Book excerpt: Strong writing skills are essential for success in school, college, and on the job. In 99 Ways to Get Kids to Love Writing, educator Mary Leonhardt provides parents with practical, easy-to-follow tips on how to teach their children the fundamentals of writing and make it fun for them at the same time. Here are just a few of her nuggets of advice: ¸ Always be encouraging about your children's writing. ¸ Don't worry about teaching grammar to kids when they are just beginning to write. Most grammar knowledge is acquired rather than directly learned. ¸ Provide plenty of writing material. ¸ Encourage your preschool children to dictate stories to you. Leonhardt follows up with 10 Easy Ways to Teach Them Grammar, essential tools for all budding writers.