Write on Track: Summer Enrichment Activities

Summer is the perfect time for writing enrichment. Far more than just "busy work," writing-enrichment activities are fun, effective ways to foster a life-long love of creative prose. If you worry that your child's summertime writing experiences might be limited to instant-messaging sessions and the occasional grocery list, you may want to consider adding writing enrichment to your summertime tutoring plan. The suggestions below are highly engaging activities that can be adapted for students of all ages and academic levels. If you're tutoring more than one child at once, these can make great partner activities, too!

Writing Enrichment Activity #1: A Place and a Thing. This activity works best as a "quick write"—a ten- to fifteen-minute writing session sure to spark the imagination and get the creativity flowing. A quick-write session is similar to a brainstorming session, in that the emphasis is on ideas rather than on technical precision (in other words, no need to stress out about grammar and punctuation!). For this activity, create a list of places (e.g. an empty parking lot, a shopping mall, a candy factory, a mountaintop). Write each place on an separate strip of paper, and place these strips in a box or bag. Have your child select a strip at random.

Then, provide a "thing." This is particularly fun when you collect actual objects (e.g. a shoelace, a harmonica, a teaspoon, an old photo). Place the objects in a bag, and ask your child to reach in and select one. Once she has both a "place" and a "thing," she should write a short creative piece that incorporates both. This can be a short story, a poem, a play, even a newspaper article!

If you are working with two students at once, have them trade places and objects after fifteen minutes. Then, at the end of the session, ask them to share their writing. When completed by more than one student, this activity has the extra benefit of showing how authors view things very differently! This will help emphasize the fact that while authors have varying viewpoints and creative methods, all writing is valuable.

Writing Enrichment Activity #2: What's In the Bag? Writing with sensory language can be a lot of fun. This activity allows students to describe a "mystery item" and have you (or another student, if you're tutoring a group) guess what that item is. A student can either select a real household item, or just imagine an item that he would like to describe. Encourage your student to use all five senses, if possible, when describing the item.

Writing about foods can be particularly fun for students, who can use words like "peppery" and "crunchy" to describe their mystery item. Remind students that the more details they provide, the better chance you have at guessing what their item is. And when you do guess that item, congratulate your student on a job well done—one of the main purposes of good writing is to help the audience see, taste, smell, feel, and hear what you are describing!

As the summer progresses, we'll share more enrichment activities that can be done with students of all ages. Don't be surprised if your student starts equating writing with fun…or even writing in her own free time!

If your student needs extra help with writing basics, consider bringing in a tutor, such as one of the pros from TutorJam.com. It couldn't be easier to find a tutor for your child.