St Patrick's Day Writing Prompts
Weaving the holidays into a school day is a fun way to celebrate and keep academics moving forward. If you’ve been around us at all, you know our favorite way to celebrate any holiday with children is to find a way to write about it!
But before we give you some fun St. Patrick’s Day writing prompts, here are a few rules we recommend you promise to keep!
1. Never REQUIRE children to write from the prompt
One of the most oft repeated comments at our writing camp is: “I like this camp because I can write about whatever I want!” Children’s own ideas trump any writing prompts! Allow prompts to be an option if they would like an idea, not a requirement. If they have an idea, let them GO FOR IT.
2. Say YES to almost anything
In this case, it is hard to think of a question where the answer isn’t, YES. For example: “Is it okay to use a different name?” YES. “Can there be a dragon instead of a leprechaun?” YES. “Can I make it a true story?” YES. “Can I switch to a different one?” YES. Remember, the objective is not to write from the prompt. The objective is to build the writer. Say a quick and ready YES and get them moving towards a positive writing experience.
3. Write WITH them
All writing activities have double and even triple the impact when you are writing beside them. This changes your role from disseminator of information to colleague. You are no longer (literally or figuratively) at the “front of the room” but sitting right beside them. Writing with them gives you the added advantage of knowing whether or not the writing prompt “works.” Is this something YOU are actually interested in writing about? Does it capture YOUR imagination? Chances are, if it does, your writer will like it too. You’ll also be able to talk to your writer from the perspective of: “Wasn’t that fun?” or “That was a hard one for me. How did it go for you?”
If you keep these simple writing prompt “rules,” your writer has a great chance at a good writing experience. One by one, these experiences build a writer! How lucky is that? Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
