Teaching with TLC: 101 Ways to Make Writing FUN!

I am doing the happy dance because I have compiled the top 101 writing activities that kids go crazy over! I have tried and tested every single one of these activities, and each one receives a thumbs up from my children.

Why make writing fun?

Research consistently shows that children learn more when they are actively engaged in the learning process and having fun. I am super excited to share activities that I have used for 20 years as a classroom teacher and while homeschooling my own children. If you are a follower of my blog, you may already know from all my posts on writing that I love teaching it.

Seriously, who wouldn't love learning how to write a paragraph while eating a hamburger and how to write step-by-step directions while making a banana split or how about using a virtual slot machine to choose story starters?

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Who are these activities designed for?

These activities were created for preschoolers up to fifth graders, but there are several activities that can be modified for students in middle and high school. Parents can use these for homeschooling or to help their children with homework. Educators can use these activities in their classrooms.

Can I use these activities with my current curriculum?

Definitely! These activities can be used with any classroom or homeschool curriculum and will easily complement any teaching method. Many of these activities are cross-curricular, and several teach literary devices and review grammar skills. But let's not forget that these activities are just plain fun!

Make sure to read grab the FREE printable cards at the bottom of this post!

Photo credit: ChasingSlow.net

ARE YOU READY? LET'S GO HAVE SOME FUN!

Where's the beef?

Have your child create a hamburger from construction paper to learn how to write a paragraph. Label the following parts: the top bun is the topic sentence; the tomato, lettuce, and hamburger patty are the detail sentences; and the bottom bun is the concluding sentence.

Afterwards, eat a hamburger to celebrate learning how to write a paragraph. Download this sandwich chart to use for future lessons. This is the same chart I used in the classroom to teach paragraph writing 20 years ago. The kids love it!

Flower Power

Create a colorful story flower to use while writing a paragraph or for use as a graphic organizer for creative story writing.

All Aboard the Paragraph Train!

Have your child create a train to learn how to write a paragraph with a beginning (engine), details (train cars), and an ending (caboose). Print off a visual aid here.

Story Maps

Use story maps as graphic organizers to help your child organize his thoughts. This site has several graphic organizers to choose from.

Friendly and Business Letters

Write letters to friends, family, and missionaries. Use this cool letter generator to learn the parts of a letter while writing.

Get a Pen Pal

The Amazing Kids! PenPals Program is a safe way for children to find a Pen Pal. It is a literacy-based, traditional letter writing pen pal program available to all children ages 5-17 worldwide.

Email Your Friends

Email is the modern day form of letter writing. Keep in touch with friends and family by emailing each other often. This is much safer than using Facebook, and kids really enjoy having their own email accounts. You can set up a free email account and then choose who to share your child's email address with. Kids get so excited to see they have mail and can't wait to reply!

Send Santa a Letter

Did you know that there is a city in Canada named the "North Pole" that has volunteers who spend over 190,000 hours every year writing children back for Canada's Write to Santa program? My favorite part is that the letter from Santa is personalized and postmarked from The North Pole!

Your Favorite Author

Write a letter to your favorite author, and tell him what you liked about his/her books. Include a few ideas for future books. You will be pleasantly surprised to see how many authors reply to your letter. Check out what my kids received.

Tip: Your child can write a celebrity, too.

A Government Official

Write a government official. It can be your mayor, governor, or any other elected officials. My children wrote the president a letter, and they were thrilled to receive a packet of goodies in the mail from the White House.

We Salute You!

Write a letter to someone in the military. Tell that person how much you appreciate his/her service for our country. There are several times a year this site sends letters overseas for the holidays.

What's Up?

Write a letter to a main character in a book you have read. The next day, pretend you are the character and reply to your letter.

Use Your Senses

Teach descriptive writing by using all your senses.

Make popcorn and talk about how it:

SOUNDS when you make it and eat it (loud, popping noise, crunchy)

FEELS (squishy, slippery)

LOOKS (small, yellow, white)

TASTES (salty, buttery, sweet, delicious), and

SMELLS (like butter).

Remind your child to use all his senses in future writing assignments to add more detail.

Bing, Bang, Bongo

The Bingo, Bang, Bongo Method is one of the easiest ways to teach how to write a five paragraph essay. Find out more here.

Dress Up Your Sentences

Sit across from a partner (or parent). If there is more than one child, sit in a small circle. Take turns dressing up sentences.

Begin by saying a boring sentence, such as:

The boy walked.

Take turns with your child "dressing it up".

The little boy walked.

The little boy walked across the street.

The little boy walked across the busy street.

The little boy walked quickly across the busy street.

The little boy walked quickly across the busy street holding his mother's hand.

This activity really shows children the difference details make in sentences. Remind your child of this activity in future writing assignments to add more detail.

What's in the Bag?

In this game, fill a paper bag for each participant (including yourself) with five random objects, such as: an apple, a hairbrush, a Matchbox car, a Lego, and a pencil. (Ex. 2 bags for 2 participants.)

Take turns reaching into your individual bags and describing the objects aloud without looking inside the bags. Model descriptive words and your child will follow your example when it is his turn. Afterwards, try to guess what each object is before you pull it out of the bag. Remind your child of this activity in future writing assignments to use more adjectives when describing nouns.

Mad Libs

Knowing the parts of speech can help your child write more effectively, but practicing these does not have to be boring by any means. Use Mad Libs for your grammar review. You can play on-line here.

Grammar Ninja

Practice the parts of speech to enhance your writing by playing the game "Grammar Ninja". I'm just warning you ahead of time that this game is VERY addicting with its video-game style, so the parents may end up playing it as much as the kids!

Schoolhouse Rock

Use the classic Schoolhouse Rock video clips to reinforce the parts of speech. These catchy tunes can last for decades- trust me!

Name Poetry

Making acrostic poems is a fantastic way to teach adjectives. First, make an acrostic poem with your name and then use adjectives that begin with each letter of your name to describe yourself. Check out this fun site to create more acrostic poems.

Literature that Makes You Laugh

To introduce or reinforce the parts of speech, check out from your library the hilarious book series by Rick Walton and Brian Cleary.

Put those tired words to bed.

If your child is using the same words repeatedly in his writing, it is time for those words to take a rest. Talk to your child about putting those overused words to bed since they may be "tired" of being used all the time. Create a visual by making a bed template. I recommend laminating it so you can reuse it. Use a temporary marker to draw the tired word on the pillow. Next, brainstorm together and write the synonyms on the bed that your child can use instead. You can also type up those wordlists to refer to in the future. Here is an example of one made from construction paper.

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Avoid Frustration- Use a Thesaurus

Encourage older children to make a habit of using a thesaurus when writing. This eliminates frustration and wasted time when children get stuck on thinking of a synonym. Here is an on-line thesaurus if you do not have one at home.

Apples to Apples

"Apples to Apples" is a game of CrAzY comparisons that I wrote about here. This board game teaches vocabulary, synonyms, adjectives, comparisons, and more. For a unique writing assignment, hand your child some cards from the game (perhaps 10), and have him write a story using those words. It can be a serious story or it could be filled with humor. He can read the adjectives on the cards to help him learn the meanings. What a fun way to spice up writing!

Terrific Transitions

Transitions are the glue that holds your thoughts together. Print off this reference sheet to remember how and when to use them.

The Wacky Writing Process

Splash some fun into teaching the writing process by using these terms instead:

(1) Pre-writing (brainstorming)

(2) Rough draft (sloppy copy)

(3) Revising (neat sheet)

(4) Editing (proofreading)

(5) Publishing (final copy

Create Spooktacular Stories

Here are fun ideas for teaching onomatopoeia, including a word list of spooky sounds to write a scary story.

Make a Foldable Book

Instead of having your child write his stories on regular writing paper, create a book without any glue, tape, or staples. Yes, it is possible! Watch this tutorial on You-Tube.

Tip: Rather than using a standard size sheet of paper like in the video, use a large sheet of construction paper to make larger and thicker pages.

Writing Prompts Galore

Do writing prompts for every day of the year sound too good to be true? Visit this site for fabulous printable prompts.

Journal Jar

Fill a jar with simple, kid-friendly questions and turn journaling sessions into FUN! Visit this site to print off the colorful writing prompts. Next, cut, fold, and place them in a jar. Have your child pick a prompt each day. He can tape it on top of a page in a blank book or copy the questions and then write his response. He can even add illustrations.

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The Secret Writing Weapon

Are you tired of your kids constantly asking you how to spell a word when they are writing? It's SO.NOT.FUN for the teacher, especially when you are teaching more than one child at a time. To curb that habit, have your child use a spelling dictionary. This resource helps children to learn how to write independently.

Tip: Many smart phones now have the option of speaking a word into it, and it spells the word correctly.

Use Your Photography Skills

Most children enjoy taking photos, so use that passion for writing. Choose a topic/genre and let your child take photos for the backdrop of a story. You can even print off a real book to keep forever.

Here is a photo book my boys made for their baby sister for her first birthday. They were learning about fairy tales, so they decided to write one about their sister. This fairy tale is created by them and is absolutely precious.

Tip: This is also fantastic to do for family vacations.

The Best Writing Resource Ever

If you purchase only one writing resource ever, this should be it- Kids Write by Rebecca Olien. This resource actually engages the child in the writing process and invites him to become a part of the story. Each section has an art project or activity that immerses the child into the setting and/or character, which makes it much easier for the child to write. It also breaks up writing into genres, which is fabulous for incorporating reading units with writing.

Cool Writing Tools

Watch this video for some ideas on using fun writing tools, such as flip-books and story dice.

Tip: You can even create several of these tools at home.

Make Real Book

The best way to make your child's writing come to life is to have him publish his work. Watch this video to see how to do this. Kids of all ages love making these books! Even my son who has graduated high school still reads his books occasionally.

Here is my son's collection.

Tip: For younger children, have them narrate the story to you. This process still teaches them about writing. They can later learn to read the story independently and cherish it forever.

Sensational Story Starters

You have to check out this incredible site. It totally rocks the writing world with an innovative way to choose story starters by using a virtual slot machine!

You can choose the grade level, genre, and even spin again until you are happy with your story starter.

Question Words

Children often have a difficult time determining which punctuation mark to use at the end of a sentence. To help make this easier to understand, teach these questions words to help them differentiate between an "asking" and a "telling" sentence.

Tip: You can print this poster on cardstock, and use it during writing lessons as a reminder. Ask your child if the sentence begins with a "question word". Older children use the term "interrogative" for a sentence ending in a question mark.

Wow Them with Wordles

Wordles (a.k.a. word clouds) simply make descriptive writing a blast! Visit this post to learn what a wordle is and how you can use them in writing.

Family Heritage Project

A family heritage project lets you and your child work together to preserve your family's heritage, history, and stories. It combines family trees, biographies of relatives, photos, treasured letters, memoirs, and other materials that make your family history come alive. For the directions and a video tutorial, visit this post. This is my favorite writing project that I've done with my children, and it will be treasured for generations.

Here is my son's family heritage project. We all learned so much about our family.

Become a Reporter

Make a list of questions and interview family members, friends, and neighbors. Record their answers and have fun learning some interesting things about them that you never knew before.

♥ Love Notes ♥

Create love notes for your family, and tell each family member why they are special to you. Hide them around your home for them to randomly find in the future. What a surprise it will be when they find them!

Sticker Stories

Use stickers to tell a story. First, think of a story while looking at your stickers. Next, begin writing your story and place the stickers in it when appropriate. (Ex. Use a sticker of Mickey Mouse instead of writing his name.) This is creating a Rebus story. You can learn more about creating these here.

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Be a List-Maker

Create all sorts of lists- wish lists, grocery lists, to-do lists, and so on.

Tip: When your child needs something from the grocery store, teach him to make a habit of adding it to the family list. This is great for practicing spelling, teaching your child to be more accountable, and helping mom and dad remember what to get!

Your Top Ten

What's in your top ten? Make a list of ten of your favorites, such as: movies, books, songs, friends, foods, places to visit, things to do in your free time, and so on. Compile all your top tens in a book. Watch how they change in the next school year

Bucket List

A bucket list is a list of things you'd like to accomplish in a particular amount of time. These can be fun things like watching a certain movie or even goals you'd like to set for yourself, such as memorizing the multiplication facts that school year. Make your goals attainable and leave your bucket list posted where it can serve as a reminder for you.

Tip: This is a great activity to do for a new school year to create learning goals and for the summer months for activities the kids would like to do.

Keep a Diary

Keep a diary or journal in your room and write special memories in them. You can include your thoughts about memorable events, funny stories, current events, frustrations, wish lists, goals, and favorite Scripture verses.

Create Your Own Speech

Prepare a speech using this fantastic tutorial that takes you through the process of writing and delivering a speech. Next, practice your speech and then read it aloud in front of an audience. Your family will applaud you!

Essay Map

This interactive graphic organizer helps students develop an outline that includes an introductory statement, main ideas to discuss or describe, supporting details, and a conclusion that summarizes the main ideas.

Create Your Own Cards

Make someone smile by creating cards for your friends and family members. Some ideas include: birthday, get well, thank you, holiday, and thinking about you cards.

Send Post Card

While on vacation, write about your experience on a post card and mail it to a friend or family member. The person you are sending it to will love receiving a post card in the mail! If you'd like to make one for a book character, use this handy dandy post card creator.

Tip: Virtual postcards are now available on apps that allow you to send to an email or as a text.

Have a Treasure Hunt

Write clues and hide them around your house. Make sure each clue leads to a different clue. Have a sibling, parent, or friend read the clues and search for the treasure. Remember to leave a prize at the end. (Ex. a small piece of candy or a special card.)

What are you thinking?
Type sentences or paragraphs describing yourself. Print it and cut out a thought bubble around it. Next, print a large photo of yourself and glue it and the thought bubble on construction paper. You can learn more about this clever activity here.

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Complaint Department

This is just in case your kids are like mine and tend to disagree occasionally.☺ Create a box labeled "Complaint Department". If your child has a disagreement with someone in the family (or with a classmate), he can write about it and drop the complaint in the box. The parent/teacher will then address it after it is submitted.

Tip: You'd be surprised at how much tattling this eliminates. Kids tend to only take the time to write it down if it is really important to them, which eliminates all the minor disagreements and makes them learn to get along on their own without the adult acting as a mediator.

Awesome Research Papers

Research can be exciting when you get to choose what or who you'd like to research. Choose an animal, a person, an invention, a country, or something you'd like to learn more about. Next, check out three books from the library on your topic. After completing your research, compile the most interesting facts you have learned.

Super Glue Strength

Create your writing assignments from what you are learning about in science, social studies, and literature. Using this simple tip makes facts stick like super glue!

Interesting Facts

While viewing an educational program, keep a clipboard with paper on your lap and write the most interesting facts you learned.

Tip: For younger kids, require 3-5 facts. For older children, require 5-10 facts. Sometimes you will need to pause or even rewind the program while they are writing. This writing activity is excellent for practicing listening skills and for note-taking skills.

Comic Strips & Cartoons

Design your own comic strip to tell a story. You can use this site to create your own comics with cartoon characters, and print it off when you are done.

Become a Movie Critic

After viewing a movie on television or in a theater, write your honest thoughts down about the movie. Make sure to include the title, producer, and genre. Were you happy with the setting, characters, and plot? Is there something that could have been improved? Would you give this movie a thumbs up? Write why or why not.

Extra! Extra! Read all About it!

Write an editorial review of a book that would be appropriate for a newspaper or magazine. Make sure to include the title, author, publisher, and copyright date. Were you happy with the setting, characters and plot? Is there something the author could have improved? Would you recommend this book to a friend? Write why or why not.

Create Lapbooks

A lapbook is a colored, file folder that is filled with a finished writing composition. It also includes: graphs, stories, diagrams, vocabulary words, maps, biographies, timelines, pictures, and other written work, all glued and presented in a creative manner. For more information on lapbooks, visit this site.

Rotating Paragraphs

Play rotating group paragraphs with your child. Each person participating (siblings, Dad, Mom, etc.) writes a topic sentence of choice on his paper. At the parent's signal, pass (rotate) the papers to the right, and each person writes a supporting sentence. Complete this step three times. On the fourth rotation, each person should receive his own paper and add the concluding sentence. Remember to share your paragraphs by reading them aloud to each other.

Complete a Craftivity
Create a craft and do a writing activity with it. Here is an example of a craftivity. These students imagined what it would be like if they were trapped in a snow globe and wrote about it. Next, they made a snow globe craft that is super cute.

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Become a Published Author

Submit your child's stories to children's magazines. Several magazines will publish children's writing. Look on their websites for submission guidelines.

Become a Playwright

Write a script for a short play. Next, practice with some friends and perform it for an audience. Be sure to include the setting, characters, and scenes in your script.

Tip: My oldest son loved to create his own short movies. First, he would write out the scripts. Next, my son and his best friend would film the short movies with our video camera. They really came out great!

Become a Poet

Write a poem. Limericks are always a fun twist. Next, memorize your poem and recite it for your family. You can also have a fun time creating theme poems in different shapes.

Become a Radio Broadcaster

Pretend you are a radio broadcaster. Write an advertisement for an upcoming event in your community, a book you have recently read, or a movie you have recently watched.

Become a Star on TV

Write a television commercial advertising a book you have recently read or a new invention you have created. Make sure to use some props in your commercial. Don't forget to film it and watch yourself on television.

2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits for Writing

Write a chant/cheer or a song and then perform it for your family.

Help! My tongue is twisted!

Create your own tongue twisters! Use alliteration to write hilarious sentences that are difficult to read aloud quickly.

Oh no! It's a Cliffhanger!

Create a cliffhanger by having a character endure many problematic experiences. The parent begins by writing in a notebook the beginning of a story. It should consist of 2-3 paragraphs to set up the story and end with a set of ellipses (...) so your child can continue the story. Give the notebook to your child, and have him write the next paragraph with a set of ellipses at the end.

Encourage all family members to participate, and keep taking turns writing paragraphs. Be creative by leaving the next writer in cliffhanging situations in which he has to discover a way out. Your cliffhanger can be an on-going writing activity that continues for weeks.

Tip: My oldest son did this while in high school with his best friend via email. They really had fun challenging each other on how to get out of the difficult situations. It was certainly suspenseful!

Where would you like to work?
Create a resume for your dream job using this interactive resume generator. Make sure to list your strong points so you land the job!

Be the Teacher

Create a test or quiz about a book you are reading or a subject you are studying. Use true and false, multiple choice, matching, and/or essay questions. Make sure to include an answer key. The best part is having your parent take the test and see if he/she passes!

Chapter X

Have you ever wished a book had never ended or that the ending was different? Here's your chance to become the author and end the book your way! Write an additional chapter or even change the ending.

Be a Book Cover Designer

Design a new book jacket. You can use your own illustrations, or use the computer to create graphics. Include a summary of the book, and write a brief biography about the author for the back cover. You can also use the book cover designer program.

Be a Travel Agent

Create a brochure of a place you are currently studying or a place you'd like to visit in the future. Draw pictures, use photographs, add maps, and write details about this special place. you can fold a paper into thirds or you can use this cool virtual printing press to create brochure, newspapers, and flyers.

Create Your Own Mystery

Teach about mysteries using these fun ways, which include setting up your own crime scene and photographing it. Use the photos from the crime scene as a backdrop for the mystery.

My kids staged my room for a robbery in their story.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

Hook your reader instantly in the beginning of your writing by using these fun tips from this site.

Get Messy

Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to teach your child how to write directions. Children love this sticky, messy, and tasty hands-on activity! First, have your child write step-by-step directions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Encourage your child to be as detailed as possible.

Now, for the challenging (and fun) part. Have your child make his sandwich EXACTLY according to his directions. Your child will be surprised to learn how many details he omitted in his directions, such as removing the lid from the jar of peanut butter or using a knife to spread the jelly. This is a great way to teach your child that the small details in writing can make a big difference in the final product.

How-to Fun

Write the step-by-step directions on how to do something. It can be building something or even making a special treat.

Tip: My kids' favorite how-to writing assignments have been making a banana split and a homemade pizza. Yummy!

Get Blogging

Give your child's writing a worldwide audience by having him create a blog. Have your child write on what he is passionate about. I like how this child writes book reviews for children and parents on his blog.

Use Checklists

Using a writing checklist helps your child edit his own work, which enables him to write independently without constant reminders from you. Search on-line for a writing checklist for your child's writing level. Here is an example for varying levels.

Have Fun Typing

Completing writing assignments on a computer allows children to get familiar with typing, as well as have access to editing tools. Children tend to write more sentences with more detail if they can add to an existing assignment rather than rewrite the entire assignment. Have your child work on an assignment and then save it on his computer.

The next day, he can add more details to it and continue to edit it. The cut and paste feature is such a big help for children instead of copying it over by hand when he would like to make changes. Save all your children's writing and then print them off at the end of the school year. Make a nice cover page and visit a local print shop to have your child's work bound with a spiral binder. What a keepsake this will be!

The Real Deal

Upload your child's writing to this site and order a copy of your child's book. This is fantastic for older children who like to write novels or for younger children who like to create picture books. These also make nice presents for grandparents, too!

Fancy Character Traits

Make your characters stand out by using fancy adjectives when describing them in your stories. Here are some character traits you can use.

Be a Detective

Put your thinking cap on and discover the clues by using the 5 W's and H method (Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How) to create a story or to describe a book or historical event.

Give Me Five

Write five facts about what you learned today in Bible, history, geography, literature, or science. The next day add five more facts (in the same subject area you previously chose). The third day organize your facts into a paragraph. Type your paragraph, edit it, add an illustration (or an image from the computer), and share it with your family.

Tip: These are perfect assignments to place in your child's portfolio.

Working Backwards

Are you stuck on writing the beginning of your story? Then work backwards! Write the best ending to a story that you can think of. Here are some ways to make your ending shine- tinyurl.com/bestendings Next, work backwards to create the middle and then the beginning. Use this graphic organizer to help you.

Dictation Dynamite

Set a timer. The parent will read aloud a few sentences for a child to write within a set amount of time. If the child writes the sentence correctly before the timer goes off, the child wins. But if not, the paper "explodes" like dynamite. (It gets crumbled up and thrown into the air.) And the game begins again.

Tip: Your child should be able to write the sentences faster the following time if he does not win the game the first time. Make the game challenging but keep the time set where your child can meet the goal most of the time. You don't want to frustrate him, but instead make it a fun game.

If only it could talk!

Well, now it can! Write a story about a plant, an animal, or a nonliving thing that comes to life. What would it say and do? This is a wonderful activity to teach personification. Use books to help teach this literary device. Here are some examples.

Spectacular Setting

Create a setting from any medium you choose. It could be a watercolor painting, a diorama from a shoebox and construction paper, a castle made from cardboard tubes and boxes, or a city constructed from Legos. Next, use your setting to guide your writing. Describe your setting in detail, and add characters, a conflict, and a resolution.

Pump It Up!

Use strong verbs to write with strength and energize your writing. Here are some suggestions.

About Me Book

Create a book all about you! It can include basic facts about you, as well as your passions and interests. Here is a great example of how to make your own personalized book.

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Extreme Journal Writing
If your child need to take a break from writing, try Wreck This Journal. And YES, they wreck it!

Adults and teens are having a blast with this popular journal writing, and I've never enjoyed reading book reviews more for any other book. They are hysterical! I bought my niece one for Christmas and my sons two for this summer.

There is a version for younger children Tear Up This Book. This is disguising learning at its best!

Become a Bookworm

Write about your favorite books after you read them. Here are some forms you can use.

Make a Time Capsule

Collect objects to go inside your time capsule, such as a newspaper or a photo. Write a letter describing: your daily life, the current fads and fashions, how much everyday items cost, and anything else that you'd like to share. Now seal up your letter and objects and bury your time capsule. Who do you think will find it in the future?

Become a Mad Scientist

Write the scientific method, including your hypothesis for an experiment. Follow the step-by-step directions and conduct the experiment. Was your hypothesis correct? Here is a form to use.

Field Trips Rock

Write about your experience after attending a field trip. What did you learn? Don't forget to include your favorite parts. Here is a printable to help you out.

Bust out the OREOS!

Teach persuasive writing while eating OREO cookies. The letters OREO teach how to write using: Opinion, Reason, Example, and Opinion. Check out these terrific printables from this site that are double-stuffed with fun!

The Facts are Rolling In

Create a timeline of your family, a biography, or historical event that you are learning about. Use a long strip of adding-machine paper to write the facts in sequence.

Laugh Until It Hurts

Compose a collection of your favorite jokes. Don't forget to add some original jokes, too! Share your joke book with your friends.

Currently...

Become a news reporter and write about events that are currently taking place. These events can be local, national, or global.

Tip: Boys really enjoy writing about sports events.

Be an Artist

First, draw your story or cut out images printed off the Internet or from magazines. Use your drawing to be the inspiration for your story.

Interesting Tip: Most girls will draw nouns, such as castles, houses, dogs, and horses. Most boys will draw action verbs, such as running, fighting, and racing.

Persuasion Map

This interactive persuasion map provides a framework to help students organize their ideas before writing.

Become a Top Chef

Make a cookbook filled with your favorite recipes. This could even be a present for a close friend or relative, as well as a special keepsake for you. You can have it bound at a local printer, or you can use this site to make a hardcover edition.

Flat Stanley

Kids LOVE Flat Stanley writing activities! You can send your Flat Stanley off on adventures in your own classroom, family, or co-op group or you can choose to send him around the globe. For more information, visit this site.

Historical Letters

Write a historical letter from the point of view of a person you are currently studying about in history. Include accurate facts and use the proper friendly letter format. Visit this site for complete instructions. This is a fabulous writing activity for older children.

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Make Your Story Ending Shine
Use these simple tips to make your story ending wow your audience.

Write Your Own Ending and Get It Published

Visit this site and choose a story, write your own ending, and your ending will get published on the site. Very cool!

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Sweet Sayings

Simple treats can get your child's creative juices flowing! Use conversation hearts to write a letter to someone special for Valentine's Day.

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Use an assortment of candy bars to create a unique birthday card for a friend or loved one.

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Storytelling Basket

Fill a basket with small objects that a child can use to tell imaginative stories with. After sharing his story, the child can narrate his story as the parent writes it, or he can write it himself. This provides a fabulous springboard for creative story writing. Visit this site to see it in action.

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I listed a few more writing tips than 101 because I liked them all. I hope you like them. If you have any writing activities to share, please leave them in the comments below. I'd love to learn about them!

With 101 Ways to Make Writing FUN, you have several different options to keep all these fantastic ideas organized.

Option 1:

Print from HERE and paste it into a Word document to create a book by stapling it or adding it to a three ring binder. Keep it near your lesson plans or your child's study area to use as a reference.

Option 2:

Print from HERE on cardstock, and cut out the activity cards. A friend of mine thought of this brilliant idea and parents and teachers love it!

Add the activity cards to a recipe box or a similar storage container. Your child can independently choose the activities your child is interested in OR you can use the box yourself to file the activities you have completed with your students. Just add the cards you have completed to the back section. This is perfect for those who like to be extra organized.

Option 3:

Print from HERE on cardstock, and cut out the activity cards. Punch a hole in the upper left corner of the cards, and add a key ring to create a flip-book. This will keep the activities organized while flipping through the cards to choose activities to complete. Kids really enjoy this option because they can easily choose an activity for their homework and homeschool lessons.

Option 4:

Print from HERE for a professional look and format and then have it bound at a local copy shop. This is the option I chose to do. I also had my front and back cover laminated before they added the spiral binding. Now it will last through many years of homeschooling.