Do your kids lag in the area of writing? When I was little, I remember my father getting out the ruler and a stack of clean paper. He’d painstakingly line the paper with spacious, straight rows, then hand me a sharpened pencil and ask, “Now, what would you like to tell Grandma today?” Okay, I’m a professional writer, so he must have done a good job, even though I was sure at the time he would warp me for life.
However, my kids would buck like wild donkeys if I made them write more than one or two letters a year. And with email, who writes letters? Few, that’s who. A hand-written thank you note is priceless, but for inspiring kids to write, I have another suggestion.
Insane writing prompts. Each month I sit down and write out 20 crazy ideas to spark my kids’ imaginations, integrate them into a chart, and have the kids make one entry per day in their Insanity Journals. Here are some sample prompts from last month:
Magicians are’t as cool as fairies, but…
If I were in charge of all the kids in the world, there would be…
Title: The Night I Stowed Away in Santa’s Sleigh
Actually, goblins prefer mouse meat to steak.
When I grow up, I want to be a dinosaur.
Then there was the time my daughter was talking on the phone to much. I thought I’d get her with “If I were a mom and my daughter were on the phone constantly, I’d discipline her by…”
Yeah. Since when is a shopping spree, a personal phone line, a cell phone, and unlimited trips to Sonic discipline? That one backfired big time.
But once the kids get past the “ugh” of writing and recognize the freedom it offers, they may just deem it fun. Reading the completed entries aloud is a blast, too. Each author puts his or her own spin on the prompt, and the stories may surprise you. Often they morph real life with fantasy and allow you a glimpse inside your children’s heads.
So, for some totally insane educational activities, brainstorm a few of your own writing prompts, don some Lennon glasses, find some Da Vinci clad notebooks and glitter pens, and teach your kids to write on!