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Writers’ workshop is an enjoyable, practical way to teach writing skills and cultivate a love of writing. If you’re new to this workshop concept you’re probably wondering what you need to do first. In this post we’ll show you how starting a writers’ workshop is easier than you think. Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to creating a writing routine and atmosphere that helps your kids learn best.
Prepare Your Writers’ Workshop Space
Decide where your kids will write and how you will store writing materials. Keep in mind that this may change. But for now, make a plan and try it.
You may gather at the kitchen table or on the floor in the living room with clipboards. Place your materials in a basket or on a shelf. Or maybe you’ve got a whole room in your house dedicated to homeschooling. Your kids may write at individual desks and have their own drawers for materials.
I’ve tried different methods, but the one working best for us now is a small table and a rolling cart. When it’s time for writers’ workshop, we roll the cart over to the table. It has everything we need in one place.
Materials:
- bookshelf or rolling cart (comes in a variety of colors) (affiliate link)
- White copy paper
- Stapler
- Pencils
- Markers
- Crayons
- Colored pencils (these are excellent quality and last years) (affiliate link)
- Ruler
- Clipboards
- Writing folders
- Writing notebooks (composition books)
- Alphabet chart (for beginners)
- Reference books
- Rubber date stamp (optional, but your child will love it) (affiliate link)
- Timer (optional)
Share Your Enthusiasm
The first step to launch a writers’ workshop is to express your enthusiasm. Help your kids see that writing every day is a privilege. If you approach writers’ workshop as something to look forward to, so will your kids. Here’s an example:
You know how we read books every day? Well, this year we’re going to write every day too! We’re going to be authors. We can write about anything we want, things that matters to us most. By the end of the year we’re going to have a pile of stories to share that we’ve written, just like published authors do.
Decorate Writing Folders
The next step is to decorate writing folders or writing notebooks. This gives kids a sense of ownership. It shows that their writing is valuable and needs protection.
We’re going to need a special place to keep all of the wonderful books we write. Writing folders are the perfect thing. Let’s decorate our folders with pictures and words that are important to each of us.
Writers’ notebooks are a good tool for keeping track of writing ideas and practicing different writing strategies. Kids can even write first drafts in them. A writer’s notebook takes away any problem of losing important papers too.
If you use a notebook, you can have your children choose a story that they want to work on in more detail at any point during the year. They can draft on white paper and add pages as needed.
In the photo below you’ll see how my daughter and I decorated our notebooks with photographs and magazine clippings of things we liked or represented us.
Write Your First Book
You may think you need some kind of mini-lesson to introduce how to write your first book, but you don’t. Just let your kids know that it’s time to start writing!
For kindergarteners, hand them a blank book of 5 pages of copy paper stapled in landscape orientation. Lisa Cleaveland, coauthor of “A Teacher’s Guide to Getting Started with Beginning Writers Grades K-2,” recommends blank books for beginners because they’re more invitational. You don’t want kids to shut down because lined paper is intimidating. For more experienced writers you can offer some different paper styles, like ones that have boxes for illustrations and lines for writing.
If you or your kids are staring at blank paper and not sure what to do, think about an event from your week. If you went to a basketball game, write a book about that. Maybe your child had a play date or went to a museum. These make great writing topics.
Another quick way to find a writing idea is to think about something you love. Do you love swimming? Write about a day at the beach or the pool.
Don’t spend too much time trying to come up with the perfect topic. The goal is to start writing. The more you and your kids write, the better you’ll get at choosing topics quickly.
When You Have an Only Child
When several children are writing at the same time, it’s easier to create a writing atmosphere. Everyone is quietly writing at the same time.
In my homeschooling experience, I’ve only had one child to work with at a time. It creates a unique dynamic. Since my son doesn’t have his older sister in the room doing writers’ workshop, it’s hard for him to stay focused and motivated to write. This is where my actions can make a world of difference.
Your only child will take cues from you. Participate in writing alongside her. When she sees you writing, it helps create a positive writing atmosphere.
If you expect your child to write while you’re folding laundry or on your phone, you’re not showing that writing is important. If your actions demonstrate that writing is not worth your time, you can’t expect your child to value it either.
Next Steps
I recommend keeping writers’ workshop low-key for at least a week. These first days are important in establishing a routine for writing. You and your kids will use this time to figure out the logistics of getting out materials, finding a good place to write, and how to store your writing afterwards. Once you have a good rhythm, you can start thinking about writing goals and introducing mini-lessons to meet them.
Conclusion
Starting a writers’ workshop is easier than you think. Get your materials organized and choose a place to work. Decorate writing folders to personalize them and write your first book. Once your children have established a routine, it will be time to take writers’ workshop to the next level with mini-lessons.
Have you started a homeschool writers’ workshop yet? How do you like to introduce writers’ workshop and kick-off your first day of writing?
Resource:
Ray, Katie Wood and Lisa Cleaveland. 2018. A Teacher’s Guide to Getting Started with Beginning Writers Grades K-2. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
