Now that school has started, there are many fun ways you can jumpstart your child’s writing skills – and you don’t even need to use a pencil or paper! This is because writing for the elementary school age student is primarily a critical thinking activity. For example, have you ever heard your child complain, “I can’t think of anything to write!? This is clearly a “thinking” issue! There are many fun and active ways you can expand your children’s critical and creative thinking skills that will help them when they do pick up a pencil to actually write. Some proven winners:

The Magic Story Bag. Fill a bag with various objects, including a few toy animal creatures. Pull an object out of the bag and begin a story using whatever object you pulled. Just a few sentences will be enough. Then ask your child to pull an object from the bag (no peeking!). Your child must add onto your story and figure out a way to imaginatively, yet logically, use the object he or she drew from the bag as part of the story. Keep passing the bag back and forth, continuing to build the story using the objects that are drawn from the bag. At some point, ask your child to give the story an ending using the next object he or she draws from the bag. This is a wonderful activity for imagination and critical thinking, and can be used with many players. Older kids will enjoy this activity as well.

Questions, Questions and More Questions! The value of asking questions cannot be overestimated! Questions are the springboard into higher level thinking. When your child re-learns the art of asking questions, she or he will find it easy to build onto a topic and expand a theme. Using the story bag above, have your child pull out an object and come up with five questions about the object. (For example, What color is the object? How old is it? What do you use it for? Where did you find it? What are you going to do with it?) Answer each one of your child’s question using a complete sentence. Then reverse the roles. You’ll pull out an object, ask 5 questions, and your child must answer each question using a complete sentence. Congratulate your child on coming up with a 5-sentence paragraph!

Snack Time. Bring out some glasses of ice cold lemonade and a snack, and start a story by giving a WHO and a WHERE, using only two sentences. At the end of each sentence say “Period!” For example, Once there was a large, black and white bear. PERIOD! This strange bear lived in the woods near a mysterious lake. PERIOD! Your child adds on to the story, saying only two sentences and calling out “Period!” at the end of each sentence. The rules are you cannot begin a sentence with “So,” “But,” or “And,” and you can begin with “Then” only ONCE. Keep score. The “Period!” at the end of each sentence is important because it lets the other player(s) know you have finished your sentence. Using so, but, or and in the MIDDLE of the sentence is great because then you have made a compound sentence. If you want, you can give additional points for compound sentences.

The 3-minute activity. Need something quick to keep your kids under control? Sit in a circle and begin a story using ONE WORD ONLY (yes, “a” and “the” count). Go around the circle as fast as possible with each child saying only ONE word. If a child hesitates, the story moves on to the next person. See how fast you can keep going around the circle.

Carol Aubrey recently relocated to Santa Fe. She’s been teaching kids to write and training teachers in writing for more than 10 years. Find more writing strategies on her Web site, www.incitetowrite.com, or contact her at carol@incitetowrite.com.