Making Time for Playful Writing Practice

A Backstory: 

Last weekend, TWT co-author Melanie hosted a group over Zoom to spend some time writing together. During this session, she planted an idea, showed us a strategy, and extended an invitation to try something new on our own. It was brief, engaging, and motivating. While writing with this group, I had a surprising realization: It had been a long time since I’d let myself be driven by the joy of practice rather than the push of purpose in my writing life.

Time is so limited that I often find myself writing for the sake of creating a product: a blog post, an email, a report, or a presentation. This work is meaningful and is the backbone of writing: to capture ideas and share them with others. But, just like everything we want to be “good” at, it’s also important to create space for practice. 

The Details

Though there is always practice intertwined in the act of producing a piece of written work, the practice I’m specifically referring to is the kind of writing that refines skills and broadens abilities. Referred to as “greenbelt writing” by Ralph Fletcher, writing for practice is playful, process-driven, and–if all goes well–fun. Much like a child tossing a ball around or painting a picture “just because,” writers practice to spread their wings, try out something new, and find joy in the work of putting words on the page. Some practice is structured, while other practice is open-ended and messy. 

What distinguishes practice from the work we often demand of students (and ourselves) is the outcome: If we’re looking for a complete piece of work that has been through the writing process, we’re asking for a product. If we’re looking for opportunities for students to play with language and ideas, we need to give them the time, space, and safety to practice. This writing doesn’t result in a specific product or created work; the outcome of practice is evidence on the paper of trying something new, rehearsing something tricky, or exploring new ideas.

Try This:

Even when time is short and pacing is tight, there are lots of ways to weave in practice opportunities regularly. Here are just a few ideas to get started:

• Mimic a Mentor: Share a mentor passage or page from a picture book with students and invite them to name what they notice and try it out. 
• Write Collaboratively: Engage students in games like passing a notebook (low tech) or using online tools like We Will Write or Frankenstories. Adding some friendly competition and silliness encourages kids to take risks without the pressure of producing a finished piece of work.
• Rebuild Writer’s Notebooks: I often find that Writer’s Notebooks are a bit dusty or neglected by the middle of the school year. Refresh an old notebook (or set up a new one!) to give writers the space to play and experiment.
• Ask AI: There are countless ways to engage in play; AI makes a great thought partner when brainstorming quick and simple activities to get kids to practice in creative ways. Here’s one example I generated with ChatGPT for my middle school writing club a few months ago.

The Bottom Line

Writers need to practice writing as much as they need to produce writing (perhaps even more!). Over the next week, I challenge you to find time–even just 10 or 15 minutes–for playful practice, whether for your students or just for yourself, and see what happens!