Let’s face it.  It’s hard to keep the kids busy at the end of the school year.  Their minds are focused on getting out of school and where they might go for summer break.  So, harness that mental energy with a fun summer vacation creative writing assignment that gives them a moment to practice their persuasive paragraph writing techniques one last time in your classroom.  Read to the end to find a fun way for the children to present their writing!

Prompt:  You are given the task of persuading your family to take you on a summer vacation destination of your choice.  This must be convincing, so outline your ideas before you start.  Your outline should consist of three very convincing reasons why you should get your way, which does not include weak phrases like, “It would be fun.”   Remember the elements of persuasive writing:  Begin with your opinion on where the family should travel, follow each of three reasons with an explanation, and end with a ”call to action” ( telling them what to do in a creative way).  Make sure you include descriptive writing using a thesaurus for higher-level vocabulary.  Check your spelling, be convincing, and don’t use “please, please, please” in your writing.  No begging allowed!

Teacher:  When the students are ready to present their essays to the class, have them bring in props, food, music, and/or dress as they would at their favorite travel destination.  Students, of course, are free to give their essay to their parents/grandparents as a ‘hint’.  Children love this project so much, you’ll be sure to keep it for next year’s end-of-school writing prompt, as well!

keyword: writing prompts elementary

It doesn’t take much effort to buy a gift for a child’s father on his special day; however, presenting him with a poem, handmade card, and/or their favorite treat can be very well received, not to mention save some money.  Here are three types of father poems that might spark an idea (acrostic, haiku, and cinquain) :

Fathers’ Day Acrostic Poem:   An acrostic poem uses each letter of the word “f-a-t-h-e-r” to create a word that represents what he means to you.  Example:

Friend

Affectionate

Terrific

Humorous

Energetic

Responsible

Children can make the first letter much larger, as well as a different color.  Have your child draw pictures of special times with father.

Fathers’ Day Haiku:  A haiku (hi-KOO) is a poem, usually about nature, with three lines.  Line one has 5 syllables; line two is made up of 7 syllables; and the last line, again, has 5 syllables.  Example:

My father, my friend

You are always there for me

Guiding me along

Fathers’ Day Cinquain:  A cinquain (SING-kayn) is a five-line poem.  Cinquain poems use nouns, adjectives and verbs to describe a topic.  The layout is as follows:

Line 1:  one noun (topic)

Line 2:  two adjectives that describe the topic

Line 3:  three action verbs that end in -ing

Line 4:  a phrase comprised of four words that describes the topic

Line 5:  one more noun that tells about the topic

Here’s an example of a Fathers’ Day Cinquain:

Father

Loving, Caring

Laughs, Hugs, Plays

I’m glad he’s mine.

Friend

A nice addition to his poem is a Fathers’ Day Coupon Book.   On separate strips of paper, have your child write chores that dad usually does which they are willing to do instead.  For example:  “This coupon is worth one car wash” or “This coupon is worth one bag of garbage taken to the trash can,” etc.  Decorate each coupon and staple together.

Another nice addition to a poem for Fathers’ Day is baking a special treat that he loves.  Example:  Bake his favorite cookies, brownies, pie, etc.  Decorate each poem with special photographs, drawings, stickers, etc.

Feel free to modify these or write your own if writing poems for father seems challenging.

Keyword: fathers poems