Do you have a child who doesn’t love to write? Is that a huge understatement? Are you hesitant to spend a ton of money on a language arts curriculum because you know he or she won’t want to do it consistently. Are you looking for a way to incorporate more writing into your homeschool without breaking the bank? And something they might actually like?
Today I am excited to share another month of short writing prompts for elementary students. You can grab these May writing prompts by signing up in the box at the bottom of this post. Or, if you are already signed up, head over to the Resource Library and grab them now!
Why Use Writing Prompts for Kids
Writing is one of the most common subject areas where young children struggle. They often show their frustration through meltdowns, goofing off, or just plain refusing to write.
But, writing is so important – what is a parent to do?!
Using a writing prompt is one way to pique your child’s interest and invite them to enjoy writing. My writing prompt calendar provides 25 writing ideas for the month. This means you can pick and choose the prompts that interest your child. My daughter likes to choose prompts that make a pattern or “five in a row”. Or you can just pick ones that sound fun!
Asking young children (or anyone for that matter) to write about “anything they want” can be a bit overwhelming! Reluctant writers will often shutdown when they feel overwhelmed. Providing a writing prompt relieves this overwhelm. It provides something to focus on and (and hopefully) interest them.
Why is Writing so Difficult for Elementary Students
There are so many skills involved in writing!
What to write
How to spell all the words
How to properly form the letters for each word
Do I need capital letters, commas, or punctuation?
Adults often take for granted how much mental energy is required to write. children don’t often achieve this automaticity (fancy word for when something becomes effortless) until 3rd, 4th, or even 5th grade.
Providing copy work, writing prompts, word banks, and other supportive tools can help reduce these pressures and make writing more enjoyable for young students.
Just remember to keep an eye on your child and ease up if they are getting frustrated or add more support.
What Can I Do if My Child Refuses to Write?
Sometimes the idea is so overwhelming and frustrating that a child just refuses to do any writing for school. My daughter was actually like this in kindergarten and 1st grade, and well, most of second grade. She would write numbers for her math, but when it came to writing words….not happening.
This is when I started to do some digging into helping reluctant writers and nudging them toward writing independently.
Before getting to my suggestions for helping a reluctant writer, I want to assure you that you aren’t “cheating” by providing support for your child as they become a writer. You are lower the frustration level, so they can experience success. When your child experiences success, they are more likely to try again next time.
Here are some of the ways I helped lower the frustration of writing for my daughter:
1) Write the sentences for her and let her copy them.
2) Provide a word bank, so she doesn’t worry about spelling and doesn’t feel like she has to ask for help every five seconds.
3) Provide easy writing tasks (lists are great for early writers)
4) Doing some of the writing for her.
If your child refuses to write, ask him or her if it would help if you (insert support from list here). For example, “Honey, would it help if I write it out and you could just copy it?”
Remember, your goal with a reluctant writer is to lower the frustration level to let them experience success.
Examples of Writing Prompts for May
I try to make these free printable journaling prompts as appealing as possible. They are set up so that there are a lot of lists. Writing lists are a great way to start writing with a reluctant writer. There are 25 writing ideas on this month’s calendar. Here is a little sample of some of the May writing prompts:
- Would you rather have x-ray vision or be able to become invisible? Why?
- If you were Emperor of the House for May, write 5 laws you would enact.
- The Empire State Building was built in May 1931. List the 7 tallest buildings in the world and their locations.
- Read several Limericks and write one of your own.
- Would you want to have been an explorer on Lewis and Clark’s westward journey? Why or Why not?
- Create a scavenger hunt for a family member. Create at least 7 clues and don’t forget the prize at the end!
- The Red Cross was founded in May 1881. What is it? Research the Red Cross and write 5 facts that you find interesting.
- National Chocolate Chip Day is May 15th. Write a list of your 7 favorite chocolate foods or desserts.
I have found that my daughter gets very interested in prompts that have to do with “special days” like National Chocolate Chip Day, etc. In March, I think her favorite prompt was about the Iditarod dog sled race.
Children who don’t like to write often resist imagining ideas to write about, too. So, all those fun, creative writing prompts fall flat with their “I don’t know” response. For this reason I try to include prompts that are prompted (ha!) by events or days that happen during the month – like the list of the tallest buildings in the world since the Empire State Building was built in May.
Suggestions for Using the Prompts in your Homeschool
Even though the calendar has 25 prompts on it, don’t expect to complete all 25 if your child still struggles with writing. My daughter completes about 10 each month. But, I have noticed that, as we do more writing, she is more inclined to write on her own. And that’s the real progress I am wanting to see.
Here are a few ideas to use the writing prompts calendar.
Go in order. You could simply start at the beginning and complete the prompts in order.
Five in a row. You cold choose to complete one column or row. Or go diagonal!
Make a pattern. Maybe your child loves to make patterns. Great! Make a checkerboard pattern by choosing to complete every other prompt. Or make some other pattern!
Random. If your child really doesn’t like to write, then just let them choose each time you do a prompt. What prompt interests them the most? They need to be interested if they are going to be willing, so letting your child choose the writing prompt is a great way to give them some authority.
Often when a child is resistant to writing, it’s not the writing itself that is the problem. Find out what your child is struggling with and find ways to alleviate that frustration for a little while. I hope these short writing prompts for May help you and your child to enjoy some fun writing time together!
Sign up in the box below to grab these fun May writing prompts today! You will receive the password to my Resource Library in your first email and be able to grab the writing prompt calendar right away.