Are you looking for a way to keep your kindergarten students engaged in writing practice? Write the room is a great option! These kindergarten write the room activities are an easy way to keep your students motivated to practice writing, from letter formation to sentences!
What is Write the Room?
Write the room is an engaging literacy activity that can enhance your writing lesson plans while getting your students up and moving around. Students are given a recording sheet on a clipboard that they will use to complete a writing activity as they look for pictures hanging around the room. The recording sheet corresponds to these pictures, so it’s like a little treasure hunt for the students. It’s perfect for kinesthetic learners!
Since this is a self-directed activity that’s easily differentiated, it’s a great option for literacy centers. The routine is the same each time, so students will know exactly what’s expected of them. Plus, you can choose a recording sheet that fits the needs of each student.
Setting Up Write the Room Activities
One of my favorite parts of Write the Room is that it’s easy to prep and use throughout the entire school year. The time that you put into setting up your write the room activities will be well worth it since you’ll end up with an engaging activity for your centers rotation all year long.
You can create write the room “frames” to make your picture cards stand out from other room decor. I recommend printing these frame templates on bright-colored cardstock and laminating them. Then, you can just add a Velcro dot to the center of each frame. This is where the write the room cards will attach. All you need to do is find a spot for each frame to hang permanently on your wall.
Once your frames are hung up, all you need to do to set up a write the room activity is attach a picture card to the Velcro dot on each brightly-colored paper. I like doing this because it helps the picture cards stand out as part of the write the room activity, instead of just another classroom visual. Plus, it makes it easier to find all of the cards that you need to swap out.
The final part of write the room setup is optional, but you can incorporate fun pointers and glasses to use as they go on their picture hunt. This can make the activity even more engaging for your students!
4 Kindergarten Write the Room Activities
There are many ways that you can use write the room activities to help students improve their literacy skills. In fact, you can easily differentiate this activity for your students by giving them a different recording sheet based on the skills they need to practice. Here are four write the room activities that gradually increase in difficulty as needed.
1. Word Writing
This first activity is perfect for students who need to focus on letter identification and formation.
Students are given a recording sheet with the pictures they need to find around the room. Once they find a picture, students will write the word on the line and then move on to look for the next one.
2. Word Search
The next activity includes the same word writing activity, but adds a word search. I am always amazed at how much kids love word searches!
This is a very engaging way for students to practice letter and word identification. Even the task of circling the words in the puzzle is helping students improve their fine motor skills!
3. Writing Sentences
Once your students are ready to practice writing sentences, you can add this to your Write the Room center. Students will still locate the pictures and write the words on the recording sheet.
Once they’re finished, they will choose one of the words and write a sentence using the word. Giving students the choice makes the sentence practice so much more engaging! Some students might even choose to challenge themselves and use more than one of the words in a sentence. They can also illustrate their sentences for even more engaging fine motor practice!
4. ABC Order
This final write the room activity is the most advanced option. This activity is perfect for later in the year or any time you have students who need a little extra challenge.
Students write the room by locating each picture, but then they put the words in ABC order. After completing that task, they can choose a word that they will use in a sentence. There is space for them to write and illustrate a short sentence.
Write the Room Printables for the Whole Year!
Would you like to incorporate kindergarten write the room activities into your centers rotation this school year? You’ll definitely want to check out this huge bundle of write the room printables. It includes over 100 sets of cards based on different themes and phonics skills.
Each set of write the room cards comes with recording sheets for the four differentiated activities I shared in this post. This makes it easy to meet the needs of all of your students while displaying just one set of write the room cards. In fact, this combination of recording sheets is also perfect for a first grade classroom!
Just head over to my TPT store to take a closer look at everything included in this Write the Room Bundle.
Save These Kindergarten Write the Room Activities
Be sure to save this post so you can find it later. Just add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these kindergarten write the room activities when you’re looking for fresh ideas for your literacy centers.
Write the Room Freebie
If you’d like to try out a write the room activity with your class before grabbing a full bundle, be sure to grab this freebie! Just fill out the form below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.
