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Authentic writing activities for kids and teens

March 4, 2015 //  by Angie Kauffman//  11 Comments

Authentic Writing Activities for Kids and Teens

Written by Angie Kauffman of Real Life at Home

I have loved writing since I was a little girl. I was always writing stories and creating projects. It was just how I was naturally bent.

Most of my kids have been considerably less enthusiastic about writing. Because of their natural inclination against writing, I have sought out a variety of authentic writing activities beyond the standard five paragraph essay in order to encourage a love (or at least like) of writing.

Poetry

I love working on poetry with kids simply for the fact that poetry can look like so many different things.

You can work on poetry with no rules or guidelines, or you can work on poetry that has very particular rules. I have found that children who have difficulty with writing can often be very excited about poetry with very distinctive patterns, like haikus.

For kids that love art projects and other hands-on learning, they might love all of these hands-on poetry ideas that will encourage writing and creative thinking, while also giving the fun projects to create.

Newsletters and Zines

Newsletter or zines are a fabulous way to either be a follow up project to a large unit study or to highlight a topic of interest that your kids really love. If you are dealing with a struggling writer, I would especially encourage you to try this with any topic that your child loves, rather than a topic that you have chosen for them.

Your child’s newsletter or zine could feature articles, drawings, poetry, photographs, and anything else that interests them. If you’re not familiar with zines (short for “fanzine” or “magazine”), here’s a great resource that talks all about zine making for kids.

angie1

Photo by dot matchbox

Writing Correspondence

Whether your child gets a pen pal their age or starts a regular correspondence with a grandparent far away (or just down the block!), letter or email writing can be a fabulous way to work on writing skills.

If you want to work on this regularly, however, you’ll need to make sure that the person they are exchanging correspondence with is willing to commit to keeping up their end of the exchange.

Another option for this might be to exchange a notebook with your child where you write notes to one another. Not only will this be good writing practice, but it also might give them an opportunity to talk to you about things they have a hard time talking about in person.

Create Their Own Book Based on a Favorite Book

As a fun way to combine simple writing and art when my children were younger, we did a project where they each made their own books based on the book The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein.

They wrote new adventures for the main character of the book and then drew illustrations based on Silverstein’s drawings. This activity encouraged them to come up with their own writing ideas, but gave them a framework with which to work.

If your child does not enjoy drawing, they might want to work on their own fan fiction, where they make up a new story about a character or multiple characters in a book or movie.

Authentic Writing with Children: Writing books based on well-loved books

Blogging and Podcasting

This might be an area best tackled with older children. However, writing on a blog or writing to prepare a podcast can be very exciting for both kids and adults. It is fun to share your thoughts and creativity where others can read or listen to it.  (Although, you could decide if this would be something that would be available publicly or if it would be private.)

Your child could start a podcast or blog about an area of particular interest to them, or they might just do it about a variety of topics. To help them, it might be best if they focused on just a few topics of interest.

I love these ideas for helping children start a blog, which includes safe places for them to blog and things you might consider when they’re starting.

Pick Their Own Writing Project

If your child struggles with writing, this might be difficult for them, but if they already enjoy writing, allow them to pick their own writing projects. You might find that they have always wanted to writing their own novel, but you just didn’t know it.

Once they pick their own writing project, ask them what you can do to help support or guide them in their chosen project.

Writing can be an enjoyable activity for many children once they find their preferred ways to express themselves. Some children, however, may never really love writing. It’s still a great idea to introduce them to many different types of writing forms and projects.

What are some of your favorite writing projects to do with your kids?

Category: inspiration

About Angie Kauffman

Angie, a domestically challenged nerd, writer, and mom of three very fun kids, is the founder of Real Life at Home, as well as the Real Life at Home Podcast. She loves music, lives on caffeine, and is married to her best friend. Angie can also be found on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Penny

    March 4, 2015 at 7:35 am

    My girls love to draw so this year they have been making biographies of the people we are studying (Ben Franklin, Founding Fathers, and women of the American Revolution). Their enjoyment in writing is slowly approaching. We also create animal posters with artwork and information about the animal.

    Reply
    • Angie Kauffman

      March 10, 2015 at 11:34 pm

      What a great way to combine their love of drawing with writing! 🙂
      Angie Kauffman’s latest post: Skip the Pros: Using a Cons and Cons List for Decision Making

      Reply
  2. Hannah

    March 4, 2015 at 8:03 am

    My three kids have blogs, but they aren’t really faithful to post on them. But I love the idea of swapping notebooks with my daughter! It’s just the kind of thing she’d love. I’ll have to try that.
    Hannah’s latest post: Mid-Week Moment

    Reply
    • Angie Kauffman

      March 10, 2015 at 11:36 pm

      I’ve really been meaning to start swapping a notebook with my daughter. I’ve loved the idea for some time, but we just haven’t done it yet.
      Angie Kauffman’s latest post: Skip the Pros: Using a Cons and Cons List for Decision Making

      Reply
  3. se7en

    March 4, 2015 at 8:04 am

    These are such great ideas, what an inspiring post. Why haven’t I thought of podcasting? My older kids have been presenting assignments to me in blog format… writing a chapter of a book here and there. But I think, especially for my middle schoolers who are not writing/typing proficient… a podcast would be a great experience for them and a chance to express themselves. Thank you for the inspiration!!!
    se7en’s latest post: Parenting Tips by the Dozen for Raising Se7en+1 Kids…

    Reply
    • Angie Kauffman

      March 10, 2015 at 11:37 pm

      I’m so glad that you’re excited about the podcast idea! Thanks so much! 🙂
      Angie Kauffman’s latest post: Skip the Pros: Using a Cons and Cons List for Decision Making

      Reply
  4. Alicia

    March 4, 2015 at 11:10 am

    My 8 year old son likes to make his own comics using some free comic temples I found online and print out. 🙂

    Reply
    • Angie Kauffman

      March 10, 2015 at 11:38 pm

      Yes! Comic books! I love it.
      Angie Kauffman’s latest post: Skip the Pros: Using a Cons and Cons List for Decision Making

      Reply
  5. Alouse

    March 4, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    Wow! these are great ideas, this is a very inspiring post. I love the idea of pod casting!

    Reply
  6. Luke Wickham

    March 5, 2015 at 6:15 am

    Very creative writing activities for kids which can help kids improve their writing skills. All parents should follow these tips to make their kids a strong and creative writer.

    Reply
  7. Tara

    March 10, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    My 13 year old and I were just discussing research project ideas about World War II. Everything I suggested, he shot down. I just mentioned doing a newsletter that we could publish, and that did it. He wants to start right now! Thanks for the great ideas.
    Tara’s latest post: Highlights of Olympic National Park: Sol Duc Valley

    Reply

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