No matter your homeschool style, try a fresh writing activity to inspire your children. Though these writing ideas are aimed at unstructured homeschool, most kids will find them appealing. They’ll work on writing basics while learning to express themselves in interesting new ways.
Write reports or reviews about favorite books.
Too often, kids become discouraged with writing when they can’t pick what they’d like to write about. The same goes for reading. While most standard reading programs have good intentions, they don’t consider children’s diverse tastes.
Put the ball in their court! Encourage them to pick their own books and write summaries, reviews, or creative book reports. If one of the kids needs boundaries, you might give three books from which to pick.
Pretend you’re a reporter and interview people.
Teach children early on that the process of writing is deeply connected not just with their own thoughts, but with others’ opinions. The best way to learn this is by talking to others about a specific topic or issue.
For example, ask them to interview older family members or neighbors about what life was like when they were children. Or, talk with a community worker about his or her job. When they’ve conducted several interviews, have them compile them into a story or article.
Go on an outdoor adventure and write a descriptive essay.
As a homeschooled child, I remember my folks purposefully making our education a time of personal and academic discovery. Though we weren’t exactly unschoolers, my mother took full advantage of the fact that “doing school” didn’t mean sitting at desks all day!
Outdoor adventures often turned into writing opportunities as we explored the world around us. You and your kids can do this too!
Stuck indoors, inexperienced writers can forget to include descriptions of scene and setting. Instead, why not take them to a local park, zoo, or wildlife sanctuary? First, have them take notes about their surroundings or use a speech-to-text device to record their impressions. Later, invite them to write a short report or story containing details about what they saw, smell, heard, and felt.
Write and perform a short play.
Whether they’re young or old, it can be hard for writers to master an ear for spoken language. To improve this skill in a fun way, have your kids write and act out a short play.
When they can hear out loud what they’ve written on paper, they start to understand how to make their writing sound more natural and conversational. It’s a great way to improve speaking abilities, too.
Writing ideas for the unstructured homeschool work beautifully with all learners in a variety of settings. Removing yourself from traditional-classroom mode means the sky’s the limit as far as learning goes. Take advantage of the opportunities homeschooling offers, and think of as many off-the-beaten-path ways to write as you can!
Thanks to Barbara Jolie for this guest post! Barbara enjoys writing about trends in the academic world. Even when she’s not blogging, Barbara is always contemplating and considering issues concerning education and modern society. You can reach her at barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.
