Creative Writing Prompts
Make The Task of Putting Thoughts on to Paper Fun and Easy
If you ask multiple children what their most favorite subject is, you will undoubtedly get varied answers. If you ask the same group of children what their least favorite subject is, most will say writing. The top reason that children do not like writing is that they find it a boring and mundane task about subjects that they really are not interested in. Creative writing prompts should spark interest, not fear. It's time for a change!
Some homeschoolers feel that once they have purchased a curriculum, they are stuck with that curriculum until school ends. They do not want to put that curriculum aside and buy something new. With good reason, that sounds rather wasteful. So, they stick it out and in turn the kids fuss and complain when it comes to writing.
What if you could take a road off the beaten path and make writing a more imaginative and refreshing experience for your kids? Would you do it? Here's how:
Drop what you are currently using only when it comes to writing prompts and essays. Many language arts curriculums are great when it comes to teaching the basics of grammar and spelling. When it comes to writing assignments, come up with your own writing prompts. You can still use the basic concepts that curriculum is asking for, but with content that interests your child. Ways to do this include:
- Ask your child what his favorite hobby, sport, or activity is right now, and tailor a writing assignment based on this subject.
- Use the Internet to find the best ideas for creating writing prompts. When you type "writing prompts" into a search engine, you will receive hundreds of thousands of ideas and resources.
Example of Writing Prompt
Supposing your child is interested in Peyton Manning (a popular NFL quarterback), here is an outline of prompts that he can use to write a great biography about this person.
- Peyton Manning was born...
- His favorite hobby growing up was...
- Peyton Manning felt that having an NFL player for a dad was...
- He was most inspired to play football by...
- Peyton went to college at...where he...
- He was first drafted in the NFL...
It only takes a few words to start the imagination flowing. If it is a subject that really interests your child, the assignment will be fun. Let your child add pictures or drawings to his story to create an image of his writings. That livens up the story and gives it flare.
Keep in mind that the material that is covered in a writing assignment should be new to your child because you want him to gain knowledge about a new area.
It does take some planning on your part to come up with creative writing prompts that are effective. Just putting questions and/or prompts on a paper is not enough. It takes thought. But, if your child responds to writing in this way, as opposed to what a curriculum suggests, it is well worth it. Happy writing!
