Parents and teachers – do your kids hate writing? Do they think writing is hard? It doesn’t have to be like that. Breaking the writing process down into manageable pieces is the first step. After they have been taught to write using a reliable structure, all they need is practice. Parents, teachers and children shouldn’t have to dread learning this very important skill, so here are 5 easy ways from Top Score Writing to make writing fun for students and children of all ages!
1. Race Against the Clock
Adding time to anything can turn it into something fun. The idea for this game is to time the child on each part of the writing process.
For example, start with planning. Set the timer for 20 minutes and tell them to plan their essay using a simple outline. Once the timer goes off, check their planning. If they finished and planned correctly, give them a raffle ticket. Then set the timer for 15 minutes and tell them to write their introduction paragraph. Once the timer goes off, check their paragraph and give them another raffle ticket if they finished it and wrote it correctly.
Do the same for the remaining paragraphs, including their conclusion paragraph. At the end, raffle off a small prize. This turns writing into a game and a race against the clock!
2. Writing Around the Room/House
Getting students moving around is a great way to make writing fun! For this activity, set up different areas or stations around the house or classroom and label them as Planning, Introduction Paragraph, Topic 1 Paragraph, Topic 2 Paragraph, and so on. Have students write each part of their essay in the designated area and move around the stations as they complete each step.
This is not only fun because they get to move around while writing, but it also helps by breaking the task into manageable pieces. Adding a physical element also helps solidify each writing step in the child’s mind, helping the process “stick.”
3. Notecard Writing
Writing an entire essay can be overwhelming for some children. Here’s another way to break it up into bite-sized pieces.
Using notecards, have students “break apart” their essay and write each “part” on an individual note card. Have them plan on one notecard, write their introduction paragraph on another, their topic 1 paragraph on another, and so on. In the end, you can have the students string them all together or glue them to a board to add a little extra fun.
4. Camp Out Writing
What’s more fun than camping? While this is best done at home, there are ways to make this work for both in-person and virtual classes as well. Here’s how it works.
Have students grab a flashlight and make a comfortable fort — however they can do it in the space. Then have them write by the “campfire.” This is a great way for your child to create a fun camping environment to write in, whether indoors or outdoors. Techniques like this lessen the pressure some children feel when faced with a writing assignment. Working in teams can also help, and smores and hot chocolate are a plus!
5. Highlighters
Believe it or not, highlighters make everything more fun! Kids love to highlight and use different colors, and highlighters can be used to color-code their writing.
Color coding can serve in so many ways. As you teach each skill, have students highlight the parts of the paragraph. For example, after you teach the introduction paragraph, have your child highlight their hook in one color, their three topics in another color, and their closing statement in a third color. As another example, after teaching various elaborative techniques, have the child highlight all of their quotes in one color, their paraphrasing in another color, and their own thoughts and ideas in another.
This way, students can check the balance of elaborative techniques in their essay. Color coding is a form of editing that can be used for many different aspects as you teach writing.
These 5 easy ways help make writing more enjoyable for everyone! Tackling writing projects in chunks and adding an element of fun or creativity can help alleviate the stress some children experience surrounding the writing process. Writing shouldn’t be something to dread—for children or their parents and teachers!
For more tips and useful information, visit the Top Score Writing program.
About the Author
Lisa Collum is an author, educator, and mother of four on a mission to empower parents to give their children the education they deserve. She is the owner and operator of Coastal Middle and High School in Florida and the creator of Top Score Writing, Inc.–the ONE and ONLY writing curriculum for grades 2-12 specifically designed to help prepare students for the state writing assessment. Since the pandemic began, Lisa has been a go-to expert for tips on how to help keep kids educated and engaged while distance learning at home. Learn more on her website.