25 Ways to Help the Zoom Generation Get Back to Paper and Pencil
After many, many months of online learning, teachers are finding that their students are having a hard time getting off their keyboards and going back to pen and paper. But the importance of handwriting has long been documented. In addition to the positive effects on brain development, handwriting helps students build fine motor skills and dexterity, leading to greater engagement and retention.
So how do we reintroduce this valuable skill into our students' repertoire? By having fun of course. Here are 25 fun, engaging activities to get your students motivated to do things by hand again.
1. Practice cartographic skills
Source: Tree Valley Academy
Have your students create a map of their home, room, or neighborhood. Then have them draw and label each part of the selected area. Map making can strengthen language, geography, and math skills.
2. Create a menu
Imagine your classroom is a restaurant and ask your students to create the perfect menu. Give each student a piece of cardboard and have them decorate the menu and write down the items, including descriptions and prices.
3. Leave encouraging notes
Source: iMom
Spread kindness in your classroom! Assign each student a secret pal. Ask her to leave encouraging notes and/or drawings for her pal every day for a week. At the end of the week, gather the students on the rug and give each student three chances to guess who their secret pal is.
4. Develop letter writing skills
Learning how to correspond in writing is an important life skill. Teach your students the correct format for a friendly letter and a business letter. Then have them practice by writing a letter to a family member, friend, or classmate. Keep a supply of pretty stationery and envelopes to make the job even more special.
5. Show your appreciation
Make cards say things Thanks very much to the people at your school who are making a difference. Let your students choose who they want to write to, e.g. B. to the headmaster, the canteen staff, the caretaker or the librarian. Offer them coloring materials to make their card and lined paper to write their notes. Have them turn in their notes, a few at a time, during transition periods or before or after school.
6. Plan a treasure hunt
Source: The Spruce
Kids love to go treasure hunting! Why not give them the opportunity to create their own? Have students write 5-7 clues, each on a separate piece of paper, leading to a specific goal. Also, have them invent a "treasure" - a pretty drawing, an origami animal, a funny joke - whatever they can think of. Set up a time for students to mate and go hunting. This activity is great for practicing sequencing skills and choosing precise language.
7. Start a conversation journal
During reading and writing time, have students swap journals with a friend and write a question for them to answer. Each student then takes back their own journal, reads the question, and responds with at least three sentences. Teach students to ask questions that inspire more than just a yes or no answer.
8. Invent your own games
Divide the students into groups of four and ask them to create a board game to share with the class. Provide them with a template or let them develop their own if they want. In addition to illustrating and coloring in the game board, they have to write down the rules of the game.
9. Create a comic
Source: The Well-Equipped Volunteer
Both drawing and writing promote fine motor skills. Download a selection of templates and let your students create their own comic strip featuring an original character. Make sure they include drawings and words.
10. Take a story and run with it
Choose a read-aloud version for your students, then have them create a new chapter for a story, change the ending, or write the story from a different perspective.
11. Publish your own books
In my classroom, students loved nothing more than stapling a thick stack of white paper to create their own books. They were particularly fond of writing together and would pair up to write joke books, mysteries, and even collections of poetry. Sometimes a blank slate sparks the most creative writing.
12. Dive deeper with a reading journal
Combining reading and writing lessons with a reading journal is a must. Journals provide a place for students to write reflections, draw sketches, jot down interesting words, copy inspirational quotes, and more.
13. Create a nature journal
Source: Ladder Mouse
Take your students outside as often as possible. And if you go, make sure students bring their nature journals. Get together in a place where students can spread out, then set a timer. Ask students to use their five senses to observe everything around them in silence. Then have them write and draw what inspires them until the timer goes off.
14. Set up your own game show
Divide your class into teams and give each team a dry erase board and marker. As the moderator, you ask a question and one member of each team writes their answer on a dry-erase board. Ask them to keep their answers secret until you ask them to reveal them. Give each team a point for each correct answer. Team members rotate through until all questions have been asked. The team with the most points at the end wins.
15. Create a travel brochure
Source: Layers of Learning
This is a fun project for students to use to show off what they know in a fun way. Using an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock folded into three sections, students can create a travel brochure about a state, country, or planet. Adapt the topic to the subject you are studying and provide students with guidelines for what type of content to include.
16. Provide fun writing suggestions
When it comes to writing time, the biggest hurdle many students face is coming up with a topic. Good writing prompts can make a big difference. We've created a set of fun writing prompts, one for each of the elementary school grades K-6. Check out this second grade version, then scroll down to find links to prompts for other grades.
17. Write with verve
Source: Rainy Day Mom
Make writing more fun by introducing your students to new and different styles to try. Try rainbow font (each letter or word is a different color). Or write your name or another favorite word in the middle of a piece of paper and then trace it several times with a different color. Check out books on calligraphy or try copying different types of handwriting.
18. Connect with a pen pal
Matching your students with a pen pal allows them to practice their writing skills and gives them the opportunity to make a new friend.
19. Solve crossword puzzles
Crossword puzzles are a fun way to learn new vocabulary. Try this crossword puzzle generator to create your own custom puzzles. Create different versions for different subjects and different ability levels.
20. Play connect the dots.
Source: Imagination Soup
Younger students can practice the sequence of numbers and letters with the puzzles to connect the dots. This site has over 50 free printable versions for students of all ages.
21. Teach guided note-taking
With guided notes, the teacher provides a sort of outline of the material to be covered, but leaves space for the students to complete the most important information. Learning how to listen to important information and write it down is a skill that students will carry with them throughout college.
22. Label the US map
Source: YouTube
Give students a blank map of the United States. Have them label each state with the correct name. Let them use an atlas the first few times, then challenge them to complete the map without looking.
23. Conduct polls
Ask the students to think of a question for their classmates. For example, what is your favorite animal, your favorite color, your favorite food, etc.? Have each student write their question at the top of a piece of paper and pin it to a clipboard. When everyone has their question ready, allow the students to mingle and record their classmates' answers. You can link this writing activity to a math lesson and have each student chart their results.
24. Write a story together
Gather your imagination and write a story for the whole class. Begin by writing the opening line on a piece of lined paper to help students get started. Give the paper to a student and have them read your sentence, then write the next one. Continue with the class, do not talk about the story but let each student read until the last student has contributed. When the story is finished, read it out loud for everyone to hear. To keep students busy when it's not their turn, have them read or do an assignment.
25. Make lists
Have students take out their journals and ask them a question. For example, "What are your..." 10 action movie characters, 25 favorite foods, 12 favorite animals, places you would like to visit, etc.? Alternatively, students can brainstorm ideas for topics to write about in their free time.
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