Are you looking for fun writing activities for kids? Here are some writing ideas for kids that will get your kids wanting to write.
Writing Topics for Kids
Kids can really write about anything! They generally love making up stories, but practical writing can be put to good use. Here are some daily writing ideas to get your kids excited about writing:
- Create a grateful box or jar. Provide strips of paper for your child to add something they are grateful for each day. Take the time to read the notes throughout the year, especially on Thanksgiving.
- Keep an ongoing grocery list. Have your kids help by adding items throughout the week.
- Writing note cards to family or friends can be an excellent way to show kindness and practice writing skills.
- Make cards and invitations by hand or provide a fill in the blank template for your kids to fill in.
- Write about feelings; morning feelings, feelings throughout the day, or a reflection of feelings at night.
Read, Add a Fun Writing Activity
Anytime I read a children’s book, I love to dream up a way to incorporate writing. I encourage kids to write their own version of any story or a sequel to a picture book series. Here are some fun writing activities I have tried in my classroom, but you can also do them at home with your kids:
- Stuck by Oliver Jeffers; What will get stuck in your tree?
- What If You Had Animal….? Teeth, Feet, Tail, Tongue, Hair, etc.
- The Bad Seed, Good Bean…Sad Onion, Happy Celery, etc.
- Don’t Let the Pigeon…Drink Coffee, Eat Candy, Read Books, etc.
- How to Catch a…Class Pet, Unicorn, Witch, etc.
- Chairs on Strike, Pencils on Strike, What’s on Strike Now? Books on Strike, Chrome Books on Strike, Desks on Strike, etc. This is a hilarious activity to do in the classroom anytime of year. Kids have to persuade the chairs or pencils to come back!
Kids love to get creative and dream up their own versions of any story!
I love taking writing outside when I can. We wrote our own version of Stuck outside under the beautiful trees in front of our school! The kids loved the activity and the experience. They couldn’t wait to share their stories and I even had a student still laughing out the door after school “I can’t believe I threw my whole family in the tree!”
Journal Writing Topics for Kids
There are so many journal writing topics for kids. They are sure not to get bored with writing if provided ideas and topics. Here are some journal writing ideas for kids:
WRITE STORIES: Kids can simply write stories from the various genres such as narrative, information, fantasy and opinion writing. It is important to explore the different types of writing so kids get a taste for what they like best. When they are offered a choice and can choose something they like to write about, they feel more inspired to write and may even ENJOY writing.
FEELINGS: kids can write about their feelings in their journals. It’s not surprising that kids feel better after they write their feelings down just like adults. Writing gives kids an outlet to acknowledge their feelings without having to talk about it, which can be very helpful for some children. Incorporating writing into a bedtime routine where kids can reflect upon their day is also a positive way to end the day. Kids can even write goals or positive thoughts for the next day.
GRATITUDE: It is important to remember what is important to us and brings us joy. Having kids write down what they are grateful for gives them a good reminder to show kindness and make the world a better place. It starts with the little things.
DIARY: Kids still keep diaries! Kids can write about their day or parts of the day they want to remember. They can even just focus on a favorite moment of each day. Diary entries can be similar to narrative stories.
TRAVEL: Instead of leaving journals at home, take the journals on the road! Travel is a perfect time to incorporate writing because kids are living new experiences that are fun to write about. They can write each evening or as a new event occurs throughout the travels. Remind kids of the details of the experience so they can write even more!
JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR KIDS: You can provide a list of journal prompts to kids so they will have questions to answer to statements to respond to. There is an HUGE Book; 365 Writing Prompts for Kids, available on Amazon for only $12.99 and it contains 200 front and back printed pages! It is almost an inch thick and will keep kids writing all year long!
Setting Writing Goals
Help kids set writing goals. These goals can include when to write, what to write and where to write. Kids may have a goal to write more often and include it into a daily routine. Kids may have a goal to write a short book series, continuing to build on one initial story. Fun goals can also include finding new places to write each week. Try new places, such as under a desk, outside on a patio, in a blanket fort, etc.
Kids can write pencil or pen to paper, but they can also type stories too. Vary it and let them do both! It is important to maintain manual writing, but technology is equally important in today’s world!
Make Writing Fun for Kids
Encourage your kids to keep writing! The more kids write, the better they will become. Kids don’t have to be perfect writers, they just have to start somewhere. If they keep writing, you will see improvement over time in quality and quantity. Kids will notice the improvement in their writing as well. They will notice more rich content being created and their handwriting improving too.
Focus on the positive aspects of kids’ writing first and then focus on one thing to improve upon. For example, “I like the way you described the setting. You have a great story going, remember to use capitals at the beginning of every sentence.” If you focus on what kids need to improve first, they tend to shut down and are no longer encouraged to write. Always find something positive to say about a child’s writing…it’s easy to do!
Happy Writing! More about me here.
Leave a comment below. How do you make writing magical for kids?