IELTS Writing Task 2 | Is doing an enjoyable activity with a child better than reading?

• Introduction:
• Paraphrase the overall essay main topic.
• Write a clear opinion.
• 1st Body Paragraph
• Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea.
• Explain your main idea.
• Develop it with specific or hypothetical examples.
• 2nd Body Paragraph
• Write a new topic sentence with a new main idea.
• Explain your new main idea.
• Include specific details and examples.
• Add as much information as you can and make sure it links logically.
• Conclusion:
• Summarise your main ideas.
• Include a final thought.

• Some today have argued that in order to best facilitate a child’s skills and imagination they should participate in engaging activities instead of spending time reading. In my opinion, although reading is beneficial to imagination to an extent, it is better to take part in a more active pastime.
• Those who argue in favor of reading maintain that it stimulates creativity. For generations, parents have read stories to children not only to impart moral lessons but also for inspiration. One of the most famous children’s authors, Dr. Seuss, is well-known for his imaginative drawings, creative rhymes, and socially conscious plotlines. Children who read his stories are then likely to imitate this example in their own writing and artwork. As kids grow older, they can discover other creative writers and use reading as a way to imagine diverse worlds and characters. By doing so, they will implicitly have more examples to creatively rely on in their studies and future work.
• However, a fun activity requires greater levels of engagement. This is broadly true for a number of pastimes ranging from playing sports and making art to socializing and going on holiday. For instance, if parents decide to teach painting, their children will have to learn how to employ different kinds of paints and papers, choose subjects to portray, and learn the techniques to achieve any given effect. They will also have to develop resilience and dedication as their first paintings are unlikely to be successes. If this activity is done in a group, then they can develop social skills at the same time. Depending on the activity, a child will have to push themselves outside their comfort zone far beyond what is required when passively reading a book alone.
• In conclusion, despite the legitimate benefits of reading for imagination, I would argue that a more active undertaking has more concrete and memorable advantages. Parents should encourage a balance but prioritize active engagement over passivity.

Vocabulary and Useful Expressions

• facilitate: make it possible to, allow for
• imagination: creativity, thinking of lots of ideas
• participate in engaging activities instead of spending time reading: do fun stuff rather than reading books
• beneficial to imagination to an extent: helps you be more creative somewhat
• take part in a more active pastime: do more active activities
• Those who argue in favor of: people who support
• maintain: argue
• stimulates creativity: makes you more imaginative
• not only to impart moral lessons: more than just telling you ethical stories
• inspire: encourage
• well-known for his imaginative drawings: famous for creative pictures
• creative rhymes: interesting words that sound the same
• socially conscious plotlines: stories that show you care about the world
• imitate: copy
• As kids grow older: when children grow up
• discover other creative writers: find different imaginative authors
• imagine diverse worlds and characters: think of varied places and people
• By doing so: in this way
• implicitly: not explicitly
• rely on: depend on
• studies: schoolwork
• future work: job later
• requires greater levels of engagement: need more interaction
• This is broadly true for: mostly the case for
• ranging from playing sports and making art to socializing and going on holiday: including…
• decides: chooses
• employ: use
• subjects: what you choose to draw about
• portray: how it is shown
• learn the techniques to achieve any given effect: know how to make different kinds of images
• develop resilience: become grittier
• dedication: commitment
• unlikely to be successes: not much chance of it working out
• social skills at the same time: interacting with others also
• Depending on: relying on
• push themselves outside their comfort zone far beyond: challenge yourself
• passively reading a book alone: buried in a book on your own
• despite the legitimate benefits of: regardless of the real advantages of
• active undertaking: not a passive activity
• concrete: real, tangible
• memorable advantages: easy to remember benefits
• encourage a balance: promote equality
• prioritize active engagement over passivity: focus more on activity rather than doing nothing