Give the Gift of Holiday Writing Fun!

December 21, 2023
Written by:
Guest Author
Featured, Homeschool Language Arts, Homeschool Resources, Homeschooling Curriculum

Winter break is here! Can you keep your writing skills sharp while still having fun? Of course! Writing can even become something your children look forward to when you use engaging, creative writing lessons to build and maintain writing skills. Keep reading for some great ideas.

Winter Break Writing for Elementary Students

Your young children have probably looked forward to this time of year for months. Anything to do with the holidays and winter is exciting; right? Capitalize on this energy to get them writing in fun ways like these:

  • Holiday Candy Letters/Words: If you have young children just learning their letters or how to spell simple words, try using holiday candy (i.e., pieces of candy canes) to build letters and words. Then let them have a snack!
    Homeschool Holidays
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  • Holiday Recipes: To practice letter formation, have your children copy their favorite holiday recipes. They can even put together family recipe books to give as gifts.
  • Holiday Postcards/Cards: Have your children practice signing their names, copying addresses, or writing simple holiday messages on cards to family and friends.
  • Holiday Thank You Cards: If your children receive holiday gifts, have them write thank you cards. Younger children can copy messages you write while older children can come up with thank you messages on their own. 

Winter Break Writing for Middle School Students

Your middle school students probably need a break from more serious writing lessons. After all, they’ve been waiting for this vacation for ages! Creative and/or interactive writing projects like these may work to get them writing during the break:

  • Holiday Song Writing: Ask your children to compose new holiday songs or write holiday lyrics to existing songs. They can share their creations by performing at home or making holiday videos to send out to friends and family.
  • Word Games: Practice spelling, while spending quality time with the family, by playing informal word games like hangman or completing crossword puzzles and word searches. Games like Bananagrams or Scrabble work too!
  • Holiday Gift/Candy Treasure Hunts: Have your children hide gifts or candy throughout the house and then write out clever or descriptive hints. Hide the hints as well to make a fun family treasure hunt game.
  • Winter Activity Posters: Provide art supplies and have your children design travel-style posters showing their favorite winter activities and locations. Make sure they include text boxes containing the name of the place or activity and a description of why they like it. 

Winter Break Writing for High School Students

Hard-working high school students may not mind writing, but they still need some time off from the writing they do in their normal lessons. Try these ideas to maintain skills over the winter break while still having fun:

  • Holiday Traditions Short Stories: Ask your children to write creative short stories that capture your family’s holiday traditions or imbed their own characters in scenes from a favorite holiday movie or story.
  • Holiday Performances: Have your children write a holiday play or musical withHomeschool Holiday Writing Learning parts for everyone in the family. Then perform it as a family and videotape it for a great set of memories!
  • Holiday Letters: Ask your children to write holiday letters to friends and family. Encourage them to summarize the family experiences of the past year, and provide warm wishes to the recipients for the upcoming year.
  • Winter Activity Videos: Have your children write scripts describing the steps involved in their favorite winter activities. Then turn those scripts into videos with demonstrations. Don’t forget the blooper reels!

Winter Break Writing Prompts

You can also use journaling or simple writing tasks to practice writing over winter break. Here are some winter and holiday writing prompts that you can adapt based on age and writing ability:

  • Write a narrative paragraph/essay describing one of your family holiday traditions.
  • Compare/contrast your holiday traditions with those of your best friend.
  • Write an informative paragraph/essay about the holiday traditions of a different culture or country.
  • Write a descriptive paragraph/essay about a favorite holiday/winter object.
  • Research and explain the history behind a holiday tradition.
  • Write a process paragraph/essay describing the steps involved in your favorite winter activity.
  • Write an argumentative paragraph/essay telling why you’d like to get or give a particular holiday gift, why your favorite winter activity is the best, or why winter break should be longer.
  • Write a memo/letter to yourself describing your goals for the new year.

Regardless of how you bring lessons into your winter break, there are fun ways to keep up with your children’s writing skills during this time. Be creative, and use this break to help your kids enjoy writing!

 

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