We know how important it is for students to take the time to rest, recharge, and get reinspired, not only during seasonal breaks but throughout the rest of the year as well. The SFUSD summer break is about 10 weeks long, which means there is plenty of time for relaxation and fun without slowing mental activity. Our advice? Help facilitate a writing practice that keeps your student engaged.
Read on for some fun ways to keep students writing during the summer!
✍️ 1- Freewrite through journaling: Encourage writing without boundaries or rules. Journaling allows for self-expression in its most unrestrained form, which is great for developing the author’s voice. Students can keep a summer journal that they can decorate with keepsakes from their trips, summer camps, or other daily adventures! Developing a consistent practice will help the student’s personality shine through as they get more comfortable and confident in their writing.
✉️ 2- Start a pen-pal project: Pen-pal exchanges aren’t strictly limited to long-distance friendships. Students can start a pen-pal project with a friend who lives in a different neighborhood or a pal from summer camp who attends a different school! For this project, focusing on word choice can help them paint a vivid picture for their letter recipient while practicing specificity and expanding their vocabulary. For example, check out this pen-pal exchange between two of our students:
Sarah & Victoria
by Sarah E.-G., age 12 & Victoria R., age 17
Hi Victoria,
I was surprised when I opened the letter. We had a lot in common, more than I thought. We both like Mexican food. We’re both Mexican American, we speak English and Spanish, we play Minecraft and Roblox. I like the gamesSally Face, Fran Bow, Little Misfortune and Little Nightmares. They are horror.
I have never exited the country or state. Always in California. Have you ever went to other countries? If yeah, which? I want to go to Brazil the most. And it’s good to know high school has mostly good things because I like middle school, but some of the kids make fun of me. Well, sorry for my grammar and this letter that you sent me was great. I am excited to see you.
Sarah EG
P.S. Thank you for the letter ♥
Hi, Sarah
That’s so cool that we have many things in common! I’ve never played those games before, but I’ll be sure to check them out soon. I really love playing the Roblox horror games because they’re so funny when I play with my friends. I’ve never gone to any other countries either, but I’d really love to go to the Bahamas, Bali, Mexico, and so many other places! Brazil seems fun too!
I’m so sorry to hear that other kids make fun of you. Don’t let other kids make fun of you because they’ll see you as an easy person to pick on. They shouldn’t do that in the first place. You should stand up for yourself, or tell a teacher about what’s going on. Hopefully you’ll get that resolved! If you want to talk to me more about it, just write about it to me! No need to apologize for your grammar. It’s good! I’m looking forward to writing more letters and seeing you one day!
Victoria
🎨 3- Incorporate writing into another favorite art form or hobby: If students already have other art forms they love, try incorporating writing into those practices. Watercolor lovers could write haikus into their paintings or use poems as inspiration; collage-makers can practice found poetry by cutting and remixing found words in magazines and books; aspiring musicians can write song lyrics; and so much more! This is a great opportunity to focus on ideas and consider the main message students want to convey through their art.
🗣️ 4- Keep it casual with daily summer prompts! Prompts offer variety for those who prefer the challenge and excitement of something new every day. Plus, they are no-fail jump starters for when a little inspiration is needed. Photos, words and phrases, songs, objects, and so many other sources of inspiration make for great generative prompts that can spark anything from a poem to a fiction story! While the writing may be very different every day, focus on sentence fluency—rhythm, variety, and flow—to keep honing the student’s skills.
🚃 5- Write fiction inspired by a trip or visit: Students can draw from their own experiences or things they find in the world around them to build their own imagined worlds, stories, and characters. Family visits, beach trips, or even afternoon walks are fertile ground to make fiction tales sprout. When writing fiction, students can practice organization and giving their pieces a clear beginning, middle, and end. Read this beach-inspired news story written by one of our students:
Megalodon Spotted at Ocean Beach
(excerpt)
by Jensy de L.M., age 13
It has been reported that Ocean Beach has a strange creature in the ocean, and it’s a megalodon! It used to not have megalodons and strange creatures in the waters.
The people involved are Kris, Jensy, and Crystal. So what happened was they wanted to go to the ocean, but they had to buy tickets to fly to Ocean Beach.
Crystal was the one who wanted to go to the ocean, so she invited her two friends, Kris and Jensy. They planned it and went to the hotel and bought tickets. The day came, and they went to Ocean Beach. Also, they rented a hotel room to stay there for the night. The next day, they rented a car to go to Ocean Beach for ten minutes. Later, when they got there, there were three people there. Kris was surprised because she’d heard a lot of people went there.
Building and sustaining a writing practice can help maintain the mental acuity students will need when returning to class in the fall. For more insight on the writing traits of voice, word choice, ideas, sentence fluency, and organization, check out our Caregiver Map, which has tips to guide writers of all ages.
Photo by Stefan Gruenwedel