Encouraging Independent Writing with a Writer's Box - Freebies!

This year there has definitely been one subject that I’ve been wanting to improve. Getting independent writing in often enough has been a challenge. It’s also been really hard to keep it interesting. So, like any teacher faced with a challenge, I brainstormed ideas. I know writing is a challenge for many of us, so I want to share what I came up with.

Create Writers with a Writing Box - Spark your students' excitement about writing with a writing box. Fill it with the FREE picture prompts, stationery, and fun "would you rather" questions shared in this post or add your own materials.

I wanted to encourage independent writing that goes beyond the plain old five-sentence paragraph where e-v-e-r-y sentence sounds just like the one before. I’m sure you know what I mean. We’ve all seen those.

It was time to spice up our independent writing. It was time to bring some creativity…some inspiration…SOMETHING! That’s what led me to create a writing box.

Creating A Writer’s Box For Kids

The box is just a plain old pizza box that I got from our local pizza restaurant… for free. It was unused and clean. Promise! I covered it in some fun duct tape to protect it a bit and make it look a little better. (If I were making a class set of them, I would probably paint them with acrylic paint instead and just use the tape to trim the sides.)

Inside is where the magic is. I found an amazing blog post by Steph from Apples of Your Eye detailing her class’s writing notebooks and used her post as inspiration to create some. Check out her post. There’s a ton of specific information on how to set up a writing notebook.

Of course, the writing notebook went in the box, but that’s just the start. I added a “Tricky Word List” to the inside of the lid. I put it in a page protector that I hot-glued into the box so that I could switch out the list once it gets full.

Also, I included a folder with different stationery options. I’ll probably add some graphic organizers to it, too, but I’m holding off on that for now.

Then, I added a clear pencil pouch filled with some resources on rings. I included some fun picture prompts and some silly “Would you rather…” questions. I also included a ring with the addresses of friends and family members.

Once we get started using the box, I plan to switch out some of the materials to keep the novelty from wearing off. These are a few ideas I have so far…