Write on! is a perfect rainy day activity and for getting your kids (ages 7 & up) to use their imaginations and WRITE:
What you will need:
- A bunch of envelopes (no need to seal them, so recycled are fine)
- Old magazines
- Note cards
- Lined loose leaf or scrap paper that kids can write on
- Pencils, pens or crayons
- Egg timer
As advance prep, cut out pictures of people or places from old magazines (think National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, etc) and put each picture in a different envelope and leave the envelopes unmarked. Then, cut a bunch of note cards in half, write a word on each (use names of objects, colors, whatever your child will understand) and put a word in another envelope.
Whenever inspiration strikes or the kids need a new activity, take out the envelopes. Hand each child one envelope with a picture and another envelope with a word, but no peeking until you say so! Get them set up (with paper and pencil) at a desk, table, coffee table or with a lap try. Explain to them they will have five minutes to write a crazy story about the picture they chose and using the word they have in the other envelope. Once they are settled, set the egg timer for five minutes and tell them to open their envelopes and start writing.
After the egg timer dings, they must put down their pencils and hold their hands up. Have them read their stories out loud (if they want to share) and hold up the picture and the word while they read. If the story isn't finished, do a story swap and have each kid switch their unfinished story with someone else in the room for them to finish. Set the timer for another five minutes to finish up the stories or add illustrations and then share them again. You'll get some hilarious, entertaining stories and thoughtful stories out of it and you'll have something to add to the fridge or their memory box!
