Year 1 Writing Activities

We’ve compiled a list of seven exciting writing activities to inspire your child to get started on their writing journey.

1. Read, Read, Read!

Your year 1 child may have a book that they just love! Why not get them to read it again and write a short paragraph explaining why they love it so much. Which character do they like the most and what would they want to ask them if they met in real life?

Reading is generally a wonderful way to improve writing levels in young children and is especially effective when done regularly! Reading will also help your little one begin to identify high-frequency words during this key stage of their primary school journey. On Night Zookeeper, we love to encourage children to use writing resources to write about what they are reading in an interactive journal called ‘Reading Light’.

2. Get Active, Get Outdoors

A great way to inspire your little ones whilst burning off some excess energy is to get outside with pencils and paper. Before heading out on your adventure, make a chart like the one below:

The great outdoors is the perfect place to get your children using all of their senses. Begin your adventure by asking your child to write down an object that catches their eye in the first column. Then challenge them to describe the sounds they can hear around this object, how it feels and how it smells. Once your chart is complete, find a quiet place to sit with your child and invite them to write a sentence about each object using some of the lovely descriptions that they added to their chart. This is a great way for your child to make progress in writing skills in a fun and creative way!

3. The Sentence Building Game

Spelling often holds children back from getting started on their writing journey in their first year of primary school. You can help alleviate this barrier by giving your young learners words they can use to build sentences. This will help them better understand the phonics and sequencing of words when writing sentences, while also practicing their letter formation.

The idea of this activity is that children use the words provided to make as many sentences as they possibly can. Points can be awarded for each complete sentence that starts with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark. You can also incorporate a creative writing prompt to inspire them Here’s an example of how you could set this up:

4. Get Crafty!

A wonderful way to make writing fun for your child is to combine the writing process with an arts and crafts project.

For example, challenge your children to paint a picture of an animal they love. This could be a pet or an animal they love to visit at the zoo. They could also use magazine clippings and other materials you have at hand to add a layer of collage to their picture. Finally, complete the activity by asking them to write three sentences about why they chose this animal in particular. Alternatively, they could use it as a writing stimulus picture and write a short story about their animal. This is a great activity that takes “creative writing” to a whole new level.

5. The Daily Journal

Keeping a journal is a great way to get your year 1 child writing in small chunks, on a regular basis, about a topic they know better than anyone!

Here’s a format you might like to use:

You could even ask your child to be involved in the template creation process. Ask them which questions they would like to answer daily and incorporate these into the activity. They can even decorate the journal with stickers and drawings to make it more like an activity booklet. This will give your child a sense of ownership and a deeper understanding of the activity.

6. The Greeting Card

Ask your child to make a card for a person in their family. This is the perfect activity to get your children writing while also spreading love and joy in the process.

The card could be to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or holiday, or it could simply be a card to share their thoughts and feelings with their chosen family member. Greeting cards are perfect for this writing task, as they are not as in-depth as a letter but still offer functionality for expressing emotions. Encourage your child to write as much as they like about this special person, writing down all of their thoughts and feelings.

7. “When I am older, I want to be…”

Plan a special day for your child when they get to dress up as an adult they admire. This could be someone famous that they look up to, or it could simply be a profession that they admire, such as becoming a teacher, pilot, or doctor. Set up activities to give your child the opportunity to explain verbally what they would like to be when they grow up and give them time to act as the person they have dressed up as. Towards the end of the day, present them with a template of questions for them to answer in writing. The below template may be helpful, or you can invent your own activity sheets with your child. These questions can act as “story starters” to inspire your little one’s writing.

8. Night Zookeeper

Night Zookeeper makes writing fantastically fun for children aged six to twelve!

Our writing program for kids features an array of writing activities, such as prompts, games, interactive lessons, and printable worksheets created to inspire children while keeping them focused and engaged.

Sign up today to get a 7-day FREE trial!

More writing activities & prompts

• Year 1 Writing Prompts
• Creative Writing Prompts for Kids
• Primary Writing Activities
• Primary Writing Prompts
• Picture Writing Prompts

Related content

• Primary English
• Primary Writing Curriculum
• English Resources