Creative Writing Activities for Kids

Writing is one of those subjects that isn’t always a favorite for kids. And it’s no wonder with the meaningless writing activities we sometimes ask kids to do. That’s why I’m sharing some creative writing activities that can make writing a little more purposeful and yes, even fun for kids.

You can also find creative writing ideas on my Writing Activities for Kids Pinterest Board as well as in our Google+ Group, Writing With Kids. Feel free to ask to join!

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Creative Writing Activities to Make Writing Meaningful

We want the writing we’re asking kids to be meaningful and purposeful. And, as unpopular as this statement might be, a steady diet of writing prompts and copy work does not foster meaningful and purposeful for most kids. Am I saying you can never use them? Absolutely not. {I even have a Writing Prompt Pack in my store.} But I don’t recommend them as a steady diet when teaching writing.

One way to help make writing meaningful is to create an audience/reader for kids.

• Writing letters to friends and family is the PERFECT way to get kids writing for authentic purposes, like Mama Smiles shares she does with her kids. Remember the days of pen pals. Why not start one between an older relative who lives far away and your child? You can also download this cute freebie for teaching kids how to write a friendly letter.

• Creating a simple scavenger hunt with Post-It Notes is a fun way to include an audience for your child’s writing. Kids can do this for family members or friends. It helps to have a super fun treat at the end, too!

•  I also love to allow kids to include their writing among the other texts and books on your shelf. Treat their writing like you do your other favorite read alouds. Pull it out and read it before bedtime to all the kids. Another fun idea is to include an Autograph Page {found here} to the end of their creations so that those that listen to them read can sign their autograph.

• Kids need to understand that, even from a young age, they have a voice. They have something to write about. I love the series I was able to do with The Measured Mom called Preschool & Kindergarten Writing Lessons. In that series, we explored how to model, support and and celebrate early writing and spelling. If you teach younger kids writing, I urge you to look through this amazing resource!

• Let them write about themselves. I love how this Weekend News writing from Planet Smarty Pants can feature a built-in audience {her classmates} that can encourage even reluctant writers.

Creative Writing Activities to Make Writing FUN

We also want to sprinkle FUN into our writing instruction at times. While writing may not be fun every day, it’s nice to have a few fun activities in our back pocket when we need them. And here are a few FUN writing ideas.

• Add some movement with Photo Stacking Blocks. See how my 2nd grader and I explored writing longer sentences in a silly and active way. {These blocks are AWESOME, by the way. We use them for so many activities!}

• Ditch the pen and paper for a salt tray and chopsticks {Mama Smiles}. This looks like FUN! And it’s great for handwriting, too!

• The Educators’ Spin on It shares quite a few ideas for fun writing activities in this great post.

• Work on handwriting out of the context of writing. Sometimes, kids struggle with the handwriting aspect of writing. I love how creative and hands-on this printable Big and Little Letter from Boy Mama Teacher Mama is for learning handwriting. I also think this printable cursive dominoes game from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational is pure genius!

• Put on some instrumental music and create/write stories together. What story does the music tell? What’s happening? This works with fast and slow music, even Christmas music! This one is super fun and it’s neat to hear each person tell or read what they envisioned after you’re finished.

 

For More Writing Resources, Visit:

• Primary Writing Lessons – a 12-week series on teaching writing to grades 1-2 with LOTS of free printables. These lessons are designed to show you HOW to teach writing, not just tell you. 🙂
• Unleashing the Writer in Your Child – a 5 day series where I explore teaching writing as a craft
• Roll a Simple Sentence– great for Kindergartners learning about complete sentences
• Roll a Silly Sentence– a silly way to teach about complete sentences
• 25 Ways to Make Writing Fun

 

Follow This Reading Mama’s board Writing Ideas for Kids on Pinterest.