Fun writing activity for 3rd grade
8+ 3rd Grade Writing Activities for Your Students
March 10, 2020
Only 22% of students aged 8 to 11 years old write something daily outside of school (Source: Literacy Trust, 2018). To encourage more students to write for pleasure, we have created this list of 9 fun 3rd-grade writing activities for your students.
In the third grade, students are just beginning to express themselves through writing. The typical third grader will know how to string a couple of sentences together and even write with some humour and style. But one common problem with students this age is that they get bored. And when they get bored, they start seeing writing as a chore or another piece of homework that needs to be done on time.
As teachers, we should encourage our students to write for pleasure through a range of fun writing activities. This means writing because they love writing and not because your students are being told to write for a school project. We hope these creative writing activities for third students can help them see the importance and fun they can gain from writing.
Table of contents [Hide]
- Creative Captions
- Finish the Story Game
- Storyboarding
- Keeping an ideas journal
- Role-playing with Paper Puppets
- Creating your own Monster
- Write some song lyrics
- Creating Comic Strips
- How-To Guides
Creative Captions
This is a really quick and simple writing activity to encourage your students to write daily. Simply ask them to collect some photos from magazines or the internet. Alternatively, you could provide your students with a set of random image prompts. And every day they can stick an image or two into their notebook with a short caption to describe the image.
This introduces your students into daily writing without too much pressure on what to write and how to write it. They can write a 10 word caption or 100 words depending on their mood and available time. The key here is to give them the freedom to write anything they like about whatever that interests them.
This way they can experience the relaxing and fun side of writing.
Finish the Story Game
The finish the story game is a fun way to collaboratively write a story with your friends or classmates. The basic idea of this game is that one player starts the story off with a short sentence and then the other players continue the story using their own words. By the time you reach the end of the game, you should have a complete story from beginning to end written collaboratively between all the players involved.
The story can be as weird and as wonderful as you like as the players are in charge. For more tips and ideas on how to play this game, read our post dedicated to the finish the story game.
Storyboarding
For most kids, especially visual learners drawing is much more fun compared to writing. To cater to the needs of these students, storyboarding is a brilliant activity. Storyboarding utilizes a range of skills, including creativity, organisational skills and writing.
Not to mention it is a great way to plan your stories out, from beginning to end!
There are three ways you can use storyboarding to encourage students to write. The first way is that you provide a completed storyboard with all the images already drawn in. Here the student has to write their own description or caption to the image. This method is great for students who lack inspiration or just don’t like drawing.
The second method is dedicated to those students that just lack inspiration. Here you can give them a partially completed storyboard. Where the first one or two frames will be completed for them. Here the students’ job is to basically finish the storyboard off with their own drawings and words.
>And the final way involves using completely blank storyboard templates where the student can draw and write their own words entirely. This gives students the freedom to write about anything they like. This could be a story about a footballer or a storyboard for a video game idea.
This final method is great if your students already have an idea in mind for a story!
Keeping an ideas journal
Journaling has never meant to be perfect. Even as adults, we scribble quick thoughts into our journal without second-thinking our grammar or spelling. And for this reason, your students should also be encouraged to keep a journal at a young age. In particular, one type of journal which works best for third graders is an ideas journal. Here they can keep note of everything that inspires them daily. This could be a newspaper article, a certain photograph or even a quick doodle.
Eventually, the ideas journal should become your student’s number one source of inspiration when it comes to writing stories. They should be able to look back and see their ideas from months ago and keep track of how they have developed over time. The freedom that journalling gives students will show them the fun and easy side of writing, which often gets missed in classrooms.
Role-playing with Paper Puppets
When all else fails, encourage the love of writing through arts and crafts.
Get your students to create their own paper finger puppets based on their favourite movie, TV show or even their imagination. Once the paper puppets are created you can hold your very own paper theatre shows in the classroom or at home! Students can write their own scripts and then using their puppets act out a scene. This is not only a fun arts and crafts activity, but it is also a fun way to encourage your kids to see the creative side of writing.
You students could even create a whole set of paper puppets, with paper scenery and props – Which can all be kept safely in a shoebox. So whenever they are bored they can get their puppets out and hold their paper theatre shows monthly or weekly!
Creating your own Monster
Forget about writing for a moment and just get your students to imagine something new. Ask them to draw a monster. Any monster they like and anything that comes to mind. Once finished drawing they can write a description to describe their monster. Here is where you can go into great detail.
Ask your students to think about what the monster eats, what it dislikes, likes, it’s interests, where it’s from and so on. Once done, your students could have written over 100 words without even knowing it!
Another idea to make this writing activity collaborative is to ask your students to share their monsters with the person next to them. Then that person can write their own description of a monster drawn by someone else. This not only encourages teamwork but also improves the creative thinking skills of your students.
Write some song lyrics
We’re sure that every one of your students loves listening to music. And now it is their chance to write some funky lyrics of their own. Simply ask your students to think of their favourite singer or band. Then give them the task of writing their own song lyrics for those people. If your students are a fan of Ed Sheeran, then just imagine that Ed himself has asked the students to write him some new song lyrics for his next album.
Writing song lyrics is a form of poetry. Whether it’s a rap or an emotional ballad, your students can learn so much from writing their own songs. And if your students are feeling brave enough, they even perform their song in front of the class!
Creating Comic Strips
Comics are the all-time favourite for creative students. And more importantly writing comics involves a good level of dialogue skills, as well as creativity and imagination. And with superheroes being a popular thing in today’s culture, creating comic strips should be a fun task for all of your students. Of course not all comic strips or books are about superheroes, but it is a good place to start.
If you’re planning on adding comic strips to your lesson plans, you should take a look at our blog post on creating your comic strips and comic books.
How-To Guides
How-to guides do sound like a normal, typical writing activity in the classroom. But our way of writing how-to guides is much more fun for your students.
Instead of assigning the topic of the guide, ask your students to come up with their own topic. Your students should think about all the things they are good at and decide on which one they should write a guide about.
For example, if a student is really good at playing Minecraft, then they could write a guide on how to build a treehouse in Minecraft. Alternatively if one of your students owns a pet, they could write a guide on how they take care of that pet at home. The key here is to focus on the interests of your students and not to force your own topics onto them. This will help them see the real importance of writing in their daily lives and even encourage them to continue writing outside of school time.
Want more fun writing ideas? Check out this post on over 100 creative writing exercises to inspire you!
Third grade is the perfect time to show your students the importance of writing in their daily lives. This means showing them the creative and fun side of writing, as well as the more formal, essay-style format of writing.
A mix of fun with strict guidelines can reinforce the love of writing in kids and get them to see the true beauty that creative writing can offer.
8 Ideas and Activities for Making Writing Fun in Upper Elementary
Making Writing Fun Activities Written by Guest Blogger Jessica Thompson, 4th Grade Teacher
Writing. The minute the word is mentioned there is an audible, in-sync sigh from the students. Of course, there are a few super excited students who cannot get their ideas down quick enough. For every handful of excited writers, there is a large portion of the class that “has nothing to write about.”
The struggle is real, y’all. For both teachers and students.
The big question for teachers is not only how to make writing fun and engaging, but how do we get students excited about writing?
Fun Writing Activities To Try
Here are 8 Activities to try with third, fourth, and fifth grade students. These activities are to get our young writers excited about writing which will make formal writing tasks less daunting.
1. Think-Write-Pass:
This is always a favorite that gets lots of laughs.
Put students in groups of four. Give each student a piece of paper and have them write their name on the top.
Have students write for 2-3 minutes. You can give them a topic, or simply have them write about whatever they want.
When the time is up, students pass their paper to another student in their group. Each student in the group will have to read, continue the writing, and pass the paper again 2-3 minutes later.
When each student gets their own paper back they get a few minutes to complete the story. If time allows: let the groups choose their favorite one to share.
2. Sticky Note Stories:
Students want to share stories with us. There are so many stories - from their weekend, the ball game, recess, at their Aunt Barb’s birthday party 5 years ago - they have so much that they want to tell us!
It’s usually the same students ones who are constantly trying to tell us stories that, come writing time, same they have nothing to write about.
Sticky Note Stories are an easy solution.
A sticky post it note is not nearly as intimidating as a piece of notebook paper.
When a student has a story to share, tell them how much you want to hear it - but they have to write it down on the sticky note.
A holiday weekend? A school event? A birthday party? A football game? Write it on a sticky note.
3. Found Poetry
Make copies of text from a book you are reading and have them find words or groups of words throughout the text to create a poem.
They can circle these words and draw pictures or designs around everything else to make the poem pop. See some examples of found poetry here.
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students can also use words cut out from magazines to create a poem. It is best to precut words and have them in a container to make sure all words are appropriate.
4. Go Outside!
A change of scenery makes everything more fun.
Take the notebooks and pencils to the outdoors for 10-15 minutes. Have students sit and use their 5 senses to write observations.
You can stop there, or take this activity a little further and have students write some poetry!
Give them free rein, or add some guidelines for structure.
This free cinquain writing template is perfect for an activity like this!
5. This or That
Sometimes all students need is a little bit of choice and control. Give them that control with This or That.
This is easy - simply provide them with 2 writing prompts and let them choose!
It can be time consuming to create choice boards with 9 options, but with This or That you only need to create two.
6. Silly Pictures
This is an easy way to make writing fun!
There are millions of funny pictures without captions on the internet. The key is to find appropriate ones and save them for later use.
Put the picture up on a projector, mirror it to a screen, or print it out.
Have students write about what is happening in that picture.
This is great to practice skills such as predicting, inferring, cause and effect, and problem and solution.
7. Persuasive Letters
Two birds, one writing piece. The key to making this writing activity fun is choosing a topic that is sure to of interest of students.
What student wouldn't love to try to convince their teacher that recess should be longer? Or that they should be able to skip homework one night? Or that they should have a pizza party?
The list of ideas is endless. They could write to their parents on why they should have a later bedtime or get a dog. They could write to the principal on why donuts should be served with breakfast. They could write to an author on why they should write another book in their favorite series. You could also let students choose the topic.
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students have fun arguing their point and they will learn quickly the importance of supporting their claim.
8. Quick Writes
Quick Writes are a timed writing. The idea is not to scare the students, but for them to get their ideas on paper as quickly as possibly and to be writing or thinking the entire time.
Give students a prompt, and then tell them to write down whatever comes to mind over the next 5 - 10 minutes. Make sure students aren't worried about spelling or a grade - the goal is to just spend some time writing.
If you are looking for a more polished piece, you can have students do this daily for 3-5 days. Then, have them choose their favorite quick write to revise, edit, and turn in.
An Extra Tip for Making Writing Fun
A personalized writing notebook can be an easy way to motivate students to write. This is something that is theirs and they have more ownership over.
Composition books can easily be decorated with pictures, stickers, photographs, etc. and covered with contact paper. Letting them take the time to decorate a notebook with things that are important to them can give them more ownership over their writing - as well as help stir up ideas for writing!
Bonus: Writing will not get lost easily! Make one yourself as a teacher and use it! Let the students see you write.
Read your writing to them and make time for students to share too.
Never Stress Over Sub Plans Again!
Make copies, find a fiction book, and you'll be ready for any emergency that comes your way!
Archives Compositions Grade 3 - Rent for 5
Fluffy, furry lump that always rubs against the legs. This is my kitten. His name is Barsik, but a month earlier it was even impossible to think that such joy would soon appear in our house.
At first, thoughts about it were only at the level of a dream, because in order to get a pet, one must be ready to take responsibility for caring for a pet. But at some point, life decided in its own way. My grandmother had a cat, but since she could not leave all the kittens, it was decided to sell them. So far, one of them has lived with me. A breed of Persian cat, he was very handsome from the very first days of his appearance. He needed care: you had to watch him, drip his eyes, comb, even brush his teeth.
Who would have thought that caring for a lump that needs an eye and an eye can bring me so much pleasure.
He became my real friend, this gentle purring alone already distracted me from any kind of fatigue. Therefore, it was decided to leave the kitten to live with me. When I had a cold, my little friend lay by my side, as if “warming” with his body, this helped me recover faster. After all, it is true that when we give our smaller brothers care, affection, love, then this returns to us in an even greater amount. And even more so, how beautiful this little rascal will grow up, I cannot help but admire: a voluminous fluffy body, a curly tail, a muzzle with soft features, a short nose. When Barsik grows up, it will be better to understand what kind of character he has. In general, Persian cats are famous for their affection for the owner and the family in which they live, they also perfectly feel the mood swings of the owner, are peaceful and devoid of any aggression. My little ball is already running after me, asking me to play non-stop.
But we must not forget that cats require careful care, and especially Persians with their long and voluminous hair. After all, they need to constantly comb it out, often bathe and collect the remains of hairs. It will also cost me a separate effort to accustom Barsik to turning claws on a scratching post.
They say that we don't choose cats, but cats choose us. In my case, this turned out to be exactly the case, and I am overwhelmed with joy from my new friend, this little furry companion.
Composition 2
My kitten is the best! For me. I am very glad that I have it! I've been asking my parents about it for so long.
And after a few years they even agreed to give me such a present for my birthday. So we went to the cat show. Everyone there is so beautiful, serious ... Everything is so important that you won’t fit, although all the kittens are still cute. The prices were impressive. At least my parents were impressed - in a bad way. After all, in addition to this money, there are also expenses for feeding the kitten, for care .
.. You will have to go to exhibitions, prepare the pet for them. You can’t even give a nickname just like that - everything is already indicated in the documents. In general, I understood my parents, but still I was sad because we left without a kitten.
We are all sad going home, but also cold rain and wind. And then I hear "meow". We were just passing by, excuse me, garbage dumps. And exactly “meow” - my mother also heard. We decided to look - and a kitten came out to us. Thin, trembling. His eye is swollen. We felt so sorry for the kitten that we took him home, but first we went to the vet. It's good that nothing bad happened. Wash, feed. Bury eyes. He limped for another month, but in the end he recovered and ate. And he became so beautiful - fluffy.
Guests came to us and asked where we got such a beautiful cat. We told them. But then they themselves saw that our kitten was definitely purebred. No worse than those we saw at that exhibition!
And he's so funny.
He plays with bows, with all sorts of rustlers. Not picky about food. Of course, he is interested in everything we eat, but he has his own food. His favorite place is the window. He likes to look out of it, sit either on the window or on the battery (it depends on the weather). In the evening he comes to my knees. Does not scratch! As if he remembers how it was there in the rain, thanks. I think when we go to the dacha, he will catch mice - he trains very actively.
My parents are happy too. Even dad, who said that the cat needed to be cured and released "to freedom." But our cat is not a lynx! And in general, now this is definitely our kitten! Soon he will become a real adult cat. Maybe he has "defects", because of which he would not have been taken to the exhibition, but what do we care about that? We love him.
Story 3
When I was very young, I always liked cats, their fluffy ears, wet nose and sincere cat affection. My aunt had two cats: white and black.
The white one was picky and a big wretch, while the black one was very affectionate and kind. It was because of the second cat that I began to dream of my own cat, who would also cuddle, love me and be a friend for ages. For several years I begged my parents to give me a furry companion, but for a long time they did not agree. Mom and dad were afraid that I could not cope with the responsibility, because I was only ten. I soon came to terms with it.
But suddenly, on my twelve-year-old mother and father, they woke me up early in the morning and took me to the room. I was sleepy and barely moved. They led me to a cardboard box. I looked in there and they were with me, but there was nothing in it. My parents were quite horrified, so I realized that something had gone wrong. My father ran up to the sofa and began to look behind his back, and my mother began to wander around the room and whisper “kiss-kiss” in the corners. While they were busy looking for a “runaway gift”, I decided to take a flashlight in my bedroom so that if this someone got scared and hid somewhere in a dark corner, then at least we could see and get it.
At the entrance to my room, I immediately found him, my red-haired tabby friend on my bed. He sniffed peacefully on my blanket. As if he knew that I had been waiting for him for a very long time.
This is how my favorite cat Marquis entered my life. The woolen ball was the most affectionate creature in the world, his wet nose always poked my hand in the morning, he slept on my chest and was simply my best companion. He was perfect for me. When he grew up, he was already valued not just for his cute eyes and white pug. His father respected him for his understanding, his mother for his intelligence, and his grandmother often scolded him for petty antics, but continued to love him for his healing purring. Only I still loved him for everything, with everything, and every year more and more. And, after all, indeed, the Marquis is a very active and unusually smart cat.
This red muzzle changed my views in many ways, he was not like his other relatives. The furry friend was as if sent to me by fate, and I to him.
His endless green eyes give me more understanding than some people. I do not believe in the usual talk about cats, about how harmful they are and that for them we are only servants. With them, as with people: if a person is bad, this does not mean at all that all people are like that, therefore cats can also be both harmful and loving.
10 essays (grades 1-7) on the topic: My hobbies
Author: Guru · Posted by · Updated by
It is important for each of us to learn to talk about our hobbies. This is especially necessary during the school years, when we make friends for the rest of our lives. Therefore, if in doubt about writing an essay on the topic “My hobby”, it is better to look at the samples and be inspired to write your own story that interests you. Under each heading, you will find two options for essays: for a girl and for a boy.
Content:
- 1 class
- 2 Grade
- 3-4 class
- 4 5-6 class
- 5 Grade
Grade 1
for a girl (114 words).
My hobby is drawing. I am happy to depict what I see. I love to draw with felt-tip pens and paints. I want to become a talented artist. That's why I practice every day.
Most of all I like to draw nature and flowers. I don't always have time to do what I want in class. But at home I always sit down and finish the drawing. I have a beautiful view from the window, and I can constantly look at it. But I still love art lessons. There we are shown paintings by famous artists and are taught to draw correctly.
I want to go to art school so that I can draw better and better. Someday I would like to be a famous artist. My paintings could bring joy to people. This is what I strive for.
For a boy (103 words). My hobby is football. I love outdoor games. I especially like to play with friends when it's warm. We would have been chasing the ball until late, there is no more fun activity.
It's nice when a game arouses interest. On weekends, our games are watched by relatives and just passers-by and get sick.
I feel like a real athlete. It just seems that football is easy. This is not true. The game requires attention, strength and dexterity. It is not given to the weak and cowardly. I try to play well to be respected on the pitch. I would like to be successful in sports.
Football, according to parents, builds character. I agree with them. Sport makes a person better and teaches him to win.
Grade 2
For girls (132 words). A real hobby is something that is always pleasant to do. For example, I like to sing and dance. I love to move to music and sing along to it. At such moments, I have a lot of fun. It's hard for me to sit still when I hear a melody.
Dances are different. I like the way they dance hip-hop. This is a very fast and difficult dance. It requires dexterity and natural talent. Each movement must be remembered and repeated exactly as shown. When I grow up, I will definitely learn this art. While I'm just starting, but I believe in myself.
I also like Latin American dances, but they are more for adults. It looks very nice in their performance! It must be hard to move the same way. It comes with great difficulty and after many trainings.
I would like to move as beautifully as professional dancers. Movement, they say, expresses the soul.
For a boy (129 words). I love building Lego. They give me new parts for every holiday. I like to create my own inventions. It is very interesting. I try to do something every day.
I build constructors slowly to avoid confusion. I'm sorry to mess up the details. Therefore, I first lay them out, then I do everything according to the instructions. Sometimes I ask my dad to help, he has golden hands. I really like to deal with him, I learn a lot of new things. He says that someday I will be able to build computers or cars, maybe even robots.
My holidays are always interesting thanks to my hobby. Dad calls me to the garage and shows me the details of the car.
I would like to be able to understand them myself, but so far it is difficult. Although the constructors also seemed complicated at first, but then it became easier.
I am glad that I have such an interesting hobby.
3-4 grade
For a girl (135 words). My hobby is needlework. I often make something: snowflakes and garlands for the new year, crafts for everyone as a gift, decorations for dolls. I like to create beautiful things with my own hands.
All the drawers in my desk are full of various cut-outs, shreds and beads. I collect all the beautiful things for crafts. When I see something in the store, I think how to make it myself. I love when everything around is decorated and bright, I like to make a holiday every day. Recently I drew and glued postcards to all my relatives. They were very pleased.
My parents often give me nice gifts for my hobby. Recently, my grandmother brought sparkles with which I will decorate a lot of things.
Each item inspires me. My family supports me in this. Mom helped me more than once with my fantasies.
I believe that what you love should bring joy to the whole family. And so it turns out.
For boys (137 words). A real man must be strong. That's why I love sports. I would also like to excel at the Olympics or some other competition.
In the yard I often play football, basketball and volleyball. I like moving games like tag, but that's just for fun. Swimming or hockey is much harder and more interesting, but I can't do it every day yet. I would really like to go to the wrestling circle. My parents say that soon I will start professionally.
I have already watched boxing matches with my dad. I also want to be the same hardy and persistent. Sport develops these qualities, and they will come in handy everywhere. I would like to know how to fight properly so that I can stand up for myself.
I haven't decided yet which sport I want to do all my life.
So far I like a lot. I choose between Greco-Roman wrestling, swimming and football. I hope I become a champion!
5-6 grade
For girls (155 words). I really enjoy cooking. When my mother or grandmother cooks, I always help and learn from them. My hobby is not only to make food, but also to decorate it. I always like to eat not only tasty, but also beautiful. My dishes have an interesting appearance.
In the future, I would like to become a confectioner, because I enjoy making sweets the most. Desserts require a special art: their lover must be able to surprise. Sweet in itself is harmful, so a person will think three times before taking it. But a talented cook will always make him forget about everything in the world. His work will look like no one can resist. I want to become the same gifted confectioner.
I am just learning how to cook, but I already have signature dishes. For example, I make a very tasty charlotte. The secret is to add crushed nuts and brandy to the dough.
Then the cake takes on a completely different taste. I read this recipe online. It is now a family favorite.
For a boy (155 words). My hobby is video games. I don't just play them, I dream of making them. To do this, you need to study how and why this or that game works. I already know a lot about them and willingly share my knowledge with my friends in the game. In my team, my skills are highly valued. I think my whole life will be connected with new technologies.
Many condemn this occupation, but in vain. It is no different from other harmless forms of leisure. It can even become useful: it is easy and fun to study history through games. You can become Caesar or Napoleon, change the course of the history of the whole world, or follow in the footsteps of generals and emperors. You can continue your favorite book, because many games are made on the basis of literary plots.
I especially like historical games, but I also like fantasy games a lot.
It all depends on the mood and purpose. Something is suitable for entertainment and communication with the guys, something seriously loads the brain. However, all these games deserve attention, because they enrich the inner world of a person in their own way.
Grade 7
For girls (158 words). My hobby is reading. I like to immerse myself in literary plots and find fascinating descriptions of the world around them. With the help of books, you can learn, see and feel much more than a person manages to do in one life.
I read every day, mostly in the evenings when everything is done. Then the book gives the desired rest for the body, but the brain is actively working, helping to invent images of characters. Literature develops fantasy, because a person represents what he reads about. I like to lie in silence and dream about how what the author wrote happens. So I become his partner.
I also like literary language. It is richer than our speech.
With it, you can express your thoughts much more interestingly, become an outstanding interlocutor. I even write down some phrases to remember. In them I find an explanation for many incomprehensible things happening around.
In the future, I want to choose a profession related to literature. I like working with the word, maybe I'll write my own book. In the meantime, I'm just a reader, but thoughtful and attentive.
For a boy (163 words). I am a film buff. My hobby is not only watching movies, but also reading reviews and reviews. I like to learn more and more about the world of cinema, because this area is now developing very rapidly. New items never cease to delight me every year.
Cinema is a whole world in art. The success of a film depends on many details that are not noticeable at first glance. In a good film, every frame is a picture, thought out and finished. Sometimes the whole impression of the viewer depends on the color of the scenery or on the change of plans.
