My name is Kim, and I’m a Pinterestaholic . . .
Well, maybe it’s not THAT serious, but I do love Pinterest. It’s simply the best way to keep online recipes, photos, tips, and craft ideas categorized—even the ones I think I’ll never actually get around to using!
In addition to pinning salad recipes, organizational tips, and ideas for a future kitchen remodel, I’ve been collecting scads of writing ideas, too. Here’s a toe-dip in the water of great writing ideas from Pinterest:
1. Paint Chip Contractions
Who knew you could have so much fun with paint chips? This Paint Chip Contractions activity will help your kids practice forming contractions.
2. Boggle
Isn’t this the most fun? It’s a Printable Boggle Board! Boggle makes an outstanding pre-writing game for all ages, from elementary through high school. It’s a great way to dust off the cobwebs and get ready for writing time.
3. Paint Chip Synonym Garden
Use colorful paint chips in graduated hues to make a Paint Chip Synonym Garden. It’s a hands-on vocabulary-building tool that keeps dull or repeated words at a minimum. This is ideal for middle-schoolers, but you can certainly use it with younger students as well.
4. Traffic Light Transitions
Make a Traffic Light Transitions poster. This terrific visual will remind children to use transition words to connect sentences and paragraphs.
5. Journal Jar
Journaling is another way to loosen stuck thoughts and ideas. Make this cute Journal Jar, which includes a link to colorful, printable topics you can cut out and add to the jar. Children will have fun picking out topics, whether you do daily, bi-weekly, or weekly journaling. For added fun, let them give input about what they’d like to write about!
6. Venn Diagrams
When teaching children to compare and contrast, a Venn diagram is a useful tool. And when you add a kinesthetic dimension for your hands-on learners, it’s even better! Here’s a Paper Plate Venn Diagram that’s been used to compare and contrast two different versions of “The Princess and the Pea.” You can really run with this idea in so many ways!
7. Writing a Strong Lead
Students of all ages can struggle with how to introduce a topic or start a story. I love this free printable poster I found through Pinterest: What Makes an Effective Lead?
8. Lists
I’ve long been an advocate of list-making, so I especially love this link to a great resource for printable lists, including book lists, lists of descriptive adjectives, and this list of strong verbs. Watch your children’s vocabulary soar!
Be sure to follow WriteShop’s Pinterest boards for more creative grammar and writing activities like these!
Have you been bitten by the Pinterest bug? Leave your link in the comments and I’ll be happy to follow you, too!
Excellent ideas!
Love the Boggle idea!
Thanks for stopping by, ladies!
I have placed strict boundaries on my pinterest habit! I adore the concept and the way it makes collecting ideas so easy! Thanks for this post – I especially loved the journal ideas in a jar.
I’ve had to do the same, Beth! I keep a kitchen timer in my office and set it for 10 minutes when I take a “Pinterest break” during my workday.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you visit again!
I was looking for ideas on traffic light transitions and “googled” my way here. As I scrolled my way down the rest of the page, I was very excited to see my Effective Leads poster! Thanks!
Jen
Thanks for visiting, Jen. Pinterest has made the Internet a smaller world, I think.
I’m so glad to have discovered your cool poster. Definitely a fave of mine. Kids have such a hard time starting their writing in an interesting way.
A wonderful collection of ideas, Kim. You should make this a regular post — your finds at Pinterest that relate to writing. There are far more ideas there than there is time, for sure!
Hey, are you on Google+?
Great ideas! I’m addicted to Pinterest, too, and just started following you!
Jamie: Thanks for joining us. Glad you’re here!
Love the paper plate Venn diagram idea! In the classroom, and especially now with many of the kids I tutor, I see an overwhelming number of children who struggle with learning and simply need to be taught the material in a VERY concrete, hands-on way. This is a very clever idea for teaching the concept of comparisons and contrasts.