Entries Tagged 'Holiday & Seasonal Ideas' ↓

Brrrrrr! Here’s an icy blast of words that will give your young writers a leg up when they’re crafting stories and poems about winter. Remember—using a word bank isn’t cheating! It’s simply another great tool to slip into your children’s tool belt of writing aids.

Try the activities below, and stay tuned for more winter writing ideas and prompts!

Winter Word Bank

winter, season, weather, December, January, February, scarf, hat, cap, beanie, mittens, gloves, sweater, jacket, coat, vest, shawl, leggings, boots, pajamas, robe, slippers, socks, booties, wool, fleece, heavy, wrap, bundle, blanket, comforter, quilt, patchwork, skiing, sledding, skating,  jingle, shiver, chill, breath, snowstorm, blizzard, rain, sleet, snow, snowflakes, snow bank, snowball, powder, drift, crust, ice, icicles, crystals, frost, cold, bitter, windy, nippy, gusting, frozen, frigid, sparkling, slippery, icy, crunchy, lacy, delicate, soft, fluffy, knee-deep, powdery, freezing, melting, blustery, cloudy, dreary, drippy, slushy, rainy, snowman, shovel, bells, sled, sleigh, skis, ice skates, snowboard, toboggan, hill, mountain, pond, rink, forest, woods, creek, river, lane, road, holly, pine, cedar, fir, balsam, scent, boughs, wreath, trees, branches, bare, dark, silvery, blue, white, gray, brown, clear, piney, bird feeder, cardinal, suet, berries, hibernate, knit, sew, snuggle, read, book, stories, hearth, smoke, chimney, coals, flames, fire, fireplace, blazing, crackling, glowing, warm, cozy, toasty, spiced, spicy, tea, cider, cocoa, mug, popcorn, sugar, vanilla, spice, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking, aroma, waft

Word Bank Activities

Categories. Here’s a fun pre-writing activity! Copy the list of winter words to a Word document or Notepad. Then have your child copy/paste words into different categories. Alternatively, she can write the words by hand, crossing them off the list as she transfers them to her paper.

The older the child, the more detailed or specific the categories can be. This is not an exact science, so allow freedom and flexibility. Here are some ideas:

General Categories

• Indoor winter words
• Outdoor winter words

Specific Categories

• Adjectives
• Activities and outdoor-fun words
• Weather words
• Clothing words
• Baking or food words
• Comfort words
• Warm and cozy words
• Cold words
• Other ____________________

Synonyms. Older students can add to their Winter Word Bank and build up their writing vocabulary by looking up some of the words in a thesaurus and adding a few interesting synonyms to the list. If you need a good thesaurus, I highly recommend The Synonym Finder. It’s my all-time fave!

Looking for Christmas word lists? Check these out!

• Christmas word banks, part 1: Jesus is born
• Christmas word banks, part 2: Ho, ho, ho!

Copyright 2009 © Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

. . . . .

Share a comment: What are five of your favorite or most descriptive winter words? Or, What new winter words would you like to add to this word bank?

Cinquain poems are easy to write and a lot of fun too. The simplicity comes from following a set pattern of words and phrases. The resulting poem—five lines in a special shape—is rich with colorful, concrete vocabulary. Here are two examples:

Decoration
Golden, shiny
Glowing, glittering, sparkling
Twinkles on our tree
Ornament

. . . . .

Worshipers
Amazed, awed
Watching, waiting, listening
Hurrying to the manger
Shepherds

For a simple holiday writing activity, try assigning some Christmas cinquains. Follow the instructions and pattern in my blog post, Writing a Cinquain Poem. Choose from the following ideas, or come up with your own!

• Baby/Jesus
• Mother/Mary
• Visitors/Magi
• Ornament/Angel
• Ornament/Star
• Ornament/Snowman
• Cookie/Gingerbread man
• Giftwrap/Bow
• Decoration/Stocking
• Decoration/Wreath
• Tree/Fir
• Light/Candle
• Treat/Candy cane
• Toy/Train
• Helper/Elf

Share a comment: We’d love to read your children’s Christmas cinquains!

Last time, I gave you a Christmas word bank centered on the birth of Jesus and the traditional Christmas story. Now you can enjoy yet another holiday word bank (or several, when divided into categories), perfect for those jingle-jolly creative writing activities, acrostics, poems, and more!

Christmas Word Bank: Ho, ho, ho!

Here Comes Santa Claus

Christmas Eve, December, holiday, yuletide, North Pole, elf, elves, workshop, Christmas list, letter, sleigh, bells, ring, jingle, jolly, beard, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, reindeer, Rudolph, red nose, snow, chimney, fireplace, hearth, sack, stocking, stocking stuffers, coal, toys, dolls, train set, candy canes, puppy, mittens 

Deck the Halls

Shopping, crowds, stores, traffic, city, village, town, mail, cards, envelope, package, wrap, tie, exchange, presents, gifts, boxes, wrapping paper, tags, ribbon, bows, stickers, tape, gleaming, shiny, sparkling, glowing, twinkling, blinking, red, green, silver, gold, white, clear, decorations, cards, candles, votives, walnuts, nutcracker, Santa hat, mistletoe, holly, ivy, poinsettias, berries, pears, wreath, garland, fir, pine, trimming the tree, tinsel, glitter, tree skirt, tree-topper, lights, ornaments, baubles, bulbs, stars, snowflakes, pine cones, popcorn strings, tin soldier, cranberries, angel, glass, ball, icicle

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Christmas dinner, feast, roasting, carving, ham, turkey, goose, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, chestnuts, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, plum pudding, mincemeat pie, gingerbread house, decorate, icing, frosting, candies, sugar cookies, gingerbread men, fudge, fruitcake, eggnog, punch, stollen, sugar plums, figgy pudding

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Friends, family, grandparents, giving, gathering, visits, reunion, traditions, Advent calendar, Christmas story, church, stained glass, nativity set, carolers, carols, music, singing, happy, festive, merry, greetings, joy, peace, tidings, noel

Copyright 2009 © Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

.  .  .  .  .

Stay tuned! A frosty, freezy Winter Word Bank is coming next week!

Photo by Vanessa Pike-Russell courtesy of Creative Commons 2.0.

“Write a paragraph about celebrating Christmas.”

Seems easy enough, right? But to struggling writers, this kind of assignment is not only unhelpful, it’s also fear-inducing—for the simple reason that it’s just too vague. 

The 5 Ws

All children—but especially reluctant writers—benefit from a blueprint that lets them know what’s expected and how to achieve their goal. Using the 5 Ws—who, what, when, where, why (and also how)—helps children organize their thoughts before writing. It’s a great brainstorming tool that alleviates the insecurity of writer’s block and encourages more fluent writing.

A Blueprint for Writing

Create a simple graphic organizer to help a young or reluctant child brainstorm, plan, and organize a paragraph about celebrating Christmas.

• Who celebrates Christmas with me?
• What things do we do? How do we celebrate? In what ways?
• When do we celebrate?
• Where do we celebrate?
• Why do I celebrate Christmas?

Making It Unique

Older, motivated, or more articulate children can also follow this plan, but instead of writing one paragraph, they can write a longer story by developing a new paragraph to answer each question. And all children should know that it’s okay to rearrange the questions in the order they like best (for example, they might want to start out explaining why).

Using Word Banks

Your children will probably find it helpful to use word banks so they have a pool of vocabulary words available to them. A list of words about celebrating Jesus’ birth can be found at Christmas word banks, part 1: Jesus is born. Also see Christmas word banks, part 2: Ho, ho, ho! for a different assortment of holiday-themed words.

Here’s another holiday word bank to help inspire your children to write. This time, as they write poems and stories about the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of Jesus—encourage them to stretch their vocabulary by drawing from the following word list that focuses on celebrating Christ.

Christmas Word Bank: Jesus is Born

Christmas, Bible, Word, Scriptures, story, first, Advent, nativity, angel, visit, appear, prophets, prophecy, foretold, virgin, Mary, Joseph, tax, Bethlehem, City of David, journey, crowds, travelers, weary, donkey, innkeeper, room, inn, stable, manger, cave, crèche, crib, hay, straw, swaddling clothes

birth, born, babe, baby, infant, son, Savior (or Saviour), Jesus, Messiah, Christ the Lord, Christ Child, Emmanuel, Redeemer, king, Holy Family

night, star, alleluia, heavenly host, shone, shepherds, flock, sheep, lamb, tidings, miracle, awe, holy, humble, sacred, divine, glorious, glory, worship, pray, kneel, behold, presence, King Herod, Egypt, flee, wise men, magi, kings, camels, following, bearing, bringing, gifts, gold, frankincense, myrrh, rejoicing, praising

world, sin, salvation, save, comfort, love, faith, hope, joy, wonder, peace on earth, holiday, light, bright, shine, family, church, Christmas Eve, midnight, service, Mass, Advent wreath, candles, carols, hymns, songs, spirit, heart, celebrate, gift, goodwill, community, poor, needy, helping, inviting, giving, donating, sharing, serving, blessing, remembering, keeping, treasuring

Copyright 2009 © Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

. . . . .

Also see Christmas word banks, part 2: Ho, ho, ho! for more holiday word bank fun!

Share a comment: What writing assignment might you give your children that would call for them to use this word list?

Last year at this time, I showed you how to create a Thanksgiving acrostic poem. Here’s a variation that helps your kids focus on reasons to be thankful.

When you’re scrambling around the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and the children are underfoot, set them down at the kitchen table with this activity.

Directions

Write the words I AM THANKFUL vertically on a sheet of lined paper. Using each of the letters, make an acrostic

1. Each line can be one word, a phrase, or a sentence. There’s no right or wrong, as you can see from the examples below.
2. If children are having trouble thinking of words, use tools like magazines, catalogs, a thesaurus, or word lists to prompt ideas.
3. Poems can be left-aligned or centered.
4. Afterwards, illustrate your acrostics or decorate the page with photos cut from a magazine.

Gratitude

I want to thank God for

A ll His wonderful blessings, like His
M ercy and grace and compassion. For simple things like

T ea with toast. For big things like
H ope in a dark world. For
A warm, cozy home filled with love. For
N ine fun cousins! For
K eeping me safe. For
F riends that are closer than brothers. I want to always lift
U p praise to You with a thankful heart, knowing how much You
L ove me.

A Thankful Heart

I am thankful for . . .

A ll my clothes and toys . . .
M y mom, dad, and brothers . . .

T rue friends . . .
H ome and health . . .
A back yard to run and play . . .
N ana and Papa . . .
K nowing God loves me . . .
F ood on our table . . .
U ncles, aunts, and cousins . . .
L iving in a free country.

I Am Thankful

I am thankful for

A pples and pears
M y red hair

T oys
H ot dogs
A irplanes and cars
N ew crayons
K ittens and puppies
F lowers and stars
U nited States of America
L egos

Photo of praying girl courtesy of StockXchng.com

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, making this a great time to engage your kids in some holiday writing, whether stories, journals, essays, or reports. Here are some topic ideas you can suggest to get things rolling:

• Think of someone you know who might be spending Thanksgiving alone. Write a letter inviting them to dinner at your house. Include three reasons why you want them to come.
• Draw a picture of a Thanksgiving feast. Include your favorite foods. Next, use your five senses to describe each food, including appearance, taste, smell, and textures.
• Write an essay explaining what it means to be thankful.
• Think of 3-4 things you and your family are most grateful for. Explain why.
• Describe what you know about the first Thanksgiving.
• Tell about some of your Thanksgiving traditions. What role does each member of the family play?
• Explain why you love Thanksgiving. Are there any parts of the holiday you don’t enjoy?
• Would a turkey make a good pet? Why or why not? Use facts and opinions to explain your reasons.
• Explain how to grow a pumpkin.
• Bake a pumpkin pie. Ask someone to take photos of you along the way. Write an instruction manual explaining the process, using the photos to illustrate each step.
• Write a Thanksgiving story from a turkey’s point of view.
• Describe the perfect Thanksgiving.

Need more writing activities for Thanksgiving or fall? Check out our holiday and seasonal ideas!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng.

A word bank is a place where a student can keep written words he’s learned or collected so that he can refer to them as needed. Useful for students of all ages, word banks serve several purposes:

• A storage place for writing ideas when the child is writing about a particular topic. He can gather from a word bank of themed words to create a story or poem.
• A vocabulary-development tool.
• A spelling resource he can go to during writing or editing.
• Inspiration!

Using Holiday-themed Word Banks

With fall in the air and Thanksgiving just around the corner, now’s the time to encourage your children to write seasonal and holiday-themed stories, poems, reports, and acrostics. As fun as this sounds, when your kiddos (old or young!) can’t think of what to write about, they often freeze in frustration. 

Helping them draw from a rich word bank that’s chock-full of seasonal ideas can spark and motivate even the most reluctant writer. Here are two word banks perfect for this favorite time of year!

Autumn Word Bank

autumn, fall, season, September, October, November, leaves, colors, brown, gold, yellow, red, orange, black, gray, smoke, bonfire, burning leaves, crunching, jumping, tossing, raking, leaf pile, path, trail, hike, meander, woods, forest, orchard, tree, maple, oak, branches, corn maze, cornstalks, Indian corn, squirrel, chipmunk, blue jay, brisk, chill, cold, icy, frost, breath, pumpkin patch, hay, bale, pumpkin carving, nuts, chestnuts, cinnamon, pumpkins, apples, spicy, cider, hot cocoa, coffee, soup, stew, chili, fire, warm, roaring, crackling, inviting, cozy, crisp, blustery, welcoming, sights, sounds, smells, deep blue sky, clouds, rain, wind, storm, breeze, flannel, denim, corduroy, wool, fleece

Thanksgiving Word Bank

holiday, Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, Mayflower, Plymouth, Indians, memories, grandparents, family, friends, football, dinner, ham, turkey, gravy, corn, pumpkin pie, crust, coffee, cream, sausage, stuffing, muffins, cornbread, rolls, potatoes, yams, green beans, vegetables, apples, cranberries, flaky, whipped, mashed, creamy, buttery, candied, sweet, rich, savory, golden, glazed, crisp, baking, roasting, cooking, steaming, serving, helping, sharing, table, platter, china, silver, tablecloth, lace, linen, candles, cornucopia, gourds, aroma, warm, food, faith, prayer, plenty, thankful, blessing, welcome, gathering, together, November, Thursday, parade

Making Your Own Themed Word Banks

When giving a writing assignment, have your student use prepared word banks such as the two above, or work alongside him as he creates his own. Here’s one idea:

Brainstorm with your child to assemble a fall word bank. Look at a book, magazine, or website containing colorful images of autumn or Thanksgiving. Ask questions to stimulate thought, such as:

• What do you see on this page that makes you think of fall?
• Name some fall colors.
• How do you think that icy windowpane feels?
• In this picture, what fall activity is the family involved in?

As you and your child think of autumn-related words, add them to your word bank. Older children can use a thesaurus later on to look up synonyms for some of their words, thus broadening their writing vocabulary.

Find more Thanksgiving writing activities here and here—great ways to apply these new word bank ideas!

Copyright 2009 © Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.

. . . . .

Word banks are such great tools for helping kids expand their writing vocabulary, which is why we’ve included 17 exhaustive word lists in our WriteShop I and WriteShop II student books—lists such as texture words, personification, and emotions.

And in each of our WriteShop Primary books, younger children are encouraged to make Portable Word Banks, including season words, color words, and spelling words.

When all else fails, you can usually extract some decent writing from your children when it centers on a holiday theme of some sort. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, here are some creative (and painless) ways to encourage your kids to write.

Vocabulary and Spelling

Hidden in Your Heart

Encourage vocabulary and spelling development.

Supplies: Purchase a package of pre-cut paper hearts, or cut your own from scrapbooking or construction paper.

Directions: On individual hearts, spell out one of the following words or phrases. Let your child find other words hidden within the longer word or phrase and write them down on a list. Older children can have a contest to see who can come up with the longest list of words.

• VALENTINE’S DAY: say, lend, vial . . .
• HEARTS: star, ear, rat . . .
• I LOVE MY FAMILY: mail, yam, live . . .

Short and Sweet

Messages from the Heart

Spread Valentine love throughout your home by hiding heart messages for your family.

Supplies: Hearts cut from red, white, pink, purple, and light-blue paper.

Directions: A day or two before Valentine’s Day, have the kids prepare and sign little love messages on their stack of hearts. You can make some too! Then, on Valentine’s Day, encourage everyone to play Cupid by hiding the message hearts around the house for others to find. Messages can be tucked into shoes, pockets, bedroom or kitchen drawers, in a Bible, under pillows, in the toy box, or into PJs. Be creative! Everyone will have fun giving and receiving these little love notes!

Heartfelt Sentences

Give your younger children some sentence-writing practice.

Supplies: Colorful hearts cut from construction or scrapbooking paper (or a purchased package of paper hearts), glue stick, large sheet of construction paper or sentence strips.

Directions: Write words your children can read without help, including family members’ names, color words, common sight words, number words, and other words they know how to read. Encourage your kids to form sentences from the words on their hearts, gluing the words to the construction paper or sentence strip.

I Am Loved

Help your child think of pets and people who love him. Ask him to complete this sentence, filling in the blank with a different name each time. He can write one or more sentences, depending on his age and ability.

I know ________ loves me because ….

Valentine Writing Prompts

Stimulate writing ideas by providing your children and young teens with some Valentine story starters.

• Write an acrostic poem using the word FRIEND, HEART, or VALENTINE.
• Make a list of ways that you can show your love for your family members.
• Write a letter to a parent, grandparent, or sibling telling them why you love them.
• Tell about a time when you felt especially loved.
• Draw a picture of yourself and a friend or family member enjoying a special moment where you felt or expressed love. Write one or two sentences telling about it.
• Write a poem entitled “Love Is”
• Write a paragraph or essay telling what makes someone a good friend.
• Write a paragraph or essay defining and describing love.
• Imagine a world where everyone loved their neighbor as much as they loved themselves. What would it be like to live in such a world? How would families and communities be changed?

One year for Mother’s Day, my son Ben wrote me a long, sappy letter dripping with affection and appreciation. I’m sure he figured that if he was sentimental enough, I wouldn’t notice that he didn’t get me a gift.

Know what? He was right!

Sometimes, the best present isn’t wrapped up in a box. It’s the genuine expression of love and appreciation that you tuck into an envelope in the form of a special note or letter.

Not sure who or how? My friend Susan sent me a great link with some ideas. This week, sit down as a family with a box of special stationery, stickers, colored pens, and rubber stamps and write some notes to a few extra-special people in your lives.

Here’s a chance to make writing truly practical. Get started here!