Summer Writing Ideas

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 38 seconds. Contains 329 words

Primary Reading Audience: Classroom teachers and literacy coaches

Why It Matters: A common question at this time of year is a welcome one! How can we encourage children’s writing lives over the summer?

Ideas to Try: Here are a few ideas to share.

1. Start a family routine that involves writing. My daughters initially resisted the idea of writing for five to ten minutes before leaving the dinner table, but gradually it became a ritual. We lived with my father who had increasing dementia, and even he participated. We all had writing journals, we wrote about something from the day– no rules– and we shared. This practice shines a light on the value of writing for building relationships.

2. Have children research and report out on planned or possible summer adventures. Even young writers are able to create persuasive pieces about why summer vacation should include certain experiences. Set children up with some information about a place and challenge them to educate and convince other family members about why they should go there. Multi-media presentations welcome!

3. Tap into the power of competition. Even during the summer, there are some writing competitions that are available to young writers. Here are a few with summer deadlines:

Anti-bullying book contest: Deadline is July 15.
Ocean Awareness Contest– Deadline is June 15.
Tadpole Press 100-word Contest– Deadline in November, but submissions are open soon, if not now.
The Betty Award– Deadline is in October, but submissions are open now.

4. Summer is a perfect time for young writers to submit pieces for potential publication. Here are a few sites that welcome submissions:

Go Deeper: For other ideas, check out these posts and podcast:

The Beauty of Opinion Writing: A Digging Deeper Dialogue – Two Writing Teachers Podcast

Opinion writing in grades K–6 is more than just persuasive essays. It lets kids express what they really think and see their ideas matter on the page. In this episode, we look at what makes opinion writing special: children sharing real opinions on topics they care about, building their sense of self, and bravely taking risks with their words. You’ll hear how opinion writing grows from simple preferences with pictures and labels to more thoughtful arguments that consider other viewpoints. We also share a list of mentor texts you can use to lift the level of your students’ opinion writing. Finally, we offer ways to celebrate students’ work, like author’s chair, hallway displays, family mailings, and online publishing, all focused on giving students a voice and the joy of sharing their opinions with real audiences.Go Deeper Doug KaufmannTracey LafayetteBeth Moore’s website for paperThe New York Times’ Writing ContestsBooks We Mentioned:1,000 Awesome Things by Neil PasrichaBreakfast on Mars and 37 Other Delectable Essays: Your Favorite Authors Take A Stab at the Dreaded Essay edited by Brad Wolfe and Rebecca SternDon’t Feed the Bear by Kathleen DohertyCan I Be Your Dog by Troy CummingsEating to Save the Planet by Ann BroylesOur Favorite Day of the Year by A.E. AliThe Black Mambas by Kelly CrullThanks to our affiliate, Zencastr! Use our special link (https://zen.ai/mqsr2kHXSP2YaA1nAh2EpHl-bWR9QNvFyAQlDC3CiEk) to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan. Send us a textPlease subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

The Bottom Line: Just as reading is important during the summer, so is writing! Consider accepting the challenge of inspiring writers to keep writing going when school isn’t in session.