Here are a few simple, low-pressure ways to help your student stay engaged with writing this summer:

1. Keep a Summer Journal

Encourage your student to write about their summer adventures, daily routines, or even what they ate for lunch. Journaling builds fluency and helps students practice expressing their thoughts clearly. Younger students can draw and label pictures, while older ones can reflect or set weekly writing goals.

2. Write to Friends or Family

Writing letters, postcards, or even emails is a fun and personal way to practice real-world writing skills. Students can share updates, ask questions, and build writing confidence in a meaningful context.

3. Read, Then Write

Reading and writing go hand in hand. After finishing a book or chapter, students can write a short summary, describe their favorite character, or even reimagine the ending. This builds comprehension and strengthens sentence structure.

4. Try Weekly (or Daily) Writing Prompts

You can write alongside your child to make it a shared experience. Writing is a great creative outlet for adults too, and reading each other’s responses can be a meaningful way to connect. Even with a busy schedule, just 10 to 15 minutes of writing time together can make a big difference. Use some of the prompts below, or come up with your own!

Lower Elementary (Grades 1-2)

Simple, imaginative prompts to get young writers excited about storytelling.

1. If your favorite toy came to life, what would you do together?
2. Describe your dream playground.
3. You meet a dragon who needs a friend. What do you say?
4. If animals could talk, what would your pet say to you?
5. What would you do if it rained marshmallows one day?
   

Upper Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Creative prompts that build descriptive skills and playful storytelling.

1. You find a hidden door in your backyard. What is behind it?
2. Invent a new holiday. What is it called, and how do people celebrate?
3. Your backpack has magical powers. What can it do, and how do you use it?
4. A time machine appears in your room. Where do you go?
5. Describe the most unusual ice cream flavor ever invented.
   

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Prompts that blend creativity with deeper thinking and imagination.

1. You wake up one morning and can talk to animals. What happens next?
2. Write a story that takes place entirely in a treehouse.
3. You find a mysterious map tucked into an old book at the library. What do you do?
4. Describe a world where the sun never sets. How do people live there?
5. Your summer camp turns out to be a school for superheroes. What is your power?
   

High School (Grades 9-12)

Thoughtful prompts that encourage critical thinking and personal voice.

1. Write a letter to your future self at the end of this summer. What do you hope you’ve learned or experienced?
2. You’re the only person who remembers a major world event. What do you do with that knowledge?
3. Create a short story that starts with a lie and ends with the truth.
4. You have the chance to live one day in someone else’s shoes. Whose life do you choose, and why?
5. The world’s technology shuts down for one week. How does life change for you and your community?

5. Create a Vocabulary Challenge

Have your student pick 5 to 10 new words each week from their reading or from a vocabulary list. They can practice using each word in a sentence, then try writing a short story using them all.

6. Sign Up for a Writing Program

Sometimes a little structure makes all the difference. Writing Symphony offers flexible summer classes that ease students into the next grade level and build strong foundational skills.

View our Programs

Not Sure Where to Start?

We offer a free private trial class and writing assessment to help place your student at the right level. It’s a great way to experience our program and receive personalized recommendations from MJ Gleichman, the owner and founder of Writing Symphony.

Have questions? We are here to help. Contact us at support@writingsymphony.com