Encourage them to:
Write about personal experiences
Play with language, even if spelling isn’t perfect
Use writing as a space for creativity—not evaluation
What I know is that if you give your children the right to write, if they feel it’s within their jurisdiction to write, they will use it. If they never get comfortable with it, they will avoid it. And that will be a limiting factor in what they can do.
Julie Bogart, author of Help! My Kid Hate to Write
