How to Write an Autobiography for Kids
Knowing how to write an autobiography for kids is a good way to start enhancing your writing and communication skills. Mastering the art is quite easy and with the tips that we will provide herein, you will be able to find out how to go about writing autobiographies for kids. Further, we will also show you well written sample autobiographies to vividly illustrate how a good one should be crafted.
Writing an autobiography for kids requires that you first understand the basic elements of this kind of autobiography. An autobiography is a non-fictional account of a person. The document should provide a detailed coverage of the significant experiences or occurrences in that person’s life.
Unlike most kinds of autobiographies, an autobiography for kids is relatively shorter and simple. However, it still has to tell the story of the particular kid that it is focused on, just like a typical autobiography.
Mastering the art of how to write an autobiography for kids will enable you to easily understand the various effective writing devices used by authors. At school, it is a good way of getting to know each other better. On the other hand, it can also help kids to remember their history and discover themselves.
By knowing how to write an autobiography for kids, you will be able to assist them in putting together, their life stories through the use of texts, photos and other materials.
Guidelines on how to write an autobiography for kids
Although writing an autobiography for kids may seem easier because of the assumption that such documents usually have little content to be covered, there are certain factors that you must look into.
Below are tips on how to write an autobiography for kids.
Conduct research on the child
In order to get the information to present in the autobiography, you have to begin by doing some research on the subject’s background. It is important that you get in touch with the parents or guardians of the child to plan how to acquire the information that you need.
In some cases, the parents or guardians may offer all the information. However, it is always advisable that you also get to interact with the kid on a personal level if possible in order to get the facts right.
While doing the research, you should be keen on dates and specific events in the life of the subject since those will serve as the basis of the autobiography. Looking at photos of the child can be a good source of information for the autobiography.
Ensure that you ask questions in case there is something that needs clarification. It is advisable that you ask open-ended questions in order to give the kids an opportunity to reflect on the important experiences that will shape the autobiography.
Organize the events and dates in proper format
Since the autobiography will discuss the life history of the kid, it is important that you take time to put down the points in the way that you would want to handle them. In the course of organizing the points, you will be able to sieve the information and identify the right one for the paper.
Ensure that every event or occasion in the life of the kid that you intend to discuss corresponds to specific dates.
The best way to organize the events and dates is chronological since it will help in ensuring a smooth flow of the story.
By organizing your points as outlined above, you will have created an outline to refer to when writing.
This is how you write an autobiography for kids
A typical autobiography should consist of an introduction, body and conclusion. However, each one of these sections play an important role and should consist of particular information. Simply follow the steps outlined below to find out how to write an autobiography for kids.
Introduction
The opening statements should clearly identify the subject of the autobiography. You can begin by giving the name and age of the child that the autobiography is about. Besides, you can also state the kid’s residence and maybe a brief description the place.
In case the autobiography is only focused on a particular event in the life of the kid, you should also ensure that it is briefly discussed in the opening paragraph.
In the introduction, you can also state the names of the kid’s parents for proper identification of the subject of the autobiography.
Body paragraphs
In the body, you can now begin to discuss the particular experiences or events in the life of the kid from birth to where they are now. Based on the experiences that you have decided to highlight, it is always important that you handle them in a way that one can read and follow.
Use a different paragraph to talk about a particular experience for clarity. In writing the autobiography, it is advisable that you refer to the kid’s personal experiences when explaining certain elements like character. However, you must be careful to make sure that the event is related to the particular trait of the child.
It is advisable that in case there is a particular event or experience in the life of the kid that you were unable to get full details on, simply ignore it. Including inaccurate information may ruin the entire autobiography and should be avoided at all costs.
In the body of the autobiography, many choose to focus only on the good experiences. However, it is also important to share a few challenges to make the document to appear real and interesting.
Conclusion
Just like academic papers, your autobiography should have a conclusion that points out to the future. This implies it should be written in a way that leaves the readers with something to think about.
On this part, you should talk about the aspirations or goals of the child that the autobiography is about. You can also finish the document by giving a general view of the kid’s life experiences in a way that other children and readers can relate to.
Examples of autobiography for kids
Reading autobiography samples is also another great way through which you can easily know how to write an autobiography for kids. Here are some examples that you can quickly refer to for more insights on writing kids’ autobiographies.
Example 1
Mae Jemison: Space Star
‘’Have you ever dreamed of flying freely through the outer space, surrounded by a sea of stars? Mae Jemison saw that dream come true. On September 12, 1992, aboard the spaceship Endeavor, she became the first African-American women to tour the outer space. This was not the only time, however, she has reached for the stars and fulfilled her dreams.
Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. During the time that she was growing up, there were not many well-known African-American female role models but that did not deter her from attaining her goals…’’
(To read the rest of this sample autobiography, simply refer to timeforkids.com.
Example 2
Part of My Life
‘’My name is Gabriela Arrevillaga. I am 17 years old and live in Tapachula Chiapas, Mexico. The city is hot all the time and we have a beach.
I have a beautiful family. I have one brother and sister. My father and mother are called Jorge and Irma. My sister’s name is Irma too while my brother is called Jorge. He is married to Alejandra and both of them are expecting their first child in November, something that the family is so excited about.
I have a beautiful dog; Siberian husky that is my lovely baby. My hobbies are dancing, singing, swimming, skating, spending time with friends and going to the cinema.
As a child, I studied ballet because of my love for dancing and the experience was quite interesting…’’
Read the rest of this autobiography at elc.byu.edu.
Example 3
A Short Autobiography of Dan Mahoney
‘’I was born in Manhattan on September 21, 1947, five minutes after the birth of Steven King in Maine. (I am not sure of what that means but I guess it means something). I grew up in Manhattan and Queens and soon found myself as the eldest among five children. I graduated from high school at 16 years of age, too bad for me since I was still too young to own a driver’s license in New York. I did not realize that I had to attend college in order to have my ticket punched. Instead, I worked as a machinist and auto mechanic for one year before joining the Marine Corps at 17 years of age. A while later, I found myself in Vietnam as a machine gunner with the 9th Marines, an outfit dubbed The Walking Dead…’’
Find the whole of this autobiography here.
We hope from the above guide you now know how to write an autobiography for kids with ease.
Are you a college or university student and unable to handle the pressure of doing many complex assignments and submitting them on time? We can assist you write and submit them on time without fear of getting revisions. If you are interested with our services kindly get in touch with us today. Alternatively, you can also take a tour of our homepage to find out more about our custom paper writing services.
References
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7158040_guidelines-writing-autobiography-elementary-students.html
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/writing-autobiography-0
http://custom-writing.org/blog/writing-tips/free-essay-writing-tips/17711.html