Poet John Ciardi once remarked that to be a good writer, you have to fall in love with words. You can help your child improve writing skills by encouraging a verbal love affair. Our Writing, Language Arts and SAT Programs Preparation programs direct students on the clear and more-nuanced aspects of good writing. You can assist at home by focusing on some of the more intriguing--and even fun--elements that constitute good writing.

Start with the metaphor. Using it well will benefit your child both now and later in his professional life as well. (Business guru Warren Bennis asserts, "If I were to give off-the-cuff advice to anyone seeking to institute change, the first question I would ask is, 'How clear is your metaphor?' ")

Metaphors are simply comparisons between two things not usually compared. Point them out when your family sees or hears them. Collect some on your own and share them with your child. Encourage her to develop some on her own and include them in her own writing.

Here are a few you to get you started. Discuss their deeper meaning with your child. Be the bridge between your child's current efforts and her future success.

• Like cars in amusement parks, our direction is often determined through collisions. -Yahia Lababidi

• Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven. -Yiddish proverb

• A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule. -Michael Pollan

• Conscience is a dog that does not stop us from passing, but that we cannot prevent from barking. -Nicolas de Chamfort

• Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it. -Albert Richard Smith