bbcovert@juno.com

Here we are, moving into the hectic Christmas season. Speaking of moving, I just moved my family into a new house! We’re trying to unpack and get settled back into a routine, yet we’re also anxious to prepare for Christmas and for company! Do you know what kind of havoc this kind of activity creates on a homeschooling family? Furthermore, we have yet to locate all of our homeschooling materials! Where, oh where have the homeschool books gone??

For us, and maybe for you too, now would be a great time to work on writing projects. All that we need are paper and pencil (or a computer) and some creative ideas. Because children love this holiday season, we are more likely to engage their interest in writing now more than any other time. You don’t need a teacher’s manual for writing projects. If writing isn’t your thing, maybe someone else in the family or a family friend would agree to proofread your students’ projects and offer some feedback.

Here are some ideas for students of all ages:

1. Lists. This is probably the easiest writing assignment you could give: to write a list. My children love to write lists of gifts they want! Other possibilities are to list gift ideas for other family members or for a needy child. How about asking for a list of gift ideas for Jesus? That could become really creative for the thoughtful student. Lists don’t have to focus on gift-giving or receiving, however. Students might enjoy listing Christmas symbols, Christmas song titles, Christmas activities, and more. Do you know what to do with those lists? Check for spelling errors! Then you will have a list of spelling words for your students to learn. Sneaky, huh!

2. Poetry. Christmas is a wonderful time to work on poetry. After all, your children probably have memorized a number of holiday songs. You can discuss some songs, talking about the beat and the rhyming patterns as well as the message. Then set your students loose to write some poetry of their own. I remember writing a booklet of Christmas poetry back in elementary school. I then gave them to my grandparents as a Christmas gift. That idea could turn this writing assignment into a gift-creating assignment!

3. Reviews. At this time of year our children may enjoy watching Christmas specials on TV and also Christmas videos. You can turn this family activity into a writing project by having your children write reviews for some of the shows they watch. You might want to find some family-friendly reviews online to act as a guide for this assignment.

4. Letters. What better time of year to improve letter-writing skills than the gift-giving season of Christmas? Students of all ages should be able to write a personal thank you letter, and there are many resources available to teach proper etiquette in the thank-you-letter writing category.

5. Essays. Choose a Christmas-themed topic for your student. It may be as simple as “What Does Christmas Mean to Me” or it may be more complex like “How has Commercialism Affected our Celebration of Jesus’ Birth.” Other possible topics include: “My Favorite Ornament,” “My Favorite Christmas Song,” or “My Favorite Christmas Memory.”

6. Plays. If you have multiple children, they may be enthusiastic about putting on a play for family and friends. Have them put their heads together to write a script for a Christmas play which they could also star in. You can find books of plays in the library; you only need one to serve as a guide for formatting a script properly. They may want to re-create the story of Jesus’ birth, or perhaps they will choose a story that celebrates the spirit of Christmas in these modern times.

Your use of these ideas may serve to make Christmas more meaningful for your children. Not only that, but seeing their thoughts recorded on paper may end up blessing you as well. Christmas is what you make of it. May yours be merry and bright, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

Happy December homeschooling!

Copyright 2007 by Brenda B. Covert