Happy
Scream
Guard
Evil
Whirlwind
Cactus
King
Chaos
Angry
Desert
Laugh
Heart
Give each participant a couple of pieces of paper at random. The first person says the first sentence of a story and they must use their first word as part of that sentence. The second person then continues the story and must include their word in it, and so on. Go round the group twice to complete the story.
You can also do this creative writing exercise with story dice, your own choice of words, or by asking participants to write random words down themselves, then shuffling all the cards together.
Every Christmas adults tell kids stories about Santa Claus. In this exercise you write a Christmas story from an alternative dimension.
What if every Christmas Santa didn't fly around the world delivering presents on his sleigh pulled by reindeer? What if gnomes or aliens delivered the presents? Or perhaps it was the gnomes who are trying to emulate the humans? Or some other Christmas tradition entirely that we humans have never heard of!
If you're working with a group, give everyone a couple of minutes to write two possible themes for the new Christmas story. Each theme should be 5 words or less.
Shuffle the paper and distribute them at random. If you're working online, everyone types the themes into the Zoom or group chat. Each writer then spends 10 minutes writing a short story for children based on one of the two themes, or their own theme if they really want to.
If working alone, choose your own theme and spend 15 minutes writing a short story on it. See if you can create the magic of Christmas from another world!
In a murder mystery story or courtroom drama, there's often conflicting information and lots of links between characters. A mind map is an ideal way to illustrate how everything ties together.
Split into groups of 3 or 4 people each and place a blank piece of A3 paper (double the size of A4) in the middle of each group. Discuss between you who the victim is and write their name in the middle of the piece of paper. Then brainstorm information about the murder, for example:
Feel free to expand out from any of these, e.g. to include more information on the different characters involved.
The idea is that everyone writes at the same time! Obviously, you can discuss ideas, but anyone can dive in and write their ideas on the mind map.
If you’re writing a piece of fiction, ask yourself how your protagonist would react to an everyday situation. This can help you to gain a deeper insight into who they are.
One way to do this is to imagine what their New Year’s resolutions would be.
If completing this exercise with a group, limit it to 3 to 5 resolutions per person. If some participants are historical fiction or non-fiction writers, they instead pick a celebrity and either write what their resolutions will be, or what their resolutions should be, their choice.
Stephen King said, "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops."
He also said, "Take any noun, put it with any verb, and you have a sentence. It never fails. Rocks explode. Jane transmits. Mountains float. These are all perfect sentences. Many such thoughts make little rational sense, but even the stranger ones (Plums deify!) have a kind of poetic weight that’s nice."
In this fiction writing exercise, start by brainstorming (either individually or collectively) seven verbs on seven different pieces of paper. Put those aside for later. Now brainstorm seven nouns. Randomly match the nouns and verbs so you have seven pairs. Choose a pair and write a piece of fiction for ten minutes. Avoid using any adverbs.
It’s the end of the world! For 5 minutes either:
If working as a team, then after the 5 minutes is up each writer reads their description out to the other participants.
For use after your first draft
I’ve listened to a lot of masterclasses on writing by successful authors and they all say variants of your first draft won’t be good and that’s fine. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman summarise it the best:
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
Terry Pratchett
“For me, it’s always been a process of trying to convince myself that what I’m doing in a first draft isn’t important. One way you get through the wall is by convincing yourself that it doesn’t matter. No one is ever going to see your first draft. Nobody cares about your first draft. And that’s the thing that you may be agonising over, but honestly, whatever you’re doing can be fixed… For now, just get the words out. Get the story down however you can get it down, then fix it.”
Neil Gaiman
Once you’ve written your first draft, it will need editing to develop the plot, enhance the characters, and improve each scene in a myriad of ways – small and large. These seven creative editing exercises are designed to help with this stage of the process.
Read the first paragraph of the novel, in particular the first sentence. Does it launch the reader straight into the action? According to On Writing and Worldbuilding by Timothy Hickson, “The most persuasive opening lines are succinct, and not superfluous. To do this, it is often effective to limit it to a single central idea… This does not need to be the most important element, but it should be a central element that is interesting.” Ask yourself what element your opening sentence encapsulates and whether it’s the best one to capture your readers’ attention.
Consistency is crucial in creative writing, whether it’s in relation to location, objects, or people.
It’s also crucial for personality, emotions and motivation.
Look at scenes where your protagonist makes an important decision. Are their motivations clear? Do any scenes force them to choose between two conflicting morals? If so, do you explore this? Do their emotions fit with what’s happened in previous scenes?
As you edit your manuscript, keep the characters’ personality, emotions and motivation in mind. If their behaviour is inconsistent, either edit it for consistency, or have someone comment on their strange behaviour or be surprised by it. Inconsistent behaviour can reveal that a character is keeping a secret, or is under stress, so characters don’t always need to be consistent. But when they’re not, there has to be a reason.
This exercise is the first in The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass. It’s a writing guide with a plethora of editing exercises designed to help you reenergize your writing by thinking of what your character is feeling, and giving you the tools to make your reader feel something.
Search for the following words in your book:
Whenever these words occur, ask yourself if you can demonstrate how your characters feel, rather than simply stating it. For each occasion, can you use physiological descriptors (a racing heart), actions (taking a step backwards) or dialogue to express what’s just happened instead? Will this enhance the scene and engage the reader more?
Find a scene where your characters disagree – in particular a scene where your protagonist argues with friends or allies. What happens next?
It can be tempting to wrap up the action with a quick resolution. But what if a resentment lingers and mistrust builds? This creates a more interesting story arc and means a resolution can occur later, giving the character development a real dynamic.
Review how you resolve the action and see if you can stretch out the emotions for a more satisfying read.
Ensure that the words used don’t detract from the enormity of the events your character is going through. Can you delete words like, “Quite”, “Little”, or “Rather”?
Of “Very” Florence King once wrote: “ 'Very' is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen .” Delete it, or replace the word after it with a stronger word, which makes “Very” redundant.
“That,” is another common word used in creative writing which can often be deleted. Read a sentence as is, then reread it as if you deleted, “That”. If the meaning is the same, delete it.
When talking about chapter endings, James Patterson said, “At the end, something has to propel you into the next chapter.”
Read how each of your chapters finish and ask yourself does it either:
Review how you wrap up each of your chapters. Do you end at the best point in your story? Can you add anticipation to cliff hangers? Will you leave your readers wanting more?
The editing exercises are designed to be completed individually.
With the others, I've always run them as part of a creative writing group, where there's no teacher and we're all equal participants, therefore I keep any 'teaching' aspect to a minimum, preferring them to be prompts to generate ideas before everyone settles down to do the silent writing. We've recently gone online and if you run a group yourself, whether online or in person, you're welcome to use these exercises for free!
The times given are suggestions only and I normally get a feel for how everyone's doing when time's up and if it's obvious that everyone's still in the middle of a discussion, then I give them longer. Where one group's in the middle of a discussion, but everyone else has finished, I sometimes have a 'soft start' to the silent writing, and say, "We're about to start the hour and a half of silent writing now, but if you're in the middle of a discussion, feel free to finish it first".
This way everyone gets to complete the discussion, but no-one's waiting for ages. It's also important to emphasise that there's no wrong answers when being creative.
Still looking for more? Check out these creative writing prompts or our dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy creative writing prompts
If you've enjoyed these creative writing exercises, please share them on social media, or link to them from your blog.
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Fun interactive writing games to get your creative juices flowing...
Write original stories by playing a game with online friends. Storium builds your skills as a writer, exercises your creative juices, and helps you meet new people.
StoriumEDU is a collaborative writing game designed to help young writers build their confidence and skill. Inspired by Storium.com, it can be played either in class or at home and is designed for safety and privacy.
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Step into a world of fun while improving your English writing skills. Fun writing games let you practise and learn at your own pace, making studying an enjoyable experience. In this article, discover 5 English writing games that are suitable for all learning levels, so you can improve your English writing skills while having a blast !
Games for learning English are a fun and effective way to improve your language skills. English creative writing games can help learners like you explore different writing styles and experiment with language, ultimately helping to build your confidence.
Games are a great way to help you remember what you learn in English. They are enjoyable, and when you have fun, it’s easier to remember things for a long time.
Story Starters is an English creative writing game that works best with a group of players. This game involves taking turns to write a story with each player adding a sentence within a set time limit.
To play Story Starters, gather a group of friends, some paper, pens, and a timer.
You will start with a pre-written sentence (if you Google “Story Starter sentences” you can find plenty). You must add a sentence to this story within 2 minutes set on the timer. Once you have written your sentence, pass the paper to the next person and let them repeat the process by adding a new sentence of their own.
This is a great game for letting your imagination run wild and getting your creative juices flowing !
Scategories is a quick and creative game where you think of words that start with a given letter and that fit into specific categories to earn points for answers that are unique.
A group of players is given a list of prompts such as “things babies need”. Then, a letter from the alphabet is picked at random (using a lettered die or an online letter generator). Once the letter has been chosen, the timer is set, and each player must quickly come up with a word starting with the chosen letter to answer each of the prompts.
To make things a bit trickier, you only get a point for your answer if nobody else has put the same answer. Playing this game challenges you to think fast to find the most creative and unique answers.
Picture Prompts is a fun writing game that involves using pictures to create imaginative stories or descriptions. This game can be played by yourself or with a group of people.
Each player is given a picture or an image. Next, a timer is set for a specific amount of time – 5 to 10 minutes usually works well. The players must then write a creative story or description based on their picture. The goal is to be as imaginative as possible. Once the time is up, players take turns reading their descriptions or stories to the rest of the group.
In the game of Consequences, players take turns writing words or phrases on a piece of paper, then hiding what they have written to collaboratively create a funny and often silly story.
Each player takes a turn writing a word or phrase on a piece of paper, then folding the paper after each turn to hide what they’ve written. Then, it’s passed on to the next player, who adds their part before folding the paper and passing it on again. This continues until all players have contributed. Finally, unfold the paper and read out the funny story you created together.
In this English writing game, players are encouraged to choose a favourite film or book and then rewrite the ending.
Rewrite The Ending is a game that does what it says on the tin . Quite simply, you get to rewrite the ending of your favourite book or film. You can change the story, add new characters, or create exciting twists. It’s a creative way to practise writing and using your imagination while having fun with stories that are already familiar to you.
While games offer a fun and interactive way to practise and improve your writing skills, combining them with structured learning is even more powerful.
If you’re serious about mastering English, check out our English Online courses. Choose between group classes or private, one-to-one tutoring and experience expert-led learning and personalised guidance to help you perfect your English writing skills in no time at all.
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By: Author Paul Jenkins
Posted on October 17, 2023
Categories Creativity , Entertainment , Inspiration , Writing
Writing games are an excellent way to improve and hone your writing skills while having fun at the same time. These games not only enhance your creativity but also help in developing a strong foundation in grammar, punctuation, and storytelling.
From classroom activities to online platforms, there’s a wide variety of writing games available for learners of all ages and expertise levels.
Educational writing games provide an engaging and interactive approach to teaching language skills, making the learning process enjoyable for both students and teachers.
These games often focus on key aspects of writing, such as sentence structure, word choice, and narrative development, adapting to the needs of each individual learner.
Story and letter writing games, in particular, provide a structured yet creative environment for aspiring writers to put their thoughts into words and channel their inner storyteller.
One fun and engaging way to strengthen your writing skills is through adjective games . These activities help you expand your vocabulary and make your sentences more descriptive. For example, try “Adjective Showdown,” where you take turns with a partner, picking a noun and brainstorming as many adjectives as possible to describe it.
Another game is “Adjective Charades,” where players take turns acting out adjectives, while others try to guess the word.
To make your writing more dynamic and action-packed, try practicing with verb games . “Verb Relay” is an entertaining option where you form two teams and race to list verbs that fit a given category, like “things you do in the kitchen.”
Another game, “Verb Tenses Race,” challenges you to write sentences in different tenses, like past, present, and future, for a selected verb. These games not only enhance your use of verbs but also improve your understanding of grammar rules.
Pictionary games are not just fun, but also great for developing your writing skills. Combining drawing and writing, these activities encourage creativity and boost your ability to visualize ideas. One example is “Illustrated Stories,” where you draw a simple doodle or picture, and then write a story inspired by your drawing.
Another option is playing a traditional game of Pictionary focused on literary themes, like characters, settings, or objects from famous books. By transforming your ideas into visual representations, you’ll unlock new perspectives and improve your ability to craft engaging stories.
Noun games are a fun way for children to practice their writing skills while learning about the basic building blocks of sentences.
One great example is the Nouns and Verbs Sort Game , where players categorize words into the correct column. This activity works well in homeschool settings and helps children identify nouns easily. Another interesting option is the “Name It” game, in which the child looks at pictures and writes down the nouns they represent.
Teaching pronouns can be engaging and enjoyable with creative games. Your child can practice replacing noun phrases with appropriate pronouns by playing the “Pronoun Swap” game. In this activity, you provide sentences with underlined nouns, and your child replaces them with the correct pronoun, such as he, she, it, or they.
For an online experience, ABCya is an excellent resource for writing games, including those that serve as pronoun exercises.
Grammar games incorporate various aspects of writing, such as punctuation, capitalization, and conjugation.
Fun Factory is a great example you can use, where children practice adding the correct punctuation or capitalization to sentences. To work on verb tense, try the “Tense Transformation” game, in which sentences are provided in one verb tense, and your child must rewrite them into another tense.
These games are a valuable addition to your homeschool writing curriculum, providing an exciting way for kids to learn and practice grammar.
Engaging in story writing can be a great way to spark creativity and improve literacy skills. To make it fun and interactive, try playing some storybuilding games with your students or kids.
One cool example is Storymaker from ABCya, where young learners can create their own unique tales using a variety of characters, objects, and backgrounds.
Another entertaining game is sentence stretching. This game encourages players to expand short, simple sentences into more detailed and descriptive ones. Simply start with a basic sentence and take turns adding adjectives, adverbs, or other words to make it more interesting.
Letter writing is an essential skill to master, and it can be just as enjoyable as crafting stories.
To liven up the learning process, check out Write a Letter to Santa from ABCya, catered to children in kindergarten to grade 3. This interactive game guides youngsters through the process of composing a letter while covering vital aspects such as addressing, greeting, body, closing, and signatures.
Another fun letter composition game is “Grammar Toss – Sentence Making.” In this activity, players toss a ball or beanbag to each other while they construct sentences. Each person must include a correct grammar element, such as a noun, verb, or punctuation mark. As the players continue tossing the ball, they work together to form a coherent sentence that incorporates the various grammar components.
By incorporating these games into your teaching or parenting approach, you’ll make story and letter writing more enjoyable and engaging. So go ahead, give these games a try, and watch as your young ones become more confident and proficient in their writing skills!
Unleash your inner astronaut and delve into the world of space-themed creative writing games! By focusing on this exciting topic, you can explore endless possibilities and fuel your imagination. Try crafting short stories about intergalactic adventures, alien encounters, or futuristic space technology.
You can even engage in a group activity where each person writes a paragraph, building a collaborative cosmic tale. Remember, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you – all you need to do is let your mind wander through the vast universe.
Developing intriguing characters is crucial for successful creative writing, and character interview games are your fun ticket to achieving that.
These games challenge you to think deeply about your character’s traits, backstory, and motives, through a series of interview-style questions. Start by creating a list of questions that your character might be asked, focusing on their personality, life experiences, and relationships.
Then, answer these questions as if you were the character, ensuring to write in a friendly, conversational tone. You’ll be surprised how these insightful answers deepen your connection with your character and enhance your overall writing. So go ahead, and enjoy the journey of getting to know your characters better through these entertaining exercises.
As a journalist, it’s essential to keep your writing skills sharp and engaging. Writing games can be a fun and interactive way to enhance your abilities. In this section, we will discuss two types of writing games specifically tailored for journalists: Article Drafting Games and Headline Creation Games.
Article drafting games are designed to help you practice crafting well-written and engaging newspaper articles. One idea is to create a communal story, where you and your fellow journalists take turns adding sentences or paragraphs to a shared document. This can be a great way to collaborate on a story and see how different writing styles blend together.
Another useful game involves focusing on the details. Pick a specific event or topic and challenge yourself to write a news article filled with vivid and accurate descriptions. Be sure to include quotes from relevant sources and present the information in a clear, concise manner.
You can also try rewriting the endings of existing articles. Find a newspaper article whose conclusion doesn’t satisfy you and rewrite it in a way that you find more compelling. This will help you practice creating strong, impactful endings for your stories.
Crafting attention-grabbing headlines is a key skill for journalists. One simple game to improve your headline writing skills is to pick a random newspaper article and brainstorm at least five alternative headlines for it. Try to create headlines with varying tones (serious, humorous, or informative) to practice adapting your style to different situations.
Another game is called “Headline Roulette.”
Gather a group of fellow journalists and give each person a stack of cards with intriguing single words written on them. Then, challenge everyone to create a unique headline using the words they’ve received. This exercise is fun and encourages creativity in crafting engaging headlines.
By participating in these writing games, you can hone your journalism skills and ensure that your newspaper articles are always well-written, engaging, and informative. Have fun, and remember that practice makes perfect!
One exciting method is to participate in creative writing exercises that challenge you to think outside the box, whether you’re writing alone or with a group.
Examples of these exercises include writing prompts or activities that focus on specific writing skills. Giving your imagination free rein will undoubtedly make the writing experience more enjoyable.
Another way to spark your creativity is by creating an Island Story Map. Begin by marking a starting point with a star and an endpoint with a red cross. Then, fill the map with obstacles, challenges, and interesting events for your characters to overcome. This approach allows you to visually explore and engage with your story world, making the writing process more exciting.
Don’t forget writing games that can entertain while improving your literacy skills. These games can be simple to play and easily adapted to suit different age levels. Whether it’s using random words to create a story or starting a sentence that your friends must finish, writing games help you think on your feet and keep your creative mind engaged.
As a teacher, you can incorporate various writing games into your classroom to make the learning process more engaging and fun. Writing games are versatile and can be utilized in almost any subject or course.
By integrating these enjoyable activities into your teaching strategy, you are not only making the learning process enjoyable but also helping your students develop their writing skills in a playful manner.
One fantastic tool to check out is BookWidgets , which allows you to create different types of interactive activities and assessments that can be easily assigned to your Google Classroom. This platform brings the convenience of creating and managing all your interactive activities in one place.
A fantastic app to improve your students’ writing skills is the Writing Challenge App . This app is designed as an interactive game that provides prompts to get the students started, and as they write, it supplies new prompts to add ideas, characters, and actions to the plot.
Incorporating this app in your classroom will encourage students to explore their creativity and improve their ability to generate unique ideas.
Another highly recommended app is Story Builder , designed to help students with paragraph formation, integration of ideas, and abstract thinking. It uses audio clips to promote access to writing, making it an engaging tool in the classroom.
Friendly competition among peers can make learning grammar more enjoyable, and advanced writing games that focus on adverbial phrases are no exception. Here are some interesting and creative games to challenge your writing skills and deepen your understanding of adverbial phrases:
Remember, adverbial phrases add depth and excitement to your writing, making your story or essay more engaging. By incorporating these games into your practice, you’ll not only have fun but also improve your writing skills in no time.
You might be wondering how to step into the world of writing games. Well, we’re here to help! In this section, we’ll cover the main fundamentals of game writing to give you a strong foundation.
First, let’s talk about your writing skills. It’s important to have solid writing abilities when tackling game narratives. You need to create compelling stories, characters, and dialogues that engage players. Remember, practice makes perfect, so honing your craft by writing daily can make a big difference.
Now, let’s dive into the world of game writing. It is unique from other forms of writing, as you need to integrate the story into the interactive and dynamic nature of video games. A game writer must keep in mind the player’s choices and the non-linear story structure and plan multiple narrative paths accordingly.
With resources like Video Game Writing Essentials available online, getting started shouldn’t be a problem.
When writing for games, you must consider the game’s mechanics and design. This means understanding how gameplay elements, challenges, and environment fit into the story. Collaborating with game designers will help seamlessly weave the story into the gameplay.
During the game development process, it’s essential to be flexible and open to adaptation. Game writing involves a lot of iterations and refining. As the game design evolves, your story may need to change as well. Listen to feedback, stay receptive, and be a team player to create a captivating game.
First off, always familiarize yourself with the basics of game writing. You can find inspiration and great examples by looking at the instruction manuals of some of your favorite games. Analyze how they format instructions and take note of any elements you particularly enjoy.
When starting your project, make sure to have a solid plan for your story and characters. A practical guide to game writing can be a valuable resource to help you get started on the right foot. This guide will give you insights into collaborating with design, production, and writing staff during the pre-production and production phases of your game.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with various writing techniques. Sometimes, incorporating things like sentence stretching, rebus writing, or touch-and-tell activities can add excitement and engagement for your players.
To explore more writing games, check out this list of 10 quick and fun writing games to improve students’ literacy skills, which you can adapt to fit your game concept.
Finally, always keep your audience in mind. Write for your target audience and tailor your game to their interests, preferences, and skill levels. Remember, your goal is to create an enjoyable and memorable experience for your players.
There are plenty of enjoyable writing games available for children. Some popular options include Five-Word Story, where kids use prompts to create brief stories like these , and Poetry Strips or Word Banks, in which children get inspired by pre-selected words or create word banks themselves. Experiment with different games to find the ones your child enjoys the most!
To play writing games with friends, choose activities that involve collaboration and group participation. One example is Secret Pictionary, where players write a random phrase, pass it along, and the next player attempts to draw it. You can also try Word Association games where friends take turns writing words related to a common theme.
Many writing games can improve various aspects of writing, such as vocabulary, grammar, creativity, and storytelling. Engaging in different writing activities like using themed word banks, creating poetry, or in-depth stories can help children develop and enhance their skills. Keep an eye out for games that target specific areas your child needs to improve.
Middle school students can benefit from writing games that encourage creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking. Options like group storywriting, where each participant contributes a sentence or paragraph to form a coherent narrative, can be both engaging and educational. Other activities like collaborative poetry, writing dialogues, and adapting stories into scripts can also be suitable for middle school students.
Fun writing activities for 4th and 5th graders can include creative storytelling games, where they use prompts or images as inspiration; poetry creation with various forms like haiku or limericks; and word games that involve making sentences using specific letter combinations. Always encourage them to use their imagination and creativity, as well as focusing on proper grammar and punctuation.
While writing games might be too advanced for toddlers, you can introduce activities that help develop fine motor skills and a love for storytelling. Encourage them to draw simple pictures depicting stories, dictate stories to you, or engage with letters and numbers through play. As they grow older, you can gradually introduce more complex writing activities.
FREE - Available Online Anytime, Anywhere
Four Writing Lessons
Persuasive Letter
Sensory Description
Report The News
Write A Scary Story
PERSUASIVE – available now
TV game show— Best Persuasive Letter. Students apply 5 keys to persuasion in a letter they write urging parents to buy a puppy. Convincing letters win play time with a virtual puppy.
DESCRIPTIVE – available now
Students choose vivid sensory words and similes supporting a main impression as they build a blog post about an exciting day with some friends at the beach.
INFORMATIVE – Fall 2018
Students play the role of news reporters for their school website, covering a topic of interest to children. They present the facts and arguments in the strongest order.
NARRATIVE – in development
A haunted house is just the place for a scary SETTING, twisty CHARACTERS, an event TRIGGERING a PLOT rising to a CLIMAX and a credible RESOLUTION.
PERSUASIVE WRITING
Video preview.
Teacher guide.
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
Full interactive game, personalized learning.
Teachers can shift time from whole-class instruction to personalized learning. • While some students are occupied with learning games, the teacher can coach small groups or individuals. • Grade 2-3 lessons are available for Grade 4-5 students who are working at lower grade levels.
Teacher time is saved in planning, instruction, and evaluation.
♦ Detailed lesson plans include learning outcomes and step-by-step strategies. ♦ The basic concepts of each composition lesson provide templates for additional lessons on the same genre. ♦ Games are self-scoring. ♦ Checklists and “how to” videos enable students to revise and edit their own compositions.
Teachers may draw upon a rich array of learning materials, including mini-lessons, graphic organizers, and short video tutorials.
Teacher guide: Persuasive Writing
Teacher guide: Descriptive Writing
Information coming soon, pending results of classroom tests.
Common core alignment.
The eWriting for Kids! program is in the vanguard of a new era deploying game-based lessons to help teachers deliver highly engaging interactive writing lessons within the actual time available, and provide online lessons anytime, anywhere.
Grades 2 - 3 lessons, support this non-profit organization by funding additional interactive learning games., what people are saying. . ..
Read real reviews and comments about eWriting For Kids!
This is an AMAZING Game! I love it (Win Them Over!) and so do the children I have tried it with. Stephen R. - United Kingdom
A fun 3D game (Win Them Over!) used to teach writing. The game is engaging and innovative. Strengths: Innovative, teaches writing (which is rare to find) Free, Instructor Resource/Support provided. Self-paced, can be used in formal and informal settings. I think it is great that while everyone is developing STEM teaching games, this game realizes the importance of writing. I have seen a decline in writing skills among students and I feel this game is a great way to tackle issues such as poor communication skills in our youth. Judge feedback, SIIA CODiE Awards 2017
The value is nearly immeasurable. I had a more than a few kids come up and say either ``Hey, that was (writing) actually fun!`` or ``I like writing when I can write about what I want.`` The best feature was allowing the children to discover their strengths and weaknesses regarding Descriptive Writing. It improves grammar, reading skills, and of course allows the kids to further expand on their imagination and creativity. * Comments after 16 Girls and Boys Tested ``Sharing Personal Experiences``. Sean W. - Youth Development Professional Boys and Girls Club
Contribute to multiplayer stories, seeing only what the previous author wrote. modeled on the game exquisite corpse, each creation is gloriously unique still curious learn more..
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Stories in need of a line, what is byline.
A multiplayer creative writing experience where a group of authors creates a story, one line at a time.
Loosely based on exquisite corpse, each author writes a line having only seen the line directly before theirs. Once complete, the creator titles the story and shares it with the group.
Yes! Get started by creating a story and sharing it with friends. Don't know any writers? No problem. Post your story to Byline and you'll meet some!
Public stories, private stories.
If you invite individual people (by username, email, or phone number) and make sure Plus others on Byline is deselected then your story becomes private and only those invited can contribute.
Breadcrumbs give authors an opportunity to select a key word/phrase from their line that they think is important. Breadcrumbs are visible for the life a the story and can act as clues that offer additional context.
They are optional, but fun to add!
Sequels are stories spawned from the last line of other stories. To create a sequel go to the bottom of a finished story and select Write More → Create sequel based on this story .
If you see something that doesn't live up to our standards report it by clicking the next to any line.
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Our writing games are made to encourage creativity; with quick ten minute writing challenges that will give you the inspiration, and encouragement, you need to write larger projects.
Each game is tailored to different elements of writing; from characterisation to story development. This allows you to focus on areas you may be struggling with.
Most importantly writing should always be fun. These games are a safe space for you too enjoy doing what you love, without taking things too seriously. Your game entries can be as silly and imaginative as you’d like!
Our games have been developed in real-life writing workshops. The Orton team is always interested in hearing new game ideas from our users so please get in touch.
Writer's block
Flash fiction, write something in 10 minutes. You just have 1 word to get you started.
Write something in 10 minutes based around a single photo.
Characterisation
Improve your character. We'll provide a situation, and you have 10 minutes to write your character's reaction.
Challenge yourself to write something without being able to delete a single letter.
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Storiumedu is a collaborative writing game for youth that builds skill and lasting confidence., start transforming your students into motivated writers., virtual playing cards unlock creativity..
Gameplay revolves around digital “story cards” that represent different aspects of storytelling and character development. Along with vivid art , these cards serve as writing prompts, helping students figure out what to write next at each step of the game and overcoming the dreaded “writer‘s block.”
Each student creates and controls their own unique character . This helps them care about the story that they’re writing and builds strong, lasting motivation and engagement. Characters grow and evolve as the students play and write, just like in a real story.
Students take turns playing story cards and adding to the story. Paragraph by paragraph, they collaboratively write their own original story simply by playing the game. StoriumEDU’s simple rules motivate even the most reluctant young writers and keep the story moving forward.
StoriumEDU tracks your students’ writing speed and progress, giving you insights both into who is excelling and who needs additional attention. Teachers can monitor all student writing, provide feedback, and request revisions.
StoriumEDU is a ”Swiss army knife” that supports an impressively wide range of educational goals. You can use story cards and curricular content from our growing library , created by teachers just like you. You can also easily create your own cards to support your own unique classroom needs.
of teachers say StoriumEDU noticeably improves student motivation.
of teachers would recommend StoriumEDU to a colleague.
of students say StoriumEDU is more fun than traditional writing assignments.
words already written, just by playing a game!
“The National Writing Project is enthusiastic about StoriumEDU‘s potential for educational impact and the importance of its underlying innovation in improving the state of writing instruction.”
“StoriumEDU empowers teachers to craft rich, creative, rewarding experiences for their students that help them find their unique writing voice. It made my school year!”
“I would recommend StoriumEDU to any creative-minded teacher interested in engaging students in storytelling and collaborative writing. It's an excellent platform to help students creatively explore any number of writing skills.”
“StoriumEDU is unlike any other writing product I have seen. It offers students unique opportunities for learning, fun, and self-discovery, in a way that is manageable, assessable, and enjoyable for teachers to implement.”
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Designed and tested with students of all ages. Appropriate for late elementary, junior high, and high school students.
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Writing tools students love.
Engage and inspire your students with these immersive writing prompts! Perfect as a short story writing starter, these dynamic tools will give students all the characters, settings, and problems they need to get their ideas on to paper.
If you’re sick of hearing students say: “I don’t know how to start!” or “I don’t like that writing prompt!” – you’ve come to the right place! Each generator has than 10 million plot combinations, and students love getting to customise their prompt.
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Quill.org, a non-profit, provides free literacy activities that build reading comprehension, writing, and language skills for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Writing Across the Curriculum: Quill's nonprofit mission is to now build both reading and writing skills through free, OER content across the curriculum. Over the coming years, we will be building a library of free ELA, social studies, and science activities that engage students in deeper thinking through writing prompts that provide immediate feedback.
9.4 million students have written 2 billion sentences on Quill.
Provide your students with nonfiction texts paired with AI-powered writing prompts, instead of multiple-choice questions, to enable deeper thinking.
Students read a nonfiction text and build their comprehension through writing prompts, supporting a series of claims with evidence sourced from the text. Quill challenges students to write responses that are precise, logical, and based on textual evidence, with Quill coaching the student through custom, targeted feedback on each revision so that students strengthen their reading comprehension and hone their writing skills.
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Help your students advance from fragmented and run-on sentences to complex and well structured ones.
Using the evidence-based strategy of sentence combining, students combine multiple ideas into a single sentence. They then receive instant feedback designed to help them improve their clarity and precision.
The Quill Lessons tool enables teachers to lead whole-class and small-group writing instruction.
Teachers control interactive slides that contain writing prompts, and the entire class responds to each prompt. Each Quill Lessons activity provides a lesson plan, writing prompts, discussion topics, and a follow up independent practice activity.
Quickly determine which skills your students need to work on with our diagnostics.
The diagnostics cover vital sentence construction skills and generate personalized learning plans based on the student’s performance.
Proofreader teaches your students editing skills by having them proofread passages.
Students edit passages and receive personalized exercises based on their results. With over 100 expository passages, Proofreader gives students the practice they need to spot common grammatical errors.
Students practice basic grammar skills, from comma placement to parallel structure.
Quill Grammar has over 150 sentence writing activities to help your students. Our activities are designed to be completed in 10 minutes so you have the freedom to use them in the way that works best for your classroom.
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You can quickly and easily set up your classroom in Quill by inputting student names or providing students with a unique code. If you use Google Classroom or Clever, you can automatically set up your classroom with one click.
Decide if you want your students to proofread passages, combine sentences, or complete a diagnostic. Use our ten minute activities as building blocks during your classroom instruction.
Use our reporting to spot trends and identify growth opportunities. Monitor comprehension on specific writing standards.
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Save time grading and watch your students correct their mistakes instantly.
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See exactly where your students need intervention with our comprehensive reports.
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Explore our interactive writing games for kids! Our experienced language arts teachers have designed fun writing games to boost early writing skills and also improve kids' handwriting. This collection covers various writing activities like tracing uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet and wri ... Read more ting high-frequency words or sight words. Parents and teachers love these writing games as they guide kids from letter tracing to writing fluency! Start now for free!
CONTENT TYPE
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase A.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter A with this game.
Practice tracing small letters with standing and curvy lines - a, d and q.
Practice tracing big letters with sleeping & slanting lines - A, V, W, X, Y & Z.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase a.
Practice tracing big letters with standing & curvy lines - B, D, & P.
Enhance your language skills by tracing small letters with standing & curvy lines - b & p.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter B with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase B.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase b.
Practice tracing big letters with curvy lines - C, O & S.
Practice tracing small letters with curvy lines - c, o, & s.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter C with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase C.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase c.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter D with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase D.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase d.
Practice tracing big letters with standing & sleeping lines - E, F, H, I, L & T.
Have fun tracing small letters with curvy & sleeping lines - e.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter E with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase E.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase e.
Practice tracing small letters with standing, sleeping & curvy lines - f, h, m, n & r.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter F with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase F.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase f.
Enjoy tracing big letters with standing, sleeping & curvy lines - G.
Have fun tracing small letters with curvy & standing lines - g.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter G with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase G.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase g.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter H with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase H.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase h.
Practice tracing small letters with standing and sleeping lines - i, l and t.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter I with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase I.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase i.
Enjoy tracing big letters with standing, sleeping & curvy lines - J.
Kids will trace small letters with standing & curvy lines - u & j.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter J with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase J.
Get familiar with writing by learning to trace lowercase j.
Practice tracing big letters with standing & curvy lines - K, M & N.
Have fun tracing small letters with curvy & standing lines - k.
Let's take a look at how to make the letter K with this game.
Learn language skills by practicing to trace uppercase K.
Learning to write involves acquiring the ability to form letters, words, and sentences using various techniques like tracing and practicing sight words. It's a developmental process where kids enhance their fine motor skills and build a foundation for effective communication through written expression.
Writing for kids is the process of learning how to put thoughts and ideas into words on paper. It's an essential skill that helps children express themselves and communicate effectively. Learning to write can be challenging for young learners, as it involves coordination and practice. However, incorporating games and interactive activities can make the learning journey more enjoyable and easier.
Kids gradually develop their writing skills, starting with basic letters and progressing to forming sentences and paragraphs, fostering creativity and communication along the way.
Let's look at a few important writing skills that kids need to learn for effective communication through writing.
Letter tracing for kids involves following the shapes of letters with a pencil or finger. It helps children learn the correct formation of letters and improves fine motor skills. Tracing also enhances letter recognition and reinforces the connection between visual and motor skills, setting a strong foundation for writing.
Do you want to make letter tracing fun for kids? Try our interactive Letter Tracing Games covering all A-Z letters for engaging and effective writing exercises!
Sight words are words that children instantly recognize by sight or learn as a whole by sight without needing to sound them out. Identifying words by sight accelerates their reading speed and fluency. Writing sight words for kids involves practicing and memorizing common words that appear frequently in texts.
A few examples of sight words are he, she, they, his, you, yes, day, and, see, etc.
Writing sight words aids in building a strong reading foundation as sight words often can't be sounded out. Writing them repeatedly enhances recognition, spelling, and fluency, facilitating smoother reading.
Elevate the learning experience with our interactive Writing Sight Words Games , making learning enjoyable and fun.
Explore SplashLearn's curated collection of engaging online educational games and activities. These resources combine entertainment with learning, fostering your child's growth as a creative thinker and proficient writer.
Utilizing online ELA games to improve writing skills is the best way to help kids fall in love with reading and writing. Here are a few notable benefits:
Here are a few fun writing games for elementary students by SplashLearn:
Have you ever heard these questions or statements from your students?
If so, you won’t want to miss these creative writing activities.
Activities that teach creative writing serve as drills to exercise your student’s writing muscle. When used effectively, they help reluctant writers get past that intimidating blank paper and encourage the words to flow.
When I think of creative writing exercises , writing prompts immediately come to mind. And, yes, writing from a prompt is certainly an example of a creative writing activity (a highly effective one).
However, writing prompts are only one way to teach creative writing. Other types of activities include games, collaboration with others, sensory activities, and comic strip creation to name a few.
Unlike writing assignments, creative writing activities aren’t necessarily meant to create a perfectly polished finished project.
Instead, they serve as more of a warmup and imagination boost.
Picture-based writing exercises are especially fun. You can download one for free below!
How to use creative writing exercises effectively.
When teaching creative writing , the most effective exercises inspire and engage the student.
Remember that worn-out prompt your teacher probably hauled out every year?
“What I Did This Summer…”
Cue the groaning.
Instead of presenting your student with lackluster topics like that one, let’s talk about ways to engage and excite them.
Early writers tend to possess misconceptions about writing. Many picture sitting down for hours straight, polishing a story from beginning to end.
Even for experienced writers, this is next-to-impossible to do. It’s preconceived ideas like these that overwhelm and discourage students before they’ve even started.
Instead of assigning an essay to complete, start with simple, short writing exercises for elementary students such as:
Creative writing exercises don’t have to end in a finished piece of work. If the exercise encouraged creative thinking and helped the student put pen to paper, it’s done its job.
Creative writing activities for middle school can be a little more inventive. They now have the fundamental reading and writing skills to wield their words properly.
Here are some ideas for middle school writing exercises you can try at home:
Your high school student may be starting to prepare for college essays and other important creative writing assignments.
It’s more critical than ever for her to exercise her writing skills on a regular basis.
One great way to keep your high schooler’s mind thinking creatively is to have her make “listicles” of tips or facts about something she’s interested in already.
Another fun and effective creative writing exercise for high school is to have your student retell classic stories with a twist.
No matter what age range your students may be, I think you’ll find something that suits their personality and interests in this list of creative writing ideas. Enjoy!
One of the best ways to encourage students to write regularly is by providing fun creative writing activities .
They serve to encourage both the habit and mindset of writing with imagination. If you need extra help with that, check out Creative Freewriting Adventure :
About the author.
No doubt about it – writing isn’t easy. It is no wonder that many of our students could be described as ‘reluctant writers’ at best. It has been estimated by the National Association of Educational Progress that only about 27% of 8th and 12th-grade students can write proficiently.
As educators, we know that regular practice would go a long way to helping our students correct this underachievement, and sometimes, writing prompts just aren’t enough to light the fire.
But how do we get students, who have long since been turned off writing, to put pen to paper and log the requisite time to develop their writing chops?
The answer is to make writing fun! In this article, we will look at some creative writing activities where we can inject a little enjoyment into the writing game.
Quick Write and JOURNAL Activities for ALL TEXT TYPES in DIGITAL & PDF PRINT to engage RELUCTANT WRITERS .
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The Purpose: This activity encourages students to see the poetry in the everyday language around them while helpfully reinforcing their understanding of some of the conventions of the genre.
The Process: Encourage students to ‘scavenge’ their school, home, and outside the community for snippets of language they can compile into a piece of poetry or a poetic collage. They may copy down or photograph words, phrases, and sentences from signs, magazines, leaflets or even snippets of conversations they overhear while out and about.
Examples of language they collect may range from the Keep Out sign on private property to the destination on the front of a local bus.
Once students have gathered their language together, they can work to build a poem out of the scraps, usually choosing a central theme to give the piece cohesion. They can even include corresponding artwork to enhance the visual appeal of their work, too, if they wish.
The Prize: If poetry serves one purpose, it is to encourage us to look at the world anew with the fresh eyes of a young child. This activity challenges our students to read new meanings into familiar things and put their own spin on the language they encounter in the world around them, reinforcing the student’s grasp on poetic conventions.
The Purpose: Writing is often thought of as a solitary pursuit. For this reason alone, it can be seen as a particularly unattractive activity by many of our more gregarious students. This fun activity exercises students’ understanding of writing structures and engages them in fun, creative collaboration.
The Process: Each student starts with a blank paper and pen. The teacher writes a story prompt on the whiteboard. You’ll find some excellent narrative writing prompts here . For example, each student spends two minutes using the writing prompt to kick-start their writing.
When they have completed this part of the task, they will then pass their piece of paper to the student next to them. Students then continue the story from where the previous student left off for a given number of words, paragraphs, or length of time.
If organized correctly, you can ensure students receive their own initial story back at the end for the writing of the story’s conclusion .
The Prize: This fun writing activity can be used effectively to reinforce student understanding of narrative writing structures, but it can also be fun to try with other writing genres.
Working collaboratively motivates students to engage with the task, as no one wants to be the ‘weak link’ in the finished piece. But, more than that, this activity encourages students to see writing as a communicative and creative task where there needn’t be a ‘right’ answer. This encourages students to be more willing to take creative risks in their work.
The Purpose: This is another great way to get students to try writing poetry – a genre that many students find the most daunting.
The Process: Acrostics are simple poems whereby each letter of a word or phrase begins a new line in the poem. Younger students can start off with something very simple, like their own name or their favorite pet and write this vertically down the page.
Older students can take a word or phrase related to a topic they have been working on or have a particular interest in and write it down on the page before beginning to write.
The Prize: This activity has much in common with the old psychiatrist’s word association technique. Students should be encouraged to riff on ideas and themes generated by the focus word or phrase. They needn’t worry about rhyme and meter and such here, but the preset letter for each line will give them some structure to their meanderings and require them to impose some discipline on their wordsmithery, albeit in a fun and loose manner.
The Purpose: This challenge helps encourage students to see the link between posing interesting hypothetical questions and creating an entertaining piece of writing.
The Process: To begin this exercise, have the students come up with a single What If question, which they can then write down on a piece of paper. The more off-the-wall, the better!
For example, ‘What if everyone in the world knew what you were thinking?’ or ‘What if your pet dog could talk?’ Students fold up their questions and drop them into a hat. Each student picks one out of the hat before writing on that question for a suitable set amount of time.
Example What If Questions
The Prize: Students are most likely to face the terror of the dreaded Writer’s Block when they are faced with open-ended creative writing tasks.
This activity encourages the students to see the usefulness of posing hypothetical What If questions, even random off-the-wall ones, for kick-starting their writing motors.
Though students begin by answering the questions set for them by others, please encourage them to see how they can set these questions for themselves the next time they suffer from a stalled writing engine.
The Purpose: Up until now, we have looked at activities encouraging our students to have fun with genres such as fiction and poetry. These genres being imaginative in nature, more easily lend themselves to being enjoyable than some of the nonfiction genres.
But what about descriptive writing activities? In this activity, we endeavor to bring that same level of enjoyment to instruction writing while also cleverly reinforcing the criteria of this genre.
The Process: Undoubtedly, when teaching instruction writing, you will at some point cover the specific criteria of the genre with your students.
These will include things like the use of a title, numbered or bulleted points, time connectives, imperatives, diagrams with captions etc. You will then want the students to produce their own piece of instruction writing or procedural text to display their understanding of how the genre works.
But, why not try a fun topic such as How to Make the Most Disgusting Sandwich in the World rather than more obvious (and drier!) topics such as How to Tie Your Shoelaces or How to Make a Paper Airplane when choosing a topic for your students to practice their instruction writing chops?
Example of a Most Disgusting Sandwich Text
The Prize: As mentioned, with nonfiction genres, in particular, we tend to suggest more banal topics for our students to work on while internalizing the genre’s criteria. Enjoyment and acquiring practical writing skills need not be mutually exclusive.
Our students can just as quickly, if not more easily, absorb and internalize the necessary writing conventions while engaged in writing about whimsical and even nonsensical topics.
if your sandwich is entering the realm of horror, be sure to check our complete guide to writing a scary story here as well.
Our FUN DAILY QUICK WRITE TASKS will teach your students the fundamentals of CREATIVE WRITING across all text types. Packed with 52 ENGAGING ACTIVITIES
The Purpose: This activity allows students to practice personal writing within diary/journal writing conventions. It also challenges them to consider what their world will be like in the future, perhaps stepping a foot into the realm of science fiction.
The Process: Straightforwardly, after working through some examples of diary or journal writing, and reviewing the various criteria of the genre, challenge the students to write an entry at a given milestone in the future.
This may be when they leave school, begin work, go to university, get married, have kids, retire, etc. You may even wish to get the students to write an entry for a series of future milestones as part of a more extended project.
Example of Message to Future Me Text
The Prize: Students will get a chance here to exercise their understanding of this type of writing , but more than that, they will also get an opportunity to exercise their imaginative muscles too. They will get to consider what shape their future world will take in this engaging thought experiment that will allow them to improve their writing too.
The Purpose: Give your students the chance to improve their dialogue writing skills and work on their understanding of character development in this fun activity which combines writing with a series of visual elements.
The Process: There are two ways to do this activity. The first requires you to source or create a comic strip without the dialogue the characters are speaking. This may be as straightforward as using whiteout to erase the words in speech bubbles and making copies for your students to complete.
Alternatively, provide the students with photographs/pictures and strips of cards to form their action sequences . When students have their ‘mute’ strips, they can begin to write the dialogue/script to link the panels together.
The Prize: When it comes to writing, comic strips are probably one of the easier sells to reluctant students! This activity also allows students to write for speech. This will stand to them later when they come to produce sections of dialogue in their narrative writing or when producing play or film scripts.
They will also develop their visual literacy skills as they scan the pictures for clues of tone and context before they begin their writing.
Keep It Fun
Just as we should encourage our students to read for fun and wider educational benefits, we should also work to instil similar attitudes towards writing. To do this means we must work to avoid always framing writing in the context of a chore, that bitter pill that must be swallowed for the good of our health.
There is no getting away from the fact that writing can, at times, be laborious. It is time-consuming and, for most of us, difficult at the best of times. There is a certain, inescapable amount of work involved in becoming a competent writer.
That said, as we have seen in the activities above, with a bit of creative thought, we can inject fun into even the most practical of writing activities . All that is required is a dash of imagination and a sprinkling of effort.
The Purpose: Character interviews as writing activities are excellent for students because they encourage creative thinking, character development, and empathy. The purpose of this activity is to help students delve deeper into the minds of the characters they are creating in their stories or reading about in literature. By conducting interviews with these characters, students gain a better understanding of their personalities, motivations, and perspectives.
The Process of character interviews involves students imagining themselves as interviewers and their characters as interviewees. They can either write out the questions and answers in a script-like format or write a narrative where the character responds to the questions in their own voice.
The Prize: Through character interviews, students learn several valuable skills:
Overall, character interviews are a dynamic and enjoyable way for students to delve deeper into the worlds they create or the literature they read. It nurtures creativity, empathy, and writing skills, empowering students to become more proficient and imaginative writers.
The Purpose: Travel journal writing tasks are excellent for students as they offer a unique and immersive way to foster creativity, cultural awareness, and descriptive writing skills. The purpose of this activity is to allow students to embark on a fictional or real travel adventure, exploring new places, cultures, and experiences through the eyes of a traveller.
The process of a travel journal writing task involves students assuming the role of a traveler and writing about their journey in a journal format. They can describe the sights, sounds, tastes, and emotions they encounter during their travels. This activity encourages students to use vivid language, sensory details, and expressive writing to bring their travel experiences to life.
The Prize: Through travel journal writing tasks, students will learn several valuable skills:
Overall, travel journal writing tasks inspire students to become more observant, empathetic, and skilled writers. They transport them to new worlds and foster a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. Whether writing about real or imaginary journeys, students develop a deeper connection to the places they encounter, making this activity both educational and enjoyable.
The Purpose: A fairy tale remix writing activity is a fantastic creative exercise for students as it allows them to put a unique spin on classic fairy tales, fostering imagination, critical thinking, and storytelling skills. This activity encourages students to think outside the box, reinterpret well-known tales, and explore their creative potential by transforming traditional narratives into something entirely new and exciting.
The process of a fairy tale remix writing activity involves students selecting a familiar fairy tale and altering key elements such as characters, settings, plot twists, or outcomes. They can modernize the story, change the genre, or even mix different fairy tales together to create a wholly original piece.
The Prize: Through this activity, students will learn several valuable skills:
By remixing fairy tales, students embark on a creative journey that empowers them to reimagine well-loved stories while honing their writing skills and imaginative prowess. It’s an engaging and enjoyable way for students to connect with literature, explore new possibilities, and showcase their storytelling talents.
Teaching creative writing can be a thrilling discovery journey for students and educators alike. To foster a love for storytelling and unleash the imaginative prowess of your students, here are five engaging tips for your creative writing lessons:
1. Embrace Playfulness : Encourage a spirit of playfulness and experimentation in your classroom. Encourage students to explore unconventional ideas, characters, and settings. Use fun writing prompts like “What if animals could talk?” or “Imagine a world where gravity is reversed.”
2. Incorporate Visual Stimuli : Visual aids can be powerful creative catalysts. Show intriguing images or short videos to spark students’ imaginations. Ask them to describe what they see, then guide them to weave stories around these visuals. This approach can lead to unexpected and captivating narratives.
3. Encourage Peer Collaboration : Foster community and collaboration among your students. Organize group writing activities where students can brainstorm, share ideas, and build upon each other’s stories. This not only enhances creativity but also promotes teamwork and communication skills.
4. Explore Different Genres : Introduce students to various writing genres—fantasy and science fiction to mystery and historical fiction. Let them experiment with different styles and find what resonates most with their interests. Exposing students to diverse genres can broaden their horizons and inspire fresh ideas.
5. Celebrate Individuality : Encourage students to infuse unique experiences and perspectives into their writing. Provide opportunities for them to write about topics that are meaningful to them. Celebrate their voices and help them discover the power of their narratives.
Remember, the key to teaching creative writing is to create a supportive and inspiring environment where students feel empowered to take risks and explore the limitless possibilities of storytelling. By embracing these tips, you can transform your classroom into a vibrant imagination and literary exploration hub. Happy writing!
Jen Schneider Blog , Writing writing 1
Want some quick games to share with your students during transitions or as attention-getters. Play these fun games independently or with groups! Here are a few of my favorites 10-minute writing games to play with your students. This post uses some affiliate links. Purchases from these links result in a small commission to help sustain this site.
Word association games are perfect for 10-minute writing games! Start by giving students a random word and ask them to write down the first word that comes to their mind when they hear it. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and repeat the process with the new word. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how far around the circle they can go, building off of each other’s words. This game is a blast for generating vocabulary words or words to use in future writing prompts or stories.
My students beg to play writing roulette! I give each student five different colored sticky notes (or use this FREE Jamboard template ).
Each sticky note has a different topic. For example, here are the literary elements I use for my students. You can change these up depending on your grade level.
Have your students each generate one of the literary elements on each colored sticky note. Make sure they write only one idea per note. Mix up the sticky notes, then give the students five sticky notes (one on each topic) to generate their own story. We LOVE sharing these with the class. As a bonus, expand on the quick stories and create a published, polished piece.
Literally playing a game when writing is so much fun! Write creative writing prompts on the sides of Jenga blocks (such as “Write a story in which the main character is an animal” or “Describe a place you’ve never been”) and stack them up. Students take turns pulling a block and then writing for 2-3 minutes based on the prompt they see. The game continues until the tower falls, and then students can read aloud what they’ve written.
This game is also called story or paper pass. I remember playing this writing game in school. I loved it then as much as I love it as a teacher! First, give students the first line of a story and have them write for 2-3 minutes. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and that person continues the story for 2-3 minutes. Continue this process until everyone has contributed, and see how the story turned out in the end.
Use this random word generator to pick a fun, unique word. Have your students write a story using that word as a focus. You can have each student select their own word or use a class word.
Many ELA curriculums have descriptive writing as an assessment. Why not teach descriptive writing skills with a 10-minute writing game! First, ask students to close their eyes and imagine a scene you describe to them, such as a beach or a forest. Give them 10 minutes to write a detailed description of what they see in their mind’s eye. Encourage them to use sensory language and descriptive adjectives to really paint a picture with their words. Share the stories, and as a bonus, have students illustrate their writing. You can also adapt this and share a picture as a writing prompt starter. Show students a picture or image and give them 10 minutes to write a story or poem based on what they see. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination to build a story around the picture.
Students love creating their own characters! Have students brainstorm a character by answering questions about them, such as their name, age, occupation, likes and dislikes, fears, etc. Then, set a timer for 10 minutes and have them write a short story or scene featuring that character. You can add to the fun by having two characters team up together to create a new story or have a conversation with one another based on their characters’ backgrounds.
Challenge students to write a complete story in just six words, such as “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many six-word stories they can create.
The old Mad Libs games are so much fun! I remember having paper Mad Libs books that my siblings and I giggled over with delight. Online Mad Libs games let students work independently to create funny stories. I love using Mad Libs online !
My students absolutely love writing fan fiction. This gives them a chance to explore stories on a deeper level, and change the outcomes to what they really wanted to happen in the book! Have students choose a favorite book or movie character and write a short story featuring that character in a new adventure or scenario. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how well they can capture the voice and personality of the character in their writing.
Use storytelling dice or story cubes with pictures on each side, and have students roll the dice to create a story. Set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge students to create a story that includes all of the pictures they rolled. Share the stories in small groups or with the full class.
Using writing prompts in the classroom is an effective way to encourage a love for writing in students. Here are five ways to inspire and engage middle school students:
Start the day with a short 10-minute writing exercise that covers various genres and themes. Use this list of 25 daily prompts to get started.
Use prompts as a starting point for more structured writing assignments such as essays or research papers. This encourages students to think critically and provides specific guidelines for the writing task. Use this list of 10 structured prompts to get started.
Encourage students to work together in small groups to generate their own writing prompts. This fosters collaboration and creativity.
Students can create their own writing prompt dares or use these 15 writing prompt dare examples to get started. These are great for group brainstorming prompts.
Try out this 52 writing prompt workbook . You even get an editable Canva link to add your own unique prompts!
Get ready for 10-minute writing games to use in your classroom! These games can be scaffolded and differentiated for all grade levels. What writing games do you use in your classroom!
Creative writing games: A great way to unleash your creative side @
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Writing is a life skill your child will need during their time at school and beyond. Teaching children to write can be challenging, but there are many ways to make it simple, stress-free, and enjoyable for both you and your child!
Introducing fun writing activities and games can transform your child's attitude to writing, so we’re bringing you our very own list of the best writing games for kids that you can try anytime, anywhere!
(Psst...If you're in a hurry, jump to the best writing game for kids )
This writing game offers a great opportunity for your child to test their sentence structure skills, whether they’re learning to write complete sentences, or creating more complex sentences.
Unscramble the Sentences is pretty easy to set up, and you can either play on paper, or online! On Night Zookeeper , we’ve transformed Unscramble the Sentences into a fun, interactive experience called Waterfall Word Jumble:
Matching words is a popular game to play in the classroom, or at home, by yourself or with fellow classmates or family. There are endless possibilities when it comes to this game through different types of matching; you can ask your child to match synonyms, antonyms, pronouns, and the list goes on!
Use the example above to create your first matching word game, or get your child to play Maji’s Matches on Night Zookeeper !
Drawing and writing go hand-in-hand , as their synergy promotes the development of creativity, imagination, motor skills, and even critical thinking!
There are many drawing games out there, but perhaps the most popular one is Pictionary. Even if you don’t have the board game version, you can set up your own version of Pictionary, and base it on topics of interest for your child, or to consolidate knowledge learned at school or during homeschool lessons.
This is a multiplayer game, so it’s best to play as a group, either with classmates or family.
To play this story writing game, you’ll need to make five storytelling cards for each component of a story:
Once you’re done creating your cards, mix them up and ask your child to pick a card from each category. After they’ve pulled a card from each stack, get them to use their creative writing skills to write an original story using the cards they chose. This is a fun creative writing game to take on a roadtrip or when you’re traveling, as storytelling cards allow for hundreds of possible combinations, keeping your child entertained for potentially hours!
If you feel that your child is not yet ready to write a full story on their own, this creative writing activity may be exactly what they need to encourage them to start thinking creatively.
You can take excerpts from your child’s favorite storybooks, or try Penguin’s Paragraphs on Night Zookeeper !
This fun writing game is a classic, and remains a favorite to this day! Its versatility allows the game to be played in the classroom, at home, with pre-k students, high school students, and even during family game nights!
Hangman is a great writing game to improve your child’s vocabulary knowledge. It’s also an effective way to consolidate more technical words introduced in other subjects (such as math or science).
This is another story writing game that is perfect for on-the-go learning and can be enjoyed by even the most reluctant writers! For this educational game, your child will have to answer rapid fire questions with the aim to create a story from scratch. They’ll have five seconds to come up with an answer for each of the questions, and you should challenge them to be as creative and descriptive as they can!
Night Zookeeper is the ultimate writing game for kids . It is home to thousands of writing games, challenges and competitions which have inspired millions of children worldwide to love writing.
On our program, your child will create original characters to power up through completing exciting games, interactive lessons and engaging writing prompts. As they progress, your child will build up their own Night Zoo and unlock new parts of the map, continuously incentivising them to write more.
“My daughter has never loved writing, but this game has made writing come alive for her. She can't wait to get on Night Zookeeper everyday!” - Michelle, parent
Make writing fantastically fun for your child today!
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Witnesses to accidents can see different things. Read and listen to two witness reports of a skateboarding accident, and learn about how journalists structure newspaper reports and use verbs, adverbial phrases and pronouns to create an effect.
Transform a boring horror story into a bestseller by selecting effective verbs and adverbs to increase its impact and make it more exciting. Select illustrations that highlight the horror as the story of the Sea Cave unfolds.
Edit the comic book adventure called Bushfire to make the story more interesting. Choose a conclusion for the story and then improve the grammar by looking changing nouns to pronouns, by adding adverbs and choosing saying verbs.
Work out what happened to the missing celebrity and write a newspaper article about the event. Lots of tips on improving your writing style.
A game that can help you to improve your use of nouns and adjectives. You get to be an editor who improves a fairly dull story into a bestselling horror story. Select great nouns, adjectives and illustrations to improve the story's impact.
improve two simple sentences by adding descriptive words. Observe how your choices affect the animated images. Use your sentences as inspiration for a story about space. A good site for demonstrating how to write more interesting sentences.
Track down a black panther reported to be prowling around a town. Interview witnesses and gather information from sources such as a website, an advertisement and a newspaper article. A good guide to writing a report.
An animated game where you can see how to add adjectives to make boring sentences into more interesting ones.
Taking the story of Cinderella it explores the different 'ingredients' that make up a story. Looking at this site can help you with writing your own stories.
Call of the Jungle is a dictation task. Listen to the sentences and write them down.
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A selection of fun creative writing exercises that can be completed solo, or with a group. Some are prompts to help inspire you to come up with story ideas, others focus on learning specific writing skills. Intro. I run a Creative Writing Meetup for adults and teens in Montpellier or online every week. We start with a 5 to 20 minute exercise ...
Interactive Creative Writing Games. Fun interactive writing games to get your creative juices flowing... Visual Poetry : Explore your creativity by drawing word mosaics with your poetry.; Haiku Madlibs : Fill out the text fields to generate 16 haikus, madlibs style - using templates from the masters, including: Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki, Shuson, and Soseki.
Write original stories by playing a game with online friends. Storium builds your skills as a writer, exercises your creative juices, and helps you meet new people. Play Storium now for free. For youth and students. StoriumEDU is a collaborative writing game designed to help young writers build their confidence and skill.
Playing this game challenges you to think fast to find the most creative and unique answers. Game #3: Picture Prompts. Picture Prompts is a fun writing game that involves using pictures to create imaginative stories or descriptions. This game can be played by yourself or with a group of people. How to play. Each player is given a picture or an ...
Writing games help improve writing skills in a fun and interactive way; Educational writing games focus on grammar, punctuation, and storytelling; ... Unleash your inner astronaut and delve into the world of space-themed creative writing games! By focusing on this exciting topic, you can explore endless possibilities and fuel your imagination. ...
Free interactive creative writing games teach kids Persuasive, Descriptive, Informative and Narrative genres of writing. Common Core compliant. ... for Kids! program is in the vanguard of a new era deploying game-based lessons to help teachers deliver highly engaging interactive writing lessons within the actual time available, and provide ...
A collaborative creative writing app where stories are built line by line. Contribute to multiplayer stories, seeing only what the previous author wrote. Modeled on the game exquisite corpse, each creation is gloriously unique! Still curious?
The best creative writing games to defeat writer's block and develop your writing skills. Games Publishing Blog. Sign in. Play writing games. ... Our writing games - and we're adding more all the time. Our games have been developed in real-life writing workshops. The Orton team is always interested in hearing new game ideas from our users so ...
The Online Writing Game - Write Fiction With Friends FictionDash is a real-time online writing game where you create a lobby, invite your friends, and race against the clock to write exciting fiction stories. This game is intended to help creative writers build their writing skills, whether they be students or hobbyists.
Welcome to Team Scriber. Team Scriber is an interactive creative writing game. Readers: think create your own story on a large scale; writers: think x-factor for authors. It's a competition and everyone gets a vote - even non-contributors. The end result is a dynamic co-created narrative. Team Scriber is an interactive creative writing game.
Endless stories, endless educational uses. StoriumEDU is a "Swiss army knife" that supports an impressively wide range of educational goals. You can use story cards and curricular content from our growing library , created by teachers just like you. You can also easily create your own cards to support your own unique classroom needs.
Perfect as a short story writing starter, these dynamic tools will give students all the characters, settings, and problems they need to get their ideas on to paper. If you're sick of hearing students say: "I don't know how to start!" or "I don't like that writing prompt!" - you've come to the right place! Each generator has ...
The Quill Lessons tool enables teachers to lead whole-class and small-group writing instruction. Teachers control interactive slides that contain writing prompts, and the entire class responds to each prompt. Each Quill Lessons activity provides a lesson plan, writing prompts, discussion topics, and a follow up independent practice activity.
Online Games: Provide interactive and engaging Writing games to play online that focus on letter formation, sight words, and creative writing exercises. Activities: Suggest writing activities for kids like journaling, creating stories, writing letters to family members, or using sensory writing trays to encourage regular writing practice.
Go on a five-senses scavenger hunt. Find three items for each sense. Create a story using the items you found. Create a story around an interesting picture ( try these fun picture writing prompts!) Find an ad in a magazine or elsewhere and rewrite the description to convince people NOT to buy the advertised item.
7. Comic Strip Script. The Purpose: Give your students the chance to improve their dialogue writing skills and work on their understanding of character development in this fun activity which combines writing with a series of visual elements. The Process: There are two ways to do this activity.
Interactive writing games for kids not only make the learning process fun and exciting but also help develop essential writing skills in a nurturing environment. From word scrambles and rhyming games to collaborative storytelling and creative writing prompts, these interactive classroom activities not only improve creative writing skills but ...
Class Scriber is an interactive creative writing game. Readers: think create your own story on a large scale; writers: think x-factor for authors. It's a competition and everyone gets a vote - even non-contributors. The end result is a dynamic co-created narrative. Class Scriber provides educational benefits to students of all abilities.
How our writing program works. A gamified approach to teaching writing. Interactive lessons & word games that boost writing skills. Inspiring writing prompts that spark a passion for creative writing. " My six year old loves to make up stories. Night Zookeeper gives her an outlet to write them out, and get ideas, suggestions, and corrections.
Literally playing a game when writing is so much fun! Write creative writing prompts on the sides of Jenga blocks (such as "Write a story in which the main character is an animal" or "Describe a place you've never been") and stack them up. Students take turns pulling a block and then writing for 2-3 minutes based on the prompt they see.
This is a fun creative writing game to take on a roadtrip or when you're traveling, as storytelling cards allow for hundreds of possible combinations, keeping your child entertained for potentially hours! ... On our program, your child will create original characters to power up through completing exciting games, interactive lessons and ...
Young writers: Hone your skills with ABCya's writing games for ages 4-12. Aspiring authors will have a blast writing everything from stories to friendly letters. pre-K grade K grade 1 grade 2 grade 3 grade 4 grade 5 grade 6+ Writing Games. Looking to practice your writing skills? ABCya's writing games are the first step toward writing your ...
Super Stories - Nouns and Adjectives. A game that can help you to improve your use of nouns and adjectives. You get to be an editor who improves a fairly dull story into a bestselling horror story. Select great nouns, adjectives and illustrations to improve the story's impact.
From spelling games to creative writing prompts, these activities are designed to engage students, reinforce key concepts and make learning fun. Whether through classroom group activities or individual practice, these strategies will keep your 3rd graders buzzing with excitement for spelling and writing.