The Value of a Summer Writing Journal, and 10 Ideas to Get Started!
Photo by Drew Perales on Unsplash
Every June, school lets out and kids and parents relish in newfound freedom. We sleep in (or not), snack all day, go swimming, play outside extra late, and just simply enjoy NOT being on strict schedule for the first time in months.
And then, week two of summer break rolls around, and everyone is looking for something to do. Whether you are a parent who was asking your kids’ teacher starting in May for summer work ideas, or you are just realizing now that you could use something “extra” to support their skills this summer, I’d like to offer some advice!
Every June, whether I was teaching 4th, 5th, or Kindergarten, I gave the same advice to pretty much all families in my final notes home and report cards: Have your kids READ and WRITE all summer long.
But I did not mean for them to print out a packet, buy a workbook, or assign rote reading assignments and book reports.
I truly meant to read and write for pleasure all summer long - because that’s the BEST way to not only retain skills, but to improve them.
We do not want children to see reading or writing as a chore. Instead, we want to invite them and model for them that reading and writing are doors. They are doors to opportunities, doors to time well spent, doors to other worlds. We want them to truly think it’s fun!
Parents can show a child how they will be able to use reading and writing by modeling and encouraging them to read and write for authentic purposes as a child.
My advice for maintaining and improving writing skills this summer? Have and keep a summer writing journal! Not only does it encourage writing for pleasure, but it also offers a self-coping mechanism for when life gets tough. We all know that journaling has so many mental-health benefits, and we can encourage journal writing for self-expression from a young age.
This does NOT need to be anything fancy! You can simply go out and purchase a composition notebook at Target in a design or color that your kiddo loves. Or, you can print out some writing paper, a cover page, staple it together, and voila! My biggest advice here is to try to replicate the paper used within the classroom. Perhaps as a kindergartner, your child used paper with a big box for an illustration on each page, and clearly defined writing lines that are a little larger to encourage proper letter formation. You could always email your school and see if they could connect you with someone who wouldn’t mind sending you what they use in the classroom (and I will link a few options here below),
Writing paper with lines (Kindergarten)
Writing paper with lines (Gr 1-2)
I always recommend students take some time to decorate their notebook or journal. Make it a ceremonious activity - pick out stickers, gems, favorite pictures from family events, etc. and glue them on. Talk about each item as you add it, and relive the experience or story that goes along with it if there is one. This is a GREAT way to naturally spark some writing ideas before even starting to write! In the classroom, we started our narrative units in this way. When your child is stuck, encourage them to look at their cover or “idea page.”
Some tips:
Keep this light-hearted and fun, and avoid strict rules. Let your child write a story one day if they choose, or simply draw a picture the next if that is what they are feeling.
Avoid making this a daily “assignment” that must be done or for a certain amount of time each day. That really won’t encourage it to be fun, and then you probably won’t see them pick it up on their own. Instead, you’ll be inviting a daily battle. Who wants that?!
Model your own daily journal - somewhere to keep your lists, ideas, thoughts, doodles. If you have a little mini-me, this might be more effective than anything else!
Avoid making this a gigantic lesson in spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. While I do encourage kids to learn to reread their writing out loud to look for errors, practice spelling their sight words correctly, and using the developmental patterns they’ve learned, I also know that when I journal, not everything is “correct.” My thoughts wouldn’t “flow” if that was my goal. As a teacher, it took me a long time to find the balance and right moments for teaching writing for content and craft versus teaching writing for editing, grammar, and spelling. This is hard for parents - I have the same conversation year after year. BUT, you want your kids to trust their inner writing voice and NOT be afraid to get their thoughts on paper for fear of spelling something wrong.
Use prompts sparingly and as needed. Note that my ideas below are specific enough to get a kid going, but general enough to reuse time after time. Of course, give a specific prompt once and awhile (ex: What would you like to be when you grow up?), but I generally avoid prompt writing in the classroom as it creates a dependency. I always wanted my kiddos to learn the skill of idea generation.
Some ideas for getting started:
Write about your day! What were your favorite parts? The bad parts? The parts you want to do again another day.
Make a summer bucket list.
Make a list of all the friends or family you’d like to see.
Go on a nature hunt outside. Draw and label what you find.
Write a daily to-do list.
Write a grocery or shopping list (great way to keep kids occupied while you write yours!).
Recreate some of the pieces your kids wrote over the school year:
Write a story.
Write a how-to about something for which they are an expert.
Write a persuasive letter to someone about a problem they have noticed (there are so many extension activities here!).
Write goals for the next school year.
Write about a bad day or something crummy that happened.
Write about a GREAT day and something awesome or exciting that happened.
I would LOVE to hear if you give this a go at home! Send me pictures if you do! Good luck, and I’m happy to answer any questions about writing journals via email.
