Writing can be a daunting task for students, but it doesn’t have to be! With a few simple strategies and creative ideas, you can make writing more enjoyable for your students. From brainstorming ideas to organizing stories and getting feedback from peers, these tips will help engage kids in the writing process and help them create meaningful pieces they’re proud of.
Raise your hand if your students or kids hate writing… yeah, I’ve been there. It can be stressful searching for ways to make writing fun. Kids are full of creative and fun stories to tell, but they struggle with getting their ideas from brain to paper. I believe one of the biggest obstacles for kids in the beginning. They struggle to come up with “good” ideas and aren’t sure how to organize their story. I’ve got a fun solution to that.. and more.
3 Ways to Make Writing Fun
Making writing fun doesn’t have to take a lot of energy, money, or time. I use quick writes, writing games, and manipulatives to inspire student writing. The best part is when my kiddos take what they written and create illustrations, art, videos, or books. Writing doesn’t have to be a battle… it can be super fun and creative.
In school, we often teach writing in a very generic, formulaic way. I know I’ve been guilty of starting with an organizer and forcing my ideas to fit in the provided boxes. Writing is an art, so we should teach it more like art with freedom, creativity, and passion. We can address the “rules” once we get the story out.
Quick Writes
One of the easiest ways to get kids engaged in writing is to set a timer. When they know they only have to write for a short moment, it becomes less intimidating. These little bursts of writings are called “quick writes” because they last only 4 or 5 minutes.
In my classroom, students start the week with a “Monday Musing” reflection writing in their journals. I use quotes, pictures, and artwork to inspire student thinking. I pull up a musing on my active board with guiding questions like “how does this quote make you feel?” or “what would you change about this painting?”.
Other times, students will answer would you rather questions or brainstorm all the ways they could _____ (fill in the blank). After I review the directions, I set my timer for 4 or 5 minutes. I count down “3…2…1…” and yell “GO!” and they write until the timer goes off.
The best part of a quick write is the practice of just getting ideas on the page without worrying about grammar, language, or if ideas even make sense. This practice takes a lot of pressure off my students to be perfect. No pressure is a huge part of making writing fun.
A few fun quick write prompts…
- Would you rather live on Mars or Saturn?
- Would you rather eat pizza or potatoes as your only meal for the next year?
- Artwork from specific artists or art movements
- The best memory from ______ (fill the blank with any special occasion or holiday)
- Quotes about hardwork, self-esteem, or problem solving
Story Coins Writing Game
When I was a kid, I spent summers with my grandmother who also happened to be a retired 5th grade teacher. She didn’t have AC and she didn’t have TV.
We often took nature walks and played with my mom’s old toys. But, one of my favorite things to do was make up stories for her. She always encouraged my story telling and creative writing. I credit my grandmother with inspiring my writing game, Story Coins.
The Story Coins Writing Game was created to spark inspiration, encourage creativity, and help kids learn to love writing. The game focuses around little “coins” with different images. Each image can represent a basic noun or verb or it can represent a more complex idea. The best part is Story Coins can be used with any grade level and in any content area.
The game is simple. The first person (whoever had a birthday last) pulls one coin from the bag. Then, they create a sentence using that coin as inspiration. The next person pulls a coin and creates a sentence to add on to the story. You keep going until you’ve got a fun story.
When I’ve used these in class, my students always take it to the next level. Some have created their own word association game while others created mini-movies and recorded their stories on the computer. The possibilities are endless and super fun.
Popcorn Writing
Eating popcorn can be a major divide among people. I’m personally a white cheddar fan (eating it now, actually), but I don’t like any other kind. Some people, like my husband, won’t eat popcorn ever. Luckily, this idea for making writing fun involves fake popcorn and a lot of creative thinking.
All you need for this activity is white and yellow paper. But, if you like the extra cute factor like me, you can grab a plastic popcorn container from the dollar store. All I did was print words in a large, simple font. Nouns and verbs on the white paper and adjectives on the yellow paper.
Students can use this activity independently or with a small group. This would also make a great center idea or opener for writer’s workshop.
The activity is simple. Students pull a few white and yellow pieces of “popcorn” from the container. Then, they use the words to create a sentence. They can build individual sentences, short stories, or poems.
If you’re struggling to find words to the pieces of paper, start by looking around your classroom. You can use generic terms (container) or be more specific (bottle)… or both. I create my lists on a Google Doc so I can keep adding to my stash as the year goes.
Which activity are you trying first? Let me know on Instagram or by joining the newsletter… we can be enrichment besties!
