2. Cards & Letters

When you assign homework, your students don’t always see the greater purpose. But, writing cards and letters is real-life writing with a purpose. Whenever there’s a holiday, you can use this method to get them to write and have fun while doing it. Let them design and write cards for Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and all other holidays. This practice will also help your students learn the standard format for writing friendly letters.

3. Fill in the Story

It was a sunny day. The little tiger just woke up… He saw the _____________, and he said _____________. Together, they ____________________________. Then, they ________________________. They had lots of fun. They agreed to ________________________.

You’d be surprised to see how creative your students can get with few simple sentences. If you need inspiration, then you can get some worksheets with blank stories.

4. Drawing Words

How would you draw the Moon? How would you draw the word “precious”? Think of different words. They can signify items, but you should also let them play with abstract concepts, such as love or beauty.

This activity inspires writing because it helps the students understand the true meaning and importance of every word they use.

5. Birthday Messages

Whenever someone has a birthday, get the entire class to write a message. You can get a big piece of paper where everyone will have space to write. You can also turn this into an art project, so the students will have an authentic purpose for writing.

The sentences can start with, “I wish you…” Let everyone express their message and appreciation for the friend.

6. Cut Out My Name

This is a great way to teach cursive writing. Get some paper and fold each piece lengthwise. Each student should write their name in cursive on one half, with the fold being at the bottom. Cut around the upper side of the name.

When you unfold the paper, you’ll get a symmetrical figure. Each name gives a different figure. What does it look like? A bug! Let them draw or paint on the clean side of the paper.

7. Chalkboard Writing

For this activity, you’ll need clipboards, chalkboard paint, a paint brush, tape, and chalks. Tape the clipboards on the sides, so you’ll get a nice frame for your board. Then, paint the middle with a coat of chalkboard paint. Let it dry, and apply a second coat. When that dries, you can remove the tape, and the chalkboard will be ready.

You can get all students to tape their own boards, and you’ll be the painter. When the tiny boards are ready, they can use them to write answers to your questions.

8. Write A Choose Your Own Adventure

Write a collaborative class story in the style of “Choose Your Own Adventure.”  Start a story and bring that story to a fork in the road.  Allow students to write the optional paths that the story can take. Once you have a couple of student-written options, continue the story in the same way.  If you have older students, it’s fun to put them in small groups. Tell the groups they need to have at least three branches, and when everyone is done, trade stories and read each other’s adventures. 

9. Vocabulary Challenge

Pick a new word for the students to learn. Think of something unusual. Explain the word. Tell them to use it in a sentence. Then, tell them to write a short story around that sentence. If you turn this into a team activity, it will be more fun.

10. Typing Challenge

The students love this one! Students have to learn how to type, right? This is a fun way to practice writing and typing! You can project a Google Doc and call up a student to write for one minute.  The next student will add on to what the first student wrote for one minute.  One after another, the students work together to write a (HILARIOUS) short story. They felt like real writers.  Grab a free digital composition notebook to use with this strategy.