When my children were younger, I had them do something that I called timed writing. I’m not sure what I can say about it to recommend it except to say generically — It helped them. They started out at the first of the school year, sort of freezing or taking too long at the process of writing to being comfortable with writing. It is a quick exercise to do and I will explain how we did it.
The children did all of the timed writing exercises in a composition book like the one pictured above. Off topic, they did almost all of their assignments in that sort of composition book. For timed writing, they used the same composition book each year, picking up on the next clean page.
How to do Timed Writing
One rule:
- Write in legible handwriting for a specified amount of time. (The children can write anything they wish to write as long as they are writing words, not just random letters or numbers.)
During the first and second weeks:
- Do the exercise at least 4 days in a row, every day is better.
- Time them for 5 minutes.
- Do not say anything negative about what they write, some kids just write the same word or sentence over and over at first. That usually improves.
During the third week:
- Do the exercise at least 4 days in a row.
- Time them for 7 minutes.
During fourth week:
- Do the exercise at least 4 days in a row.
- Time them for 10 minutes.
You can stop the exercise at this point if they have become more comfortable with writing or you can reduce the exercises to every other day.
Donna
PS: This article is also at Timed Writing
See my other writing exercises at:
“Who Needs an Illustration” – Building Sentences
Activity One- Subject | Transitive Verb | Direct Object
Activity Two- Subject | Intransitive Verb
appliejuice says
I forgot about this. We are going to begin this on Monday. Thanks Donna. 🙂
Elaine says
😎 I like this idea.
I think that I will do this beginning on Monday as well. Thanks for the idea, Donna.
Melanie says
Great idea, Donna! It would probably help my children as well.
Michielle says
We write everyday in sonlight now and while it is a chore Noah is becoming as better writer. Our main problem is his spelling is horrid since he is dyslexic and struggling with reading. 🙁
Christin says
Hi Donna! I just wanted to give you a big THANK YOU for your site of organizational tips and sheets. You have no idea (or maybe you do!) just how much help they are. LIFESAVERS! God has given you a gift and I am so glad because He used you to help me!
For more details you can read my blog – I left the link on the “website” line. God bless you! I will be putting a link to your blog on my blog. 🙂
ginger says
I like this idea…this week would be a good week to give this a try.
Donna says
THANK YOU for this.
It is a simple solution to a nagging problem in our house! We will start this next week!
Austin really needs some writing practice but he is so tired of my “Write an essay about…” and “Write your own story about…” 😕
Maybe being able to just “write” will get him in gear again.
Donna Young says
Thank you Christin! 🙂
I am certainly moved by Him to do this web site, otherwise I don’t think I could do it.
I hope the timed writing assignments are going well. I usually used this exercise for my children early in the school year to warm them up to writing.
MariJo says
🙂 HI Donna,
I liked this idea. Do you think it might help my new homeschooling kids that either can’t come up with a topic, take forever to write their essay, need for it to be just perfect or they tear up the sheet, or write the most crazy stories and get stuck on one theme? Not that crazy is all bad.
Donna Young says
MariJo there is one way to find out if it would help or not. 😉