The Write Stuff: Get Creative

Summer reading programs are in full swing, and all those amazing books have one not-so-secret thing in common. Somebody wrote them. Writing activities promote literacy and can be lots of fun.

Drop in writing groups are one approach, but that’s not the only way to get kids writing. Lots of other active and passive strategies build literacy skills while encouraging reflection and self expression. In addition to improving narrative skills, research suggests creative writing has social emotional benefits like resilience and emotional well-being too. Best of all, writing projects foster a love of reading and can work with almost any budget. All you need are writing prompts, paper, and writing tools. Here are ten quick tips to engage youth in writing.

First Things First: Don’t forget the display! Place some books near passive activities and writing stations to capture attention. From humor to metafiction, and craft , there are numerous picture books about writing, the creative process, and finding your voice! Adding a few books encourages browsing and may inspire young readers on creative journeys that last a lifetime.

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10 Quick Creative Writing Tips

• Poetry Pit-Stops: Offer simple writing prompts with an image, starter line, quotation, or word. Acrostics (poems that spell a word with the first letter of each line) provide a great introduction to poetic thinking. Printout multiple options with words that relate to seasonal themes and provide wide lined paper so visitors can experiment independently.
• Magnetic Word Boards: Create lots of places for youth to play with words.
• Collage: Cut words from discarded children’s magazines and place them in small sorting bins or upcycled boxes. With cutout words, glue, and construction paper, youth can create visually interesting, thought provoking poems! Provide a sample or two on display to show how the unique fonts, colors create visual interest, context, and meaning.
• Group Chat: Collaborative projects provide a fun way to explore language. Invite young patrons to add a word or phrase to a bulletin board or other common space for a group poem or story.
• Word a Day: Introduce new words with a dictionary display, materials, and space to write.
• Letter Writing Station: Card making and letter writing areas are low cost and low footprint options that combine artistry, penmanship, and expression.
• Young Zinester: Zines are simple to make and don’t need many supplies. Zinedom awaits!
• Author Highlights: Create rotating displays featuring work from single authors. Include their titles, biographies, and author photos. Getting to know the people behind cherished books connects the product to the creative process.
• Hello My Genre Is: Introduce genres with grouped book displays that pair a writing prompt with short explanations of theme.
• Dear Diary: Encourage journal writing and reflection with micro journals and homemade books that can be made with folded paper and cardstock covers.

Whether or not you love to write, creative writing programs don’t have to be limited to special times of year like National Poetry and National Novel Writing Month. Every opportunity to build narrative skill counts. Get creative and have fun.

Featured cover art from Zando – Hillman Grad Books; Quill Tree Books; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Millbrook Press; Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, and Chronicle Books.

This post addresses the following ALSC Competencies: I. Commitment to Client Group #5; III. Programming Skills #5, #6, and IV. Collection Knowledge and Management #1.

The post The Write Stuff: Get Creative appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 Summer reading programs are in full swing, and all those amazing books have one not-so-secret thing in common. Somebody wrote them. Writing activities promote literacy and can be lots of fun. Drop in writing groups are one approach, but that’s not the only way to get kids writing. Lots of other active and passive strategies build literacy skills while encouraging reflection and self expression. In addition to improving narrative skills, research suggests creative writing has social emotional benefits like resilience and emotional well-being too. Best of all, writing projects foster a love of reading and can work with almost any budget. All you need are writing prompts, paper, and writing tools. Here are ten quick tips to engage youth in writing. First Things First: Don’t forget the display! Place some books near passive activities and writing stations to capture attention. From humor to metafiction, and craft , there are numerous…
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