{photo credit}
For many kids, writing is their least favorite subject. Even the teaching of handwriting can be quite dry. I’d love to share 25 of my favorite ways to make writing fun {yes, even handwriting}. Plus, there’s a Making Writing Fun Basket Giveaway at the end of it all…actually there are 25 basket giveaways with iHomeschool Network!
Writing Tips for Young Writers
1-Read rich literature of all genres to your child. Talk about how the author used this “fancy” word instead of a “boring” word. Point out the climax of the story and how the author resolved the problem. Help your child see that they can piggyback on such ideas in their own writing. 2-Give them the freedom to just write/draw without over correcting spellings, letter formation, etc. There will be times when these things are important and need to be corrected, but sometimes kids just need a “judgment free zone”. 3- Let them write about things that interest them. So what if he just wrote his 5th book on playing soccer? At least he’s writing! If his written works all start sounding the same, suggest that he write about the rules of soccer, how his team won their last game, or a soccer poem. 4- Provide resources, such as a Word Wall, a book you’ve just read together, labels around your house, or a kids’ dictionary that helps them spell.
5-Write for authentic purposes (letters, thank you cards, pen pals, a grocery list, etc.).
6- Allow them to use invented spelling when needed.
7- Not every misspelling or incorrect convention has to become a “teachable moment” or mini lesson. Sometimes my kids just want a mama to encourage, not a reading mama to teach. 
8- Treat them as a “real” author: put the books they’ve written on the bookshelf to be read. Let them read their work to others–peers especially.
9- Don’t overdo it! Kids don’t need to write a summary, fill out a worksheet, or answer questions in a Reading Response Journal every time they’ve read a text. These things are good things in moderation, but sometimes a simple discussion between the two of you will suffice.
10- Organize your home for writing with fun writing manipulatives {see the list below}
Playing with Writing {Fun Writing Tools}
11- Magna Doodle {mess free} 12- Aqua Doodle {mess free} 13- Crayola Wonder {mess free} 14- Crayola 2-in-1 Doodle Board {mess free}
15- GloDoodle {mess free}
16- Crayola Explosion {mess free}
17- Crayola Secret Writer {mess free} – you can also write on a white piece of paper with white crayon and use water color marker to discover the message, too!
18- sidewalk chalk
19- art easel {we love our wooden IKEA easel}
20- bathtub crayons {we got ours at Target}
21- Crayola makes awesome markers for glass surfaces {we’ve used ours on the windows in the house and van as well as mirrors}
22- dry erase boards- you can buy some or make your own with shower boards {found at your local hardware store} / markers {Crayola makes washable dry erase markers}
23- highlighters- kids of all ages {even 5th graders} like to use highlighters!
24- work mazes and puzzles {we took our Puzzle Buzz Magazine, pulled them apart, and made a puzzle/maze book that both my boys have enjoyed over and over again}
25- writing toys, like HearthSong’s Color Me Bunny; just be sure your child understands that this is a special toy designed for writing 
And now, you have a chance to win a Making Writing Fun Basket! Items inside include: Crayola Dry Erase Bright Crayons, Crayola Window Markers, Crayola Secret Writer, ALEX Draw in the Tub Set, and 2 different sized dry erase boards {basket and plastic eggs not included}.
Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. PLEASE note that the only mandatory entry is a comment on my blog post. All entries to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and G+ are optional. Please read all terms and conditions before entering.
AND…please hop around to the 24 other iHomeschool Network basket giveaways! You’ll find all kinds of baskets available. Just click on the image below:
(1) Mad Scientist Basket from Milk and Cookies
(2) ”See the Light” Easter Art Basket from Classic Housewife
(3) Tea Time Basket from See Jamie Blog
(4) Butterfly Basket from Spell Outloud
(5) Family Movie Night Basket from Jennifer A. Janes
(6) Pamper the Homeschool Mom Basket from Granola Mom 4 God
(7) Freezer Cooking Basket from Motherhood on a Dime
(8) Hodgepodge Basket from Hodgepodge
(9) Healthy Living and Fitness Basket from Forever, For Always, No Matter What
(10) Making Writing Fun Basket from This Reading Mama
(11) Coffee: Fuel for Homeschooling Moms Basket from Homeschoolin’ Mama
(12) Mom’s Quiet Time Basket from Upside Down Homeschooling
(13) Missionary Basket from Our Journey Westward
(14) Happy Mom Basket from Habits for a Happy Home
(15) Crafty Goodness Basket from Mamas Learning Corner
(16) Rejuvenate the Mom Basket from Spoonful of Imagination
(17) Beginner’s Math Manipulatives Basket from Meet Penny
(18) Welcome Spring: Gardening Basket from Abundant Life
(19) Healthy Living Basket from The Encouraging Home
(20) Mom’s Pampering Basket from Teaching Mama
(21) Kid’s Gardening Basket from Momma Hopper
(22) The Gift of Parenting Basket from Teachers of Good Things
(23) Preschool Crafts Basket from It’s Gravy, Baby!
(24) All the Extras – Electives and Enrichment Basket from Curriculum Choice
(25) Homeschool Mom Basket Case Basket from Classic Housewife
I am a kindergarten teacher and use most of your ideas but a few favorites are writing in a small sandbox and using scented markers.
We write words from foam stickers.
Utilizing as many manipulative as possible at various times!
We rainbow write using a different color for each word or sentence.
The Magna Doodle has always been a favorite around here!
I teach grade 7 and I try to make the writing task something that they might actually care about and/or that’s just kind of fun. We did procedural writing last week – How to Trap A Leprechaun. I know that many people use this one as a prompt – but they had a lot of fun with it!
Thanks for this giveaway – my 2 boys at home would love this (ages 2 and 5).
Krystal
http://www.lessonsfromthemiddle.com
Emy loves writing! We do a lot of copy type work. She asks me how to spell words and I write them down for her to copy. I’d love to keep her love of writing and learning going strong!
My four-year-old likes to write in cornmeal and other fun surfaces. My five-year-old loves a new notebook and fancy pencils.
Fun journal entries, stories, comic strips and letter writing to friends!
My daughter enjoys writing on our wall white Board. But generally doesn’t like writing for very long.
Lots of the ways you mentioned we use as well. Writing is not a favorite in our house, so I love this post! Thanks for the fun giveaway, too!
We try to mix it up, write about a particular topic, or maybe make up a story about a picture, etc.
My kids like writing letters and words on sand/salt trays.
We’ve worn out several MagnaDoodles and lots of dry erase markers and sidewalk chalk here.Dd5 will write on anything–paper, whiteboard, carport, walls. Ds9 not so much. I can’t even get him to add items to a shopping list.
Thanks for the advice…writing is not a favorite here.
Dry erase boards and MagnaDoodles.
We use glitter markers or sidewalk chalk
We just signed up for a pen pal! My little one is turning 5 in June and she LOVES writing. She carries a journal and a book everywhere and copies out titles and words for hours. She does seem paralyzed to move past copying, though. I think she’s afraid of misspelling, so we’ll need to work on that. (Her mama also struggles with fear of doing something if won’t be perfect on the first try…thankful for grace!)
My kids enjoy writing, but we generally use the boring, write on paper method. Thanks for all the fun tips!!
We are just getting started so we color and try to find shapes and words in the scribbles
I give my kids dry erase boards.
This was a great post! Thank you. Always looking for ways to work on writing. Loved the window market idea.
I will be homeschooling in the Fall
I got my son a set of stamps, he asks how to spell words and he spells them with the stamps. Also, he LOVES his magnadoodle and dry erase workbooks!
We have a large chalkboard and dry erase board in the middle of our house. This encourages the kids to draw and then I ask them to write a sentence to go along with their picture.
We write in the bathtub with bath crayons and use shaving cream to practice spelling words. What an amazing giveaway!!! I would to have one of these baskets! Bloggers that give with receive so much more when they give. I read some of your blog……AWESOME stuff!!
We have a couple chalkboard walls in the house, lots of dry-erase boards, and use chalk often on the driveway.
We have a large tower of drawers with lots of different writing materials. Markers, colored pencils, crayons, paint, etc.
Making writing fun is hard in a house with two boys who are left-handed with a right-handed Mama. I use things like pouring sugar into a baking pan…then they can write in the sugar. I have used sand as well. I have used the bathtub crayons before as well. Just trying everything. I think they would LOVE the window markers. Two of our doors in our house have full sized glass…I can imagine seeing them all colorful with the kids’ writings on them!
We like using shaving cream and sand to write.
I use a big notepad and let my child dictate while I write her words sometimes. She enjoys getting her ideas out without worrying about spelling and she becomes more creative.
Using lots of bright colors… and sand too!
Great basket idea. Thanks for doing the giveaway.
I make sure my children see me writing – a LOT! I’ll write something in pencil for them to trace rather than print something out from the computer.
What a fun way to write!!
We have a salt box and we use every writing utensil or use different colors for different letters.
We like writing words in silly ways…upside down, in a circle, etc. gets the kids to practice their handwriting!
My son has his own writing notebook. Whenever he writes something he is really proud of, we make copies of it and send it to family. This way, he gets to feel as though he has been published.
love window crayons:-) great ideas. jaime@fspdt
My daughter LOVES to use shaving cream on her desk to write in, we also make a dry erase activity book with different sheets in it every few weeks pertaining to what we are studying. I also give her lots of little mini notebooks that come from grandparents/aunts/etc for all the holidays for her to “write” whatever she wants!
My 8yr. dd loves to pick out pretty little notebooks/journals to do creative writing in. Picking out her own notebook seems to help make it more fun!
They love using chalk on our easel.
Fun~
One of my boys loves to write and totes a notebook everywhere. The other can be enticed to write about Sonic or Mario – find what he’s interested in and he’ll attempt a story.
I try to let them write about things they love. Provide fun paper and pencils. Lots of the same ideas you gave here!
I let my daughter make books
The dry erase board and the Magna doodle are the favorite writing methods at my house, but I would like to try some of the others you mentioned.
I always read quality literature and have white paper, markers, and crayons available.
Would love to wint this!!!
My daughter hates to write, but one thing that we do that she likes is to write a story as a family. One person starts and we all take turns writing! Love to see all the different thoughts and handwriting!!!
my kids love the bible so we write our verses. they love it!
When I taught I would use individual white boards for the students to write on and then erase.
I have the kids create their own piece of writing and let them decorate the paper how ever they want with what they want (crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc.)
We are just getting started with letters and writing. My daughter loves chalk and paint!
By writing in chalk in bright colors!
We let our kids use pens!
We try to have each child write to a special pen pal which is an elderly women at church.
My kids have recently discovered window markers. What a great way to make writing fun.
My daughter just turned 3, so we aren’t writing yet. We do a lot of reading and drawing though.
My youngest loves to write using dry erase, crayons, markers, pencils, etc. I change up what he writes with to make it interesting for him.
Using lots of fun materials! A variety of paper, premade books, etc. Markers, chalk, aqua doodle, magna doodle, etc.
We use many of the things you mentioned plus writing in shaving cream to help with sensory issues.
So glad to have found your blog. I am now following on Pinterest.
I give my daughter who is eight a blank notebook and let her write her own storys.
My kids like using the dry erase board. Also, we take some of their funnier early readers to use as copy work from time to time.
My kids love to write on the sliding glass doors with markers
I get out the markers! My daughter loves them, and will sit to work a lot longer if I let her use them!
My son has dysgraphia and needs writing instruction that is multi-sensory, with repetition in several mediums. I also have him dictate longer responses to me. Thanks for the chance to win!
I have four kids ages 6 and under, and they like to write using crayons, markers, chalk, paint, and anything that is different and fun!
What a fun giveaway, thanks for the chance to win!
A favorite in our house is sidewalk chalk. I can get my kiddos to write pretty much anything with chalk.
We try and make writing fun with silly journal prompts, the kids even help me make lists of funny prompts and we choose a new one each day.
We’re really into writing with shaving cream. Also my kids love to make comic books
I like to make writing fun for my two daughters by allowing multi sensory play during handwriting…such as using playdoh, paint, rice, soap, etc to learn the formation of letters. Thank you for this great basket!
I let my 9 year old practice her spelling words by writing them on the window with a dry erase marker. She loves it!
I use many different types of writing mediums for my kid’s. Dry erase, chalk board, paper of different textures, sidewalk with chalk, Etch a Sketch and Magnadoodle.
We write fun stories. The kids pick 3 or 4 cards from a big matching game we have and write a story based on that. My 6 year old likes to use the cards that spell the word out to make it a little easier for her.
Our daughter writes on the steam on the door when she takes a shower.
My son loves to write stores so I’ll often incorporate that into our language arts lesson. For example, we were studying dialogue so I had him work on the dialogue for his characters in his book with proper form and punctuation. It helped.
We keep travel clipboards with fun pens, markers, paper, stickers, etc. in the car at all times. They have fun asking how to spell things and keeps them busy in the car.
I use squiggles as open ended writing prompts with my kids. This basket would make for more creative writings.
This is a great list of ideas. We are struggling with writing and will be implementing several of these. Thanks!!!
We live close to the beach and love sand writing.
We are home-schoolers with an avid reader/ reluctant writer:) To make writing fun – we try to incorporate it into social opportunities. My little girl loooooves shared writing and will put so much more effort in when she is helping a friend or working together to write down a story or idea.
I try to keep topics fun and relevant to the child.
Using markers on a plastic page protector can be great fun for little ones. I think these is just something they like about using marker like a “big kid”.
Would love to have a magna doodle. My son could play with it all day!
My little writers are preK, so we do things with letters and crafts. Thanks for this giveaway!
Such great ideas to encourage writing! I especially like writing on windows, that would thrill my kids!
When they say cute/funny things I either write it down or I tell them, “Hurry and write that down!”
We have been writing on posterboard lately. My kids think it is so “cool”!
I try to make writing kinesthetic…if we can cut out strips of paper or symbols for punctuation and parts of speech…Montessori style! We also illustrate our writing in journals. It’s harder the older they get!
I will be beginning our homeschool journey in the fall with my 11 yr old daughter and my 6 yr old son so these tips will be VERY helpful! Thanks!
Doodle pads, chalk, and dry erase…want to introduce a salt tray soon and maybe some shaving cream fun or sensory bags as well.
iPad apps are fun!
I try to make writing fun by using a variety of activities–that way, my son doesn’t get bored with doing the same writing activity all the time.
I don’t know yet how to make handwriting fun…. still figuring that one out!
My youngest likes to get his hands on the dry erase board, colors make it more fun. For my eleven year old she likes to write when it matters to her so she keeps a journal and when writing when possible makes it personal. Happy Easter!
I let them make books – they love to tell a story and draw pictures for it!
Great ideas.thanks
Writing in salt or sugar!
I have been letting my little guy write on a dry erase board but even that has lost it luster lately!
Some great ideas here I’m going to have to try!!
We’ve recently taken on pen pals – this helps with writing, creativity, thinking of others, manners.
I love your tips in this post – I’m making note for upcoming travel and camping trips!
My grandson and I use old magazines to find words in and than we cut them out to create what he wants to say! He is just learning, but likes finding words he knows in other books or magazines. Thanks for the many ideals!
RIght now we just use a magnadoodle
we practice our spelling words during bath time with tub crayons.
My favorite way to make writing fun for my 2nd grader is to have a Topic of the Day (something I know will interest him to write about). I write the topic on the top of the page and he writes a short story. He loves to draw so when he is finished writing he can then draw an illustration to go with it. We were struggling to find a way to encourage him and this really did it!
My daughter actually loves to write. She creates her own opportunities many times by mailing letters to family members, sending an email to a cousin, writing “books”, etc.
I’m so glad I found your site via Pinterest! I will be following you from now on, you have so much greatness to share! Thank you for blogging!
My kids love sensory activities so I use shaving cream and playdough quite a bit.
Writing spelling words in shaving cream made all the difference in our house!
My 5 year old hates to just write letters, but loves to write when it seems “necessary”. He reads encyclopedias/non-fiction all the time, so when he draws pictures he likes to label them like in his encyclopedias, and we get a lot of writing in that way!
Thank you for the opportunity to win!
My daughter is about to turn three in April and we like to get out our Crayola Window Markers and practice our pre-writing skills on the sliding glass door. You have the most fantastic ideas to keep her interested in writing. I have saved the post so I can access it as her skills progress.
love paint, sand, & rice!
Our homeschooled children write Latin root words on index cards and then decorate the word according to its meaning.
I like to use rainbow writing (different colors), dry erase markers on page protectors/mini white boards, chalk, writing in sand, taping a paper to the wall and doing vertical writing, and having various implements (like crayons, pencils and markers) all different widths, sizes and colors. Thanks for the opportunity!
I have a writing center with different kinds of papers and things to use for writing. I also provide seasonal word lists and dictionaries. The kids love it.
I make writing fun by using lots of different materials- glitter pens, chalk, stencils, colored pencils; anything we can dream up!
What a fun “basket” – I have a preschooler and a toddler and one on the way and I’m planning to homeschool – fun writing supplies will help start us on the right road
I homeschool my 6 year old and would love this basket of goodies! Thanks for the chance!
My kids complain about writing! I need ideas!
What a fun basket! My Pre-k and 1st grade boys would have such a blast with these gifts!
WE try and find different ways to write; with chalk, glitter, bingo stampers
Using apps on the iPad are fun and also doing writing on different surfaces, like the patio outside
My 6y/o likes using the erasable twistables.
My oldest son needs this desperately. He’s four and doesn’t like to write at all
such great ideas!
I love to take the kids outside to write with sidewalk chalk in nice weather!
We use things like painting on the walls of the tub to make writing fun.
I try to make writing fun by giving topics that my kids like to write about.
My little one is a hands type of child so when we do writing activites we use rice, finger paint, markers, chalk, form letters, shaving cream on all different types of surfaces. Also I have given him his own notebook to write or draw as he pleases and he really enjoys it!
We use dry erase board, chalk board or plain old line writing paper. I like the new and fun ideas.
These are great ideas. My daughter seems to go through phases of being okay with writing to hating it. I will have to remember these. Thanks!
I let my boys write with chalk a lot!
This is an awesome giveaway! My kids would love it!!
My daughter thinks rhyming words and kumon workbooks are very fun!
We make writing fun by practicing writing while we make cards for friends and family! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
we love magnadoodle and the dry erase board
We write about what my child is interested in. I give her choices and let her choose what to write with.
I try to make writing a sensory experience when the kids are young. I also let them do things with chalk, dry erase markers, etc. Anything to keep their interest as well as get good writing experience!
My kids love to write out cards to our loved ones. We just wrote some today.
Have a high schooler who is making progress with her handwriting skills. I was intrigued by the name of your blog. Have some regrets as to not being consistent and at times not knowing the best way to help our daughter. But God’s mercies are new every morning, great is God’s faithfulness and perfect grace.
I have my oldest write letters to grandparents telling about what he’s learning and asking questions to find out more about the topics that interest him!
I’m a teacher, and we use many of your ideas, plus shaving cream, Jell-o, stamps, stickers, story starters, writing in fun places, stationary, etc.
We love to make little books and I help my children write stories in them. My older daughter can now write them on her own! It is so fun to see them inventing words when they don’t know how to spell yet. Thanks for the giveaway!
We make writing fun by doing a journal.
We make writing fun with a whiteboard.
We have special pencils that can be earned!
Your giveaway basket and ideas for getting littles to write would be a real encouragement for my daughter:)
Thanks for sharing such great ideas!
Awesome ideas!!! Excited to start using them with my kids!!
make writing fun with different colors in chalk and water
Wow – great ideas here! We have a dry erase easel and have tried other things like drawing boards, journals, fancy notebooks – anything to get my reluctant writer to practice!
My kids would love this basket
Providing as much variety as possible as far as writing utensils, different types of papers, etc
My kids enjoy using markers and Prismacolor colored pencils.
with different writing mediums they love chalk and markers
This is great! All my kidos love art.
by letting her pick the topic and she loves writing on dry erase lol
I love the window markers and the idea to cut up the puzzle book to make it reusable!
Thanks so much for participating in this. I really like your basket idea. I have a 3, 2, 1 year old and another on the way, so we’re going to busting through writing materials. lol. My 3 yr old LOVES the computer, but I know I need to get him to practice his writing too, he does a decent job of his name, but I know I need to work with him more. I can already tell my 2 yr old is going to be the challenge, he is definitely a visual learner.
My kids love making “treasure maps” for just about anything. When they draw theirs, of course they need labels for items. I will have children asking any time throughout the day how to spell a word, or sometimes they try sounding it out themselves. Either way, they’re writing and having fun doing it. We were gifted a box of old computer paper from a library (which was just going to get thrown away) that stays in our dining room next to crayons and colored pencils. We have treasure maps and writing practice aplenty!
Anything with bright colors!
I dont have any advice on making writing fun. I really struggle in this area because my daughter is so resistant to writing. I’m hoping to find some fun way to get her to enjoy writing. Maybe this basket would help.
We make lots of cards to send to grandparents since we live far away.
We use stickers, scented markers and stamps to practice spelling sight words. Thanks for all of your tips!
A great opportunity to get useful material for our homeschool path
Love your writing ideas! This is our most difficult part of the day.
My daughter loves pudding on the table…I can only guess why
Great giveaway!
My kids just discovered the joy of nature journals!
I want to try the window markers. My daughter resists homework so I want to start thinking outside the box!
I don’t. I love to write myself, but my children don’t. I need to press it more.
My kids have penpals to practice their writing skills on.
I pick silly stories and we have to spell out certain words in it
Hopefully this will help….my kids enjoy writing but trying to help with handwriting is a chore–they learned it all wrong and it’s hard to fix!
My 4 year old likes to do chalk on the sidewalk and likes to “write” and send letters to our family and friends.
We watch IEW DVDs
I’m afraid I’m not very good at fun. I am always looking for new ideas
Make writing fun…. by having them write about the things they love!
Magnet letters! DD is 2 1/2. She puts letters together and wants me to read the word.. She has also been watching Word World. I over heard her singing YIE spells banana, while eating her banana!
I need writing ideas too. My boys get so bored with copying handwriting and sentence diagraming. ( I can’t really blame them
)
We write letters to loved ones!
Well for my daughter I just let her have paper & a writing instrument and she just writes.
My kids love to draw so they draw a picture then write about it.
My five year old grandson is a reluctant writer. We do most things orally and with manipulatives. Handwriting is its own study. He loves shaving cream writing.
Great gift basket for creative little ones!
My 6 year old likes writing and illustrating her own stories. My 4 year old is learning how to write letters. Dry erase stuff and lots of praise makes it fun for her.
Sidewalk chalk on the patio!
We have writing prompt cards that our kids add their own ideas to from magazines, newspapers or just things they would like to write about. Everyday they pick a card and write a few sentences or draw a picture about the topic.
We like to use sidewalk chalk and cover the driveway with messages for my husband for when he comes home from work
Thanks
This is the one area with which my son struggles! I am alway son the lookout for great ideas to help him!
We try to make writing fun by having a variety of fun writing tools and we also draw pictures to go along with what we write!
We love to draw letters and shapes in the sand, shaving cream, and on the tub walls.
We are just getting into writing more. I have my son write and draw about things he is interested in…make up stories.
We are entering a Kindergarten contest where you write a story. It’s been very motivating over the past week
We take a few minutes at the end of an exciting or busy day and write down what we did that day.
We use different writing utensils. My son loves chalk!
some great ideas here
My oldest is just about to the writing stage. But right now she LOVES drawing on white boards, so that’s our practice.
I don’t personally have kids but I do have a lot of little ones in my life…and I think a way to make reading fun is to utilize other things that go along with the book like food and crafts.
We love dry erase boards and use little clipboards to “write the room” of print everywhere. She is a little worksheet/workbook obsessed so we do a lot of laminating to use the sheets over and over.
Love this giveaway!
Using all different types of writing supplies makes a tedious chore into something fun. Writing anywhere and everywhere, just for fun.
Dry erase boards and DoodlePro.
Utilizing as many manipulative as possible at various times!
I try to offer different writing mediums, and ask my son to write about different topics. He loves to write though, so it has never been much of a challenge!
My son is just starting at 3 to want to write. We use bath tub crayons and write his name and other words in the bath tub. We do his calendar and weather each day and he traces with a marker so that is fun for him. Looking at your site I see things I would like to try with him.
I help my daughter write “books”. then she illustrates them
My kiddos like to write their names in whipping cream on a dish. Also, we use a lot of chalk outside.
i buy blank books which my kids love to write “books” with
We like to write with our salt box, markers or fancy pens/pencils, and also using magnetic letters.
I try to make writing fun by having lots of different materials to choose from where the littles can get to them when they want them.
One way we make writing fun is by putting some shaving cream on a desktop and letting the kids write words out of it. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
I let my children get big 5 subject spiral notebooks and they write and draw. It is very fun for them because they use them to write stories and draw pictures. But I also let them use old DVD cases and they make their own movie covers.
We use different color markers and pens to practice writing.
My parents got my 4 year old an ipad for Christmas that we loaded with educational, autism related, and speech therapy apps. A couple of them help practice writing and she really enjoys them, though she has not yet learned how to actually write any letters. It is at least helping her with lines and shapes though which is the first step in getting there.
Chalk on the driveway
I try to make writing fun by giving my daughter her own journal to write in and draw in. Its available to her whenever she wants it!
What great ideas! We have a bag filled with hair gel to write on with fingers and that’s lots of fun. I also made “tickly letters” (textured paint samples cut into letters and glued on a regular paint sample with a hot glue dot for where to start the letter.
I love to find new ways of getting my kids to write. If it’s fun and creative, they tend to be more willing.
I haven’t found a way to make writing fun enough for my 7 year old to really enjoy it. Thank you for these great tips and ideas!
Wow how fun this looks
My girls love to use different colored pens. I also buy them cute little notebooks to write stories in.
I try to use a lot of variety – different pens, crayons, colors, etc.
Writing letters and thank you notes makes it fun for my kiddos.
With my beginning writer, I try to encourage her to write for a purpose. We make lists of all kinds, we write notes to family and friends and mail them since she also loves mail and we write together often!
I give my daughter a notebook/journal to write in when we practice so that she can see her progression.
These are such good ideas! And this post gave me a number of ideas for our upcoming car trip–a dry erase board = perfection! Right now, we mainly use workbooks, which is fun for my daughter, because she hasn’t started kindergarten yet, and feels like such a big kid doing “homework.” It works well for us! We also have an easel with a chalkboard, and she pretends like she’s a teacher
Love the idea about the window writers…great for low muscle tone children and cleaning up afterwards can be lots of fun! Going to try this after Easter break!
Wikki Stix are great fun for fine motor control while creating the alphabet. We’re also looking forward to warmer weather so we can write/paint on the driveway/deck with sponge brushes and water!
We like to use a salt tray.
These are great ideas. I’ll use them with my 3.5 yr. old!
My 5 year old is my youngest and my first child that has not gone through public school so we’re learning together. She loves writing in chalk and big Crayola markers.
Great Basket! We’re just starting to use a binder with fun writing worksheets for after-dinner fun time. Thanks for the good ideas!
Thanks for your ideas! I just started incorporating pre-writing activities with my now 4 and can’t wait to use some of your suggestions.
I am pre-school teacher and we are always looking for ways to help in developing hand eye coordination. As a mother of three school age children, we are always looking for ways to encourage writing. thank you.
by using different writing materials
That looks like so much fun.
with fingerpaints, markers and sidewalk chalk
jagar0047 at yahoo dot com
I like sidewalk chalk and dry erase boards.
I home school my 5 yr old. We love creating letters from cookie dough or anything edible! Having a set of alphabet cutters is the best! I also use alphabet stampers, magnetic words/letters & polymer clay alphabet stamps!
We use glitter crayons, gel pens, fun worksheets and notepads.
My kids love using markers!
Great post, thank you! I started a “Mommy and Me” journal with my six year old. We write letters back and forth in it and then leave it for the other to find.
My 6 year old loves to help me write our shopping list and then she’s in charge of some of the items when we go to the store.
We write short stories and act them out then make them into little books
We add humor which is always an attention grabber for my son. We also rhyme, make songs out of the sentences he creates, etc.
We write on the windows, chalkboard, or with markers.
I make writing fun dry erase boards
I just want to add that you have the easiest, most sensible rafflecopter options I have seen in a while, thank you.
Children like to use stamps for the letters in their name.
My children love to write hand written notes to their friends and relatives. It gives them a chance to practice their handwriting. And they LOVE receiving letters in the mail.
My little girl is only three, but we use the Magna Doodle, bathtub crayons, shaving cream in tub, sidewalk chalk, dry erase board and markers and more!
Sidewalk chalk, small chalkboards, dry erase boards (large and personal size), dry erase books, putting worksheets inside of page protectors…anything to make writing seem like play!
I have done the writing on the windows before – both my daughter and my students love that!
We struggle here! Would love suggestions! Other than writing about what they are interested in and allowing pix on the page, I’m desperate for help!! :-0
I’m so glad you stressed the importance of not correcting spelling and such. Great list!
I give my K students lots of freedom to write what’s important to them in a journal that they decorated. Then I give a cool sticker for doing a journal page and a smile sticker for writing words or sentences.
I don’t make writing fun that is why I need this post and the basket.
Would love to win this for my boys!
I’m looking forward to using a variety of fun manipulatives and activities to teach my sons how to write – they’re only 2 yrs and 10 months right now.
We have the window markers. I’ve never thought to have him do writing there. Great idea!
We write stories and letters to friends and family.
This basket looks awesome!
My boys love practicing their letters in sand and on trays filled with shaving cream!
Using a variety of mediums… flour, window markers, etc.
I am trying hard to make writing fun. My boys are writing lots of monster stories right now.
So many great ideas!!!!!
Whew! It took me forever to find a way to comment! LOL! I kept looking and looking!
Now I found it, to say that I haven’t really found a way to make writing fun. 
My son is a gifted writer, and loves to write on his own (makes up his own stories, books, etc.), but whenever it’s time to write for school, he hates it. I’m the same way, though. I love to write when *I* choose to write, but whenever I *have* to write something, I hate every minute of it…I would turn in writing assignments late all the time back in high school, because I’d procrastinate so long getting them done. It killed my English teacher, because I’d always get an A for the writing, and then she’d have to mark it down to a D (or sometimes worse), due to the number of days late I’d gotten it to her. Anyway…I guess the answer is to let him write what he wants, when he wants, and never to assign anything? haha.
We definitely consider creative writing a valuable skill.
I love ur ideas & would really love to win ur basket. It would b very motivating for my son & youngest daughter to write as well as their 2 older sisters!
Writing is a challenge and we can use all the help we can get.
My girls are always writing and illustrating stories. Sometimes they illustrate and then dictate to me and I write directly on it or sometimes we have them dictate and I type it into the computer using a font for them to trace the words to practice their penmanship skills.
Wonderful ideas for my VERY reluctant writers!
I use shaving cream to help them write on something fun it is messy but productive
Love your blog and excited for the little Easter writing basket!