‘I will think of something to write!’
How many times have you heard the words, “I can’t think of anything to write.” Well there is an easy fix for this. Try this activity 5 days in a row and your kids are cured! They will never say those awful words again!
Materials:
- Journals
- Pens (pens are easier to write with than pencils. Markers are the easiest but messiest)
- Timer
- Post-its
Brainstorm 1:
- Place several post-its on a page in your journal.
- Spend 60 seconds writing one thing you can write about on each post-it.
- Spend 60 seconds telling your partner about your brainstormed ideas
- Listen to your partner discuss his/her ideas for 60 seconds
- Add any new ideas you had after listening to your partner’s ideas
Brainstorm 2:
- From brainstormed list, choose a topic to write about and place that post-it in the middle of the next page in your journal and surround it with new post-its
- Spend 60 seconds brainstorming thoughts about the topic. One topic per post-it
- Spend 60 seconds telling your partner about your topcic
- Listen to your partner’s discuss his/her ideas for 60 seconds
- Add any new ideas.
Writing:
- Organize your post-its in the order you are going to write about them (create an outline)
- Pens in the air, ‘On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!’
- Write about your topic for 3 minutes (if you get lost, refer to your outline)
- If you get stuck and can’t think of anything to write about, write ‘I will think of something to write about. I will think of something to write about.’ (It is magic because after writing this a couple of times, you will think of something to write about!)
Share:
- Take turns reading what you wrote!!!
Hints:
- There may be only 1 or 2 topics the first time around. That is ok. Don’t push it.
- Instead share your ideas. This frequently triggers more ideas.
- If they still can’t think of anything, you may want to try the game Add-On.
- Make the assumption they will think of something.
- Writing, ‘I will think of something to write,’ triggers the brain and it will think of something. Even if they have to write is 20 times, that is ok. They are writing!
- Most importantly – Keep the Pen Moving! This is a time when quantity is more important than quality.
- Create the challenge of ‘How many words can you write in 3 minutes?’ graph the number of words written each day. This visual is really powerful and motivating.
- The short time limits are key.
- By the time ideas have been written, shared, and organized, the writing is easy!
