Hey there,
Are you looking for ways to make your writing lessons engaging?
Some reluctant writers really struggle when they’re told to write on a blank piece of paper. That’s why it’s awesome if your students can write AND make a craft. They get to have so much fun; they forget that they’re learning!
The other great thing about writing crafts is that you can create stunning bulletin boards for your classroom.
No Prep writing crafts
There are some awesome arts and crafts out there…but here’s the thing, they take so much prep!
Who has time to cut out hundreds of spider arms and legs? Teachers are so time poor, the last thing we need is to spend hours cutting, gluing, and laminating. Also, sourcing googly eyes and other materials is time consuming and costly.
So, let me introduce you to…no prep writing crafts!
Yep, I mean it when I say that they are NO PREP craftivities. As in…you literally print and go!
No mess, no stress!
The other great thing about a no prep craftivity is that it isn’t messy. Do you really want glitter all over you, your students and your classroom? I know I hate picking up tiny bits of paper off the floor.
No prep crafts are a single piece of paper, so goodbye mess!
Easy for students to implement
Finally, the other benefit to no prep crafts is that they are easy for students to complete (and therefore good for your sanity)! When you start an intricate craft with your students, there are always going to be students gluing things in the wrong places and getting confused.
With these no prep crafts, students simply write, color, and cut. Yep, after they complete the writing prompt, all they have to do is color in the picture and cut around it. You could add a bonus step and ask your students to glue the prompt onto colored paper, but that’s up to you!
When can they be used?
These crafts are perfect for Writing lessons. However, these crafts don’t have to be used during a Writing or Art lesson. You could actually assign them during a Writing center or Literacy center too, because they are no prep and easy for students to complete independently.
The best part is that they are truly engaging and fun for students!
What types of prompts are there?
These no prep crafts are seasonal, which is lots of fun. I made Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter sets. They are versatile because you can use them whenever you want during the months of that season (for example, the Spring ones can be used in March, April, and May). You can grab the bundle for all the seasons here.
I also made monthly prompts (e.g. January). These prompts can be used for the whole month and they include timely topics, such as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day prompt in January.
I also created holiday specific prompts. There are crafts that are perfect for each holiday/celebration, such as New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! Each product comes with three prompts for the celebration.
I decided to create some seasonal bundles too. You can check out the bundles if you’d like crafts for lots of months. For example, if you buy the Winter bundle, you can get crafts for Winter, December, Christmas, January, New Year’s, February, and Valentine’s Day.
Check out the Spring, Fall, and Winter bundles!
What are the students writing about?
There are lots of topics, such as opinion, recount, informative, and procedural (how-to).
- There are opinion writing topics such as, ‘I love Winter’ or ‘The Best Halloween Treat’.
- There are procedure (how-to) topics such as, ‘How To Stay Warm’ or ‘How To Have An Easter Egg Hunt’.
- There are informative writing topics such as, ‘Earth Day’ or ‘Veteran’s Day’.
- There are recount topics such as, ‘On New Year’s Eve, I…’ or ‘On Thanksgiving, I…’.
Finally, there are ‘If I…’ type topics such as, ‘If I met Frankenstein…’ or ‘If I Lived In An Igloo…’.
There are also other prompts that ask about a student’s goals, thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Who are these suitable for?
These no prep writing crafts are ideal for Kindergarten and 1st Grade students, although 2nd Grade students could use them too! There are three types of writing lines for each craft (4 dotted, 6 dotted, and 7 plain). You can choose the style that suits your students.
Each craft also comes in a colored and black and white version. This means that you can choose the colored version if you want the students just to write and not to color.
Is There A Digital Option?
Yes! I used the TPT Digital Tool (Easel by TPT) to add text boxes. You can share these activities on Google Classroom and your students can complete the writing prompts online!
They become less of a craft and more of a writing prompt. However, they aren’t a boring black and white worksheet. I made sure that the clip art was colored!
Try The Freebie
If you’d like to try before you buy, I offer one of the crafts for free here. Your students can discuss their favorite book.
I hope you consider using no prep writing crafts with your students, they are so much fun!
P.S. Sign up here to get access to my free resource library!
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