Health & Fitness
Creative Writing for Children this Summer
Creative writing helps kids explore imagination, exercise writing mechanics, and even gives disagreements a productive platform.
Summertime means a 10-12 week vacation from academic structure and maintenance of the year's acquired skills. Here are some ideas to keep those pencils in hand and that brain engaged in written expression.
Purchase a spiral notebook and tell your children this is the Summertime Journal that they will write into every day. Sit with a calendar together and count the number of days until school resumes. Let them know that at the end of the summer, when the book (not if but when) shows evidence of close to 5 days a week of writing, you will celebrate with....(special dinner, a whip cream fight... something that creates excitement).
"What should I write about?" they will ask. Give them the following suggestions:
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Pretend you are a meteorologist and write a weather report of the day. Describe what the clouds look like, the temperature, and what you did this day in this day of weather.
If there are any arguements or disagreements ( I know your children agree with everything, but just in case), ask your children to express their opinion on why something should go their way and not yours (solid persuasive and pre-debate skills).
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Describe something inside or outside the house with notebook in lap and have your child observe and write up everything about that object. Nature is bountiful. Tree bark, leaves, bushes and flowers are all rich descriptive and illustrating sources.
Brainstorm story ideas by taking turns completing the blanks: Once upon a time there was a __________. This ___________ lived in the land of _________. The___________'s name was __________ and he was different from all other ________ because ______________.
Stories need problems and solutions. Go through fairy tales and have your child highlight the problems and solutions. This is also a productive approach to disagreements over the summer and helps your child move into a thinking state and out of a temper state.
If your child is rising 3rd-rising 6th graders, investigate our summer creative writing camps at www.ChildrensYogaAndMore.com and "click" Creative Writing Clubs.
