How to Make Teaching Creative Writing Fun & Easy
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Teaching creative writing can be super easy and fun.
Find out why my middle school and high school students love Bardsy Homeschool, an online program with digital tools for writing.
Such a refreshing way to help your kids learn about and enjoy the writing process!
Disclaimer: I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. As always, I’m sharing my honest opinions and was not required to provide a positive review.
If you're looking for a fresh approach to homeschool writing time, I'm so glad you're here. Find out why I'm using Bardsy Homeschool with my boys to make teaching creative writing fun and enjoyable for all.
Yes, Teaching Creative Writing Can Be Easy & Fun!
If you've been following our homeschool adventures for any length of time, then you've probably heard me mention that writing has been one of our biggest struggles.
Although I love to write, I find it difficult to teach my boys the process. And get them excited about doing it 😉
We've tried A LOT of different homeschool writing programs, all in the hope of finding something that would stick and be enjoyable. Because I know that writing can be easy and fun!
Professor (15) and Smiley (11) are the two boys that have put up the most resistance with homeschool writing. I think I've heard pretty much every excuse as to why an assignment has been delayed. Oh, and the moans and the groans!
Our history buff, Professor, prefers a logical approach to writing with piecing together facts in an accurate fashion. Any writing assignment that calls for using your imagination or creativity has been a trigger.
Smiley is a lot like mama, with a gazillion ideas but trouble narrowing down which ones to focus on and sticking with the main idea.
Trying to teach creative writing to either of these boys has been quite a challenge!
Until now 🙂
I saw a friend mention Bardsy Homeschool on Instagram. Since I knew that her boys also struggled with homeschool writing, I was intrigued. After reaching out to her and finding out more about this homeschool writing program, I knew I had to give it a try with my boys.
An Online Approach to Teaching Creative Writing
Bardsy Homeschool is a unique approach to teaching creative writing. This homeschool writing program is online (with some printable options for exercises, if your student prefers pen and paper).
A few of the reasons why this approach was appealing to me are that Bardsy Homeschool:
- uses digital tools to explain the writing approach
- includes short, helpful videos throughout the program
- highlights steps with graphics (fantastic for visual learners!)
- provides students with places to organize their thoughts
- explains key story elements and how to construct
- breaks down the writing process into easy to understand parts
- builds on simple examples and leads the writer through the same system
- encourages outside the box thinking
PROSPERO® Story Wizard is another cool feature that I knew my boys would like. Your kids get to develop and assemble a rough draft with an interactive system of story templates. It's been a wonderful way to get over writer's block OR get all those ideas out into one place to easily organize.
Another section that has been super helpful has been Story Talk. Students discover how to get the most out of stories whether reading, writing, or talking about them. This guide makes analyzing and critiquing stories easier to understand.
Literary analysis and discussion have been weak areas in our homeschool so I'm thrilled to notice that it's become much easier for the boys since we started using Bardsy Homeschool's Story Talk. (Towards the end of this post, you can find out more about how learning these skills helps ALL subject areas.)
So thankful to have this resource to help me teach my boys these important skills!
Why My Older Boys Love Bardsy Homeschool
Now that we've used Bardsy Homeschool for a few months, I'm super excited to share why we're all loving it.
Both boys like that the approach is "Better storytelling" - not perfect or a certain way, but how to make your stories more engaging and easier to write. The boys like that the pressure has been removed and feel like they have the freedom to just write.
Professor likes the combination of videos and templates. He feels that there's a nice flow between what is taught and how to do it yourself.
Smiley enjoys having the Story Spinner for an exciting way to get fun story prompts. He says it makes it so much easier for him to pick one idea and go with it. The New Story section has also helped Smiley writing with its distraction-free editor.
Professor and Smiley both found the Writing Warmup exercise extremely helpful. This exercise leads students through retelling a classic. The boys worked together to retell Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It made this mama's heart so happy to see them work together and laugh over their writing!
Why This Homeschool Mama Loves Bardsy Homeschool
With 5 boys to homeschool, I love how easy Bardy homeschool makes it for me to teach creative writing. No more searching for prompts or how to teach the different story elements!
Whenever I can find a curriculum that includes videos, I breathe a sigh of relief. It is absolutely lovely being able to sit back and watch the lessons with my boys, absorbing all the information and not having to teach it myself.
The short videos followed by complementary exercises get the boys straight to writing. And that means no room for excuses or reasons to wander off 😉
I've also noticed that the quality of both boys' writing has vastly improved because they now have a better understanding of the writing process. Another reason for mama to do a happy dance!
Although a Bardsy Homeschool account is designed to be used with one student at a time (you can get multiple accounts), I found it easy to use with both boys. (Actually, all of my boys benefited from the Story Spinner prompts and listening to the videos). Smiley typed his work directly into Bardsy while Professor chose to jot down his work on paper.
Check Out Bardsy Homeschool to Boost Creative Writing & More
WooHoo! Bonus points because Bardsy Homeschool is also super affordable.
For only $8.99 a month, you get access to all the writing tools, video courses, and lesson plans. Plus, you can cancel at any time.
I'm sharing this next bit from Bardsy Homeschool because I believe it really helps you get a better understanding of what it's all about and why writing is so important:
Bardsy Homeschool believes that creative writing supercharges every academic skill.
Storytelling isn’t extra-curricular, it’s trans-curricular. It not only bolsters your learner’s ability to absorb, process, retain and retrieve information across disciplines, it also increases their tenacity while tackling complex material, subject-specific vocabulary, and new concepts. Creative writing has even been proven to raise math and science performance.
The Bardsy Homeschool Method breaks storytelling down into two complementary steps: develop and assemble. This method is woven into our online tools to minimize struggle and make writing accessible and fun. Now, you can see this method in action with our online Super Character Toolkit.
⭐️ Download Bardsy’s Homeschool Super Character Kit and get started on your story today! ⭐️
This comprehensive kit includes:
- Create a Super Character Lesson Plan and Activity
- Bardsy’s Super Character Video Course - Part 1
- Three Extensive Character Building Templates
- Everything You Need To Get Creative And Get Writing!
Click HERE or on the image below to get your FREE Super Character Development Kit!
Give this FREE kit a try and see for yourself the awesome power of Bardsy Homeschool! If writing time has become a struggle and you're finding it difficult to teach creative writing to your kids, Bardsy Homeschool can help 🙂
Thank you for your tips and ideas! It's sometimes difficult to motivate your kids to study. But these approaches made it a lot easier.