Continuing our focus on how to support academic areas over the summer, this blog will focus on writing. Similar to our previous blog posts about supporting academics in general and reading specifically, this blog will focus on fun and easy ways to encourage your student to write over the summer break from school so that they can maintain their writing skills. Our goal is to highlight tips that can be easily added into your summer schedule without too much extra work.
Create a Dedicated Writing Space.
This could be a drawer in the kitchen that has paper and pencils or pens available or a Tupperware container that has a notepad and pencils. Having items readily available will remove some of the obstacles of starting to write. Putting writing items in a Tupperware container also allows for these items to be brought along to other activities or into the car for road trips. If your child is having a difficult time thinking of what to write about, you could create a writing idea jar. Putting ideas in this jar would take away some of the difficulty with getting started.
Start a Summer Journal
This could be a place for your child to write down their experiences and fun summer memories. They could add pictures for even more fun. In addition to a summer journal, you could create a family summer journal or memory book as well. A summer journal could be created using paper or below, are free websites that allow children to create electronically.
StoryJumper allows kids to create their own books and has a user-friendly interface. Kids can write and illustrate their own stories using a library of images or their own drawings. The basic use is free, with options to purchase printed copies of books.
Book Creator offers a free version where kids can create digital books with text, images, audio, and video. It can be used online or has an app for tablets.
WriteReader is geared for children ages 3-10 years old. Kids can create their own books by combining their writing with illustrations. It is designed to support literacy development and offers a free version.
Help your child create a summer blog or website where they can write and publish their summer adventures. This is a great way to keep family members updated about what your child has been doing. Below are a handful of websites that allow kids (with parent help) to create a free website or blog.
Wordpress.com offers free blogging services with themes that can be customized and easy-to-use tools. It is user friendly.
Blogger offers a straightforward way to create blogs for free. It is easy to set up (again, with parent help) and manage.
Weebly has a free plan for creating websites with simple drag-and-drop options. It is also user friendly.
Write Letters and Postcards
Another way to share adventures and summer memories with others is to write letters or postcards to friends or family. This option is great for supporting writing skills and building connections. Your child could also send themselves a postcard for their travels that could be added to a summer journal or put into a memory box.
Encourage Writing in Everyday Activities.
This might include helping to write a grocery list with their favorite summertime snacks, or writing down a fun activity that they want to attend, or writing stories during a car ride, or writing notes about an upcoming summer camp.
Celebrate and Share Your Child’s Writing
Display your child’s written work on a bulletin board or your refrigerator at home. Show it to family and friends or create a scrap book of their creations. Celebrating their efforts can help to boost your child’s confidence and motivation.
Adding even one of these tips into your summer routine can help to support and build your child’s writing skills, while also making writing more fun!
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