Check out these fun writing ideas from Scholastic:

1. Poetry Puzzler:  You each write five words at the top of a piece of paper.  Then, trade papers and write a poem using each other’s words.
2. Memory Lane: Have your child start a story with this sentence, “I remember the first time I _________.  I was…”
3. If I were…: Write from the point of view of a favorite character or celebrity.
4. Pass it along: Play with a group of people.  One person writes a sentence then passes it to the next person with the paper folded only to reveal the last sentence written.  Keep going until you have a silly story to read.
5. Day in the life:  Write from the perspective of an everyday item, like a sneaker.
6. Make a book:  Collect some favorite writing pieces and make a book by adding a title page, table of contents and about the author page.

Found at http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/writing-activities/6-ways-to-encourage-young-writers.

Believe it or not, the more a person writes, the better they become at the act of writing.  But wait, you might be thinking, how do I even get my child started when they never know what to write about?  Well, you are asking yourself the same question that many of our young elementary school writers ask themselves.  If you haven’t already, reading Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon illustrates for us adults just how difficult it can be for young writers to even get started.  Many times they don’t think that anything exciting ever happens to them.  Writing can be intimidating when there are pencils (or keys) moving rapidly all around you during writers’ workshop.

But have no fear!  Tell them – just start!  Write about anything.  Describe something in the room.  Make a list of your favorite things.  Flip through books and copy down words that stand out to you.  Just start.  And once they get going – with some gentle nudges to maintain momentum – they will be writing more than they even thought they could!

One of the most common questions that I get from parents is, “Do you have any book recommendations for my child?”  Well I do!  The site www.mrsrowe.com offers several book selections that are age appropriate for elementary students.  I try my best to also provide a Fountas & Pinnell level for each book.  Check out the site for yourself below:

http://www.mrsrowe.com