Do you have a creative writing center in your home? Don’t let the name fool you: these centers are both flexible and portable—whether you have a dedicated school room or you homeschool all over the house!
A homeschool creative writing center lets children practice writing in a fun, relaxed setting. Even better, activities reinforce the writing skills you’re already teaching in your homeschool writing curriculum!
The activities below are perfect for your K-4th graders. Ready to have some fun?
1. Clay Creatures
Mold and sculpt figurines from modeling clay or dough. When your children have finished their creations, have them write five words or phrases describing the figures.
Related activity: 3 nature-inspired writing projects
2. Family Poetry Jam
Place poetry books in a basket for ideas and inspiration, and set out paper, pencils, and colored markers. Invite children to write poems about family members, topics of study, or any subject they wish. Use other poems as a guide or invent new formats.
When finished, dim the lights, spread out comfortable pillows on the floor, and host a poetry reading. Serve milk and cookies!
"Looking for a great poetry resource? The Random House Book of Poetry for Children [aff] has been our family's favorite. This anthology is a delightful collection of both classic and contemporary poems children love. My own well-loved copy has literally fallen apart!" --Kim Kautzer, WriteShop
Related activity: Experiencing poetry with children
3. The Further Adventures of…
Set out picture books with interesting, appealing characters. Pick a book and read it aloud. Then continue the story on paper, coming up with more adventures for a favorite character. Draw imaginative illustrations. Finally, create colorful covers for these new tales.
Related activity: Writing prompts about fictional book characters
4. Order, Order, Please!
Fill envelopes with pre-written sentence strips. (Each envelope should contain the lines of a familiar poem or nursery rhyme.) Have the kids work together to read the sentences and figure out the correct sequence of each poem. Give them copies of the poems so they can check their efforts.
Related activity: 3 writing activities pre-writers will love
5. Pasta Punctuation
Invite children to write sentences on sturdy paper. Provide different pasta shapes, such as elbow macaroni, orzo, and linguine, to use as “punctuation.” Have them glue on the “punctuation” where it belongs. They should use all the punctuation marks they’ve learned thus far. Include periods, question marks, commas, quotation marks, exclamation marks, and/or apostrophes.
Related activity: Choosing correct ending punctuation
6. How Do You Do It?
Ask the kids to think of an a time when they learned to do something all by themselves. Perhaps it was the first time they rode a bike without training wheels. Maybe it was when they learned to tie their shoes. Or perhaps they’ll remember the first time they did laundry on their own.
Next, have them write a set of directions teaching someone else how to do this activity. When finished, invite them to illustrate the steps. Finally, let each child “teach” another child using his or her “instruction guide.”
Related activity: Writing a holiday “how to” paragraph
WriteShop Primary is our K-3rd grade writing curriculum for homeschoolers. It’s filled with games, activities, and fun writing lessons, which help you teach basic skills to your youngest writers.
WriteShop Junior is rich in graphic organizers, hands-on activities, and engaging writing lessons! Try Book D for 3rd and 4th graders, Book E for 4th and 5th graders, or Book F for 5th and 6th graders.
Still not sure which level is best for your child? Check out this helpful guide to skills covered in each level.
More homeschool creative writing center ideas to try
- Homeschool Writing Center Activities for Elementary Ages
- Hands-on Homeschool Writing Center Activities
- More Creative Writing Center Activities for Your Homeschool
For over two decades, Janet Wagner was an elementary and middle school teacher. She also had the honor of helping homeschool her two nieces. Janet and her husband live on the family farm in North Carolina. She enjoys a flexible life of homemaking, volunteering, reading, tutoring, and writing for her website.
