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Help Your Child Write an Essay: How to Organize Thoughts

In a five-paragraph essay, the first paragraph (like this one) is an introduction to the topic about which the child will write. Three middle paragraphs create the body of the essay and the last paragraph is a conclusion. A five-paragraphs essay (which can be short or long) is long enough to explain a topic, support it with details, and write a conclusion.

The introduction tells the reader what the essay is about. This paragraph should be at least three sentences long. For example, an introduction written by a first or second grader might say, "My essay is going to explain what I did during summer vacation. We went to the beach and swam every day. My whole family loves the beach." For children in the later elementary years, this last sentence may contain a thesis, or point, the author intends to prove in the following paragraphs.

The second paragraph should be a natural segue from the introduction and begin with a topic sentence that tells the main idea of the paragraph. This should be followed by three or more sentences that explain or defend the main idea. These sentences should contain specific facts or supporting detail and lead into a closing sentence that ties the end of the paragraph back to the topic sentence. For example, continuing the essay about summer vacation, a child might write, "We left for the beach on a Saturday morning. {Topic for this paragraph} We took the train from Union Station and when we got to the beach, my Uncle Ralph picked us up. The weather was warm and sunny. We could smell the ocean. Uncle Ralph took us to our cabin. That Saturday, the waves were small and we couldn't wait to go swimming."

The third and fourth paragraphs should each begin with a topic sentence that naturally transitions from the preceding paragraph. The writer should create three or more sentences following the topic sentence, providing specific, related details followed by a closing sentence.

For example, the third paragraph could read, "As soon as we unpacked on Saturday, we put on our swim suits and headed for the beach. I ran down to the water and it was pretty cold. The waves were so small that I could swim around and use my snorkel. I saw some fish. My Mom and Dad and sister were splashing around, too. After a while, we got very hungry, so we left the beach to eat dinner."

The fourth paragraph might say, "The next six days, we went swimming every day. I got to use a paddleboard. My sister tried out her water wings. One day, the waves were big and Dad held me up high and we jumped over them. Mom fixed picnic lunches every day."

The conclusion summarizes the essay. It needs a topic sentence and three or more sentences that sum up what has been written. The last sentence should tell what the essay was about (similar to the introduction). For example, "This was the best summer vacation ever! My whole family had a great time swimming every day. We love the beach even more now. My summer vacation at the beach was fantastic!"

Follow these instructions to write a well-structured essay. Help your child because essay-writing is an important skill for school success. If you are not able to help your child, consider a professional tutor.

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