One Small Step - Part Two Motivating Boys to Write

In my quest to find ways to motivate my son to write, I have stumbled upon some very interesting articles.  There are LOTS of opinions about literacy and boys and whether or not it should even be something we expect from them (because with technology they may not actually need to know conventions or how to form simple sentences).  The teacher in me insists of course this is something we should expect and not only should we expect it we can help them even enjoy it (some may argue this is wishful thinking). However, this week we had a bit of a breakthrough at our house.  

---

When I say I’ve tried many tactics with my son to get him to write it would be a gross understatement. To date, none of them have really managed to capture his attention or his interest. Until now - my son loves Lego! His imagination with Lego is so much fun to watch and he and his younger sister can amuse themselves for hours building scenes.  One day while trolling Pinterest I saw a woman with a post about a Lego scene writing idea and thought it was genius.  I introduced the idea to my two kids, told them to go and create scenes with their Lego and then take pictures of it with the Ipad. 

One of the Barbie Story Scenes.

One of the Scenes from my son's Lego Story.

My daughter decided this would be tons of fun with Barbies. They had a great time setting their scenes and then taking pictures of them. I was amazed at what they both came up with.  Then I put the pictures into a document and printed them off. The kids then spent the next couple of hours writing their stories to match their pictures. When I told my son that he only had to do the first two pages (six pictures) he told me he wanted to keep going (insert Mom fist pump here).  The stories they came up with were adorable and they are already planning their next ones.  Now I’m trying to come up with other things they can photograph and write about.  I have already thought of ways we can adapt this idea into the Lit Pit’s writing station and am so excited to try it out with my students.  

Their work in progress!

I would love to hear about any ideas you’ve had inspiring your students to write!