How To Use Fun Writing Activities For Kids

Looking for ways to get your students writing? Use fun creative writing activities to motivate and engage your students and get them writing. Your Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 students will be excited to complete these writing activities.

What Are Ten Minute Writing Activities?

Ten minute writing activities are quick, easy-to-implement writing activities you can complete with your students whenever you have ten to fifteen spare minutes in class. They can also be used as a warm up to begin your writing classes. Each activity includes a writing idea that can be completed in a short period of time. 

Why Use Ten Minute Writing Activities?

Use ten minute writing activities to get kids writing. These activities provide students with an opportunity to practice different writing skills.

The quick, fun nature of these writing activities is especially useful in motivating students who:

• struggle with coming up with ideas,
• have trouble getting their ideas down on the page, or
• who have trouble staying focused.

How To Use Ten Minute Writing Activities

Ten minute fun writing activities are as easy-to-use as 1, 2, 3.

1. Choose your ten minute writing activity.
2. Gather the materials.
3. Get your students writing.

When To Use Ten Minute Writing Activities

You can use ten minute writing activities:

• whenever you have ten to fifteen minutes of spare time.
• as part of a writing or literacy center in your classroom.
• with early finishers when they complete their work.
• as warmup activities to begin your writing classes.
• in your regular ELA classes as a way to get your kids writing.

Ten minute writing activities are easy to differentiate to meet the different learning needs of students in your classroom.

How To Differentiate Writing Activities Grade 1

Depending on the time of year, you may have a wide variety of learning needs in your classroom. Some of your students may be fluently writing sentences and paragraphs while other students may be at the drawing and labelling stage.

Here are some ideas for differentiating fun writing activities for 1st graders:

• partner students up to work on the activities.
• scribe ideas for students.
• let students use talk-to-text on an Ipad, tablet, or similar device.
• provide visual prompts to students to support them with their writing.

How To Differentiate Writing Activities For Grade 2

Possible ideas for differentiating the fun writing activities 2nd grade include:

• provide students with a number of examples to get them thinking.
• let students draw their ideas first and then have students who struggle with writing talk about their ideas rather than write them all down.
• ask one or two students to repeat the directions to ensure understanding.
• provide a word bank of related vocabulary on chart paper or on the white board as an easy reference for students who need this support.

How To Differentiate Writing Activities For Grade 3

Suggestions for differentiating the fun writing activities 3rd grade are:

• ask students to turn and talk about their ideas with a friend.
• get students to visualize or draw pictures in their minds before writing down their ideas.
• challenge students to go beyond the basic requirements of the writing activity. For example, get students to add adjectives or adverbs to their writing.

DIY or Ready-Made?

You can easily think of writing ideas, gather the materials and make the templates that you need for the ten minute writing activities. Begin your collection with the Sticky Note Travel Story FREEBIE.

Check out these ten minute writing activity blogposts to get ideas for your collection:

• Acts of Kindness Activity
• Animal Web Activity
• Fantastic Favorites
• Outer Space Postcards
• Winter Senses

No time to create activities?

Save time and have instant access to many different quick writing activities with the Ten Minute Writing Activities Growing Bundle.

Each ten minute writing activity provides:

• a teacher notes sheet to explain the activity and outline the different steps and extension option ideas for the activity in detail,
• graphic organizers to complete the activity, and
• draft and final copy templates for your students to use if you decide to extend the ten minute writing activity and work through the writing process.

The ten minute writing activities can be used with all the students in your class to get them writing. 

Materials shown in this blogpost are from the Ten Minute Writing Activities Growing Bundle on TeachersPayTeachers.

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Happy writing!

Until next time,

P.S. Many teachers are overwhelmed with teaching writing to their students. Get started today with the Writing Teacher's Roadmap Get Started Guide. Teaching writing activities online? Grab your FREE Google Slides writing resources and start using with your Grade 1, 2, and 3 students.