Family Writing Challenge
The best part about being home is spending time together as a family...
All of these activities are designed with the objective to allow families to spend quality time with their children, motivating their children to learn, and enjoying each other's company. Have fun!
Try these writing challenges as a family! Turn in your completed writing challenges to earn extra "GOLD strips!"
Make a Menu
Let your child design and write the menu for a family dinner while you do the
cooking. Write difficult words for them to copy, or let them look up words in a
dictionary. This activity can be done on art paper with gel pens, or on a word
processing program. A related idea is the Food Critic Restaurant Review from
Scholastic.
Shaving Cream/Pudding Writing
Practice writing name, letters, sight words, and numbers in shaving cream or pudding.
Write a Letter to Grandparents
Keep a supply of kid notecards and stationery on hand for letter writing. A
letter from a grandchild is always a delight!
Noodle Words
Use dried noodles or other dried foods to build words.
Set a Goal
Teach your child the valuable skill of writing personal goals. Use these Word
documents from Education World as worksheets for a writing activity to set a personal goal and related mini-goals.
Write a Picture Story
Choose a family photo, or draw your own picture and work together to create dialogue for the picture! Be sure to use lots of descriptive words! You may want to use the basic story elements of 'character, setting, and plot'.
Newspaper Reporter Activity
Play reporter with your child and learn the 5 W's of writing with this
activity. Write 'Who, What, Where, When, and Why' down the left side of a sheet of paper or use this printable. PBS TeacherSource suggests that you guide your child to
watch a news story or learn about one online. You may pick a topic that is interesting to your family! Be sure to write the title and source of the story on the 5 W's sheet. Carry it even further by writing an opening paragraph to the news story and comparing it to the newspaper article on the story.
Be a Poet
Create an acrostic poem using your last name! Be sure to decorate your acrostic poem. Be creative and have fun!
Pass It Story
Have your child go through a stack of old magazines and find a picture that really makes him or her think twice. The first writer will write a few sentences about the picture, then pass it to another family member to continue the story. The next person adds a few sentences and passes it along, and so on, and so on, until you've built a whole story around the photo. Gather together and read the story aloud.
Family Timeline
Create a family timeline using family photos or pictures that you draw together! Highlight your family's favorite memories.
Name that Adjective
Practice with adjectives as a family! One person calls out an object- a pillow for example. Then the next person names a word that could describe the pillow- fluffy. Take this game outside and go on a family walk or nature hike!
Try these writing challenges as a family! Turn in your completed writing challenges to earn extra "GOLD strips!"
Make a Menu
Let your child design and write the menu for a family dinner while you do the
cooking. Write difficult words for them to copy, or let them look up words in a
dictionary. This activity can be done on art paper with gel pens, or on a word
processing program. A related idea is the Food Critic Restaurant Review from
Scholastic.
Shaving Cream/Pudding Writing
Practice writing name, letters, sight words, and numbers in shaving cream or pudding.
Write a Letter to Grandparents
Keep a supply of kid notecards and stationery on hand for letter writing. A
letter from a grandchild is always a delight!
Noodle Words
Use dried noodles or other dried foods to build words.
Set a Goal
Teach your child the valuable skill of writing personal goals. Use these Word
documents from Education World as worksheets for a writing activity to set a personal goal and related mini-goals.
Write a Picture Story
Choose a family photo, or draw your own picture and work together to create dialogue for the picture! Be sure to use lots of descriptive words! You may want to use the basic story elements of 'character, setting, and plot'.
Newspaper Reporter Activity
Play reporter with your child and learn the 5 W's of writing with this
activity. Write 'Who, What, Where, When, and Why' down the left side of a sheet of paper or use this printable. PBS TeacherSource suggests that you guide your child to
watch a news story or learn about one online. You may pick a topic that is interesting to your family! Be sure to write the title and source of the story on the 5 W's sheet. Carry it even further by writing an opening paragraph to the news story and comparing it to the newspaper article on the story.
Be a Poet
Create an acrostic poem using your last name! Be sure to decorate your acrostic poem. Be creative and have fun!
Pass It Story
Have your child go through a stack of old magazines and find a picture that really makes him or her think twice. The first writer will write a few sentences about the picture, then pass it to another family member to continue the story. The next person adds a few sentences and passes it along, and so on, and so on, until you've built a whole story around the photo. Gather together and read the story aloud.
Family Timeline
Create a family timeline using family photos or pictures that you draw together! Highlight your family's favorite memories.
Name that Adjective
Practice with adjectives as a family! One person calls out an object- a pillow for example. Then the next person names a word that could describe the pillow- fluffy. Take this game outside and go on a family walk or nature hike!