FunFamily Tips: Writing Exercises for Family Entertainment

Joyce T. Strand, Author
ON MESSAGE & OPEN MEETINGS
Jillian Hillcrest Mysteries

If you follow this blog, you are familiar with my FunFamily writing exercises based on the theory that writing can be fun and even therapeutic. To top that—you can have fun with the family doing brief exercises that will help develop writing skills. 

Following are suggestions for some new FunFamily writing exercises. You can check out FunFamily exercises in previous articles here and here. Enjoy!

·      You are on vacation with some down time between events—and your bored kids who believe they should be constantly on the move. To fill some time, ask each family member to write a paragraph describing a favorite smell so far on vacation—without naming it. Other family members are to identify it. You can substitute favorite noise, sight, person, animal, parent, child, etc. Give a prize—an extra dessert at dinner, for example—for the one who correctly identifies the most subjects.

·      Write a page or two of dialogue spoken by two action heroes without telling who they are. Family members are to identify them.

·      Each family member is to describe a character in a book—preferably one you’ve read. Try to incorporate how the character appears, smells, talks, walks, listens, rather than use words such as hero or villain. The other members are to identify the character.  This exercise can be repeated with other characters in other books.

·      Write a paragraph describing a happy moment you've experienced, such as, the first day of school (just kidding), meeting a best friend, getting a new pet, greeting a family member whose been gone for an extended period of time, opening a special gift. Tell why it made you happy. Read your paragraph to your family. You might be surprised at their reactions.

·      Write a paragraph describing how it feels to have the wind blow against your face; or the sun shine on it; or bitter cold hit it; or rain. Remember to include each part of your face—your nose, eyes, mouth, cheeks, forehead, hair. And remember to include all the senses—smell, sound, sight, touch. Reward the author of the paragraph who includes the most senses and parts of the face.

·      Write a paragraph describing a restaurant and what you ordered—without identifying either the restaurant or the food. Tell how the restaurant and your food smelled (pungent), appeared (filled the plate), sounded (sizzling), and tasted (spicy, sweet). See if your family can guess which restaurant and what food you ordered.

I hope you enjoy these latest suggestions for FunFamily writing exercises.