Uplifting Writing and Discussion Prompts by Maria Gurevich.
Week after week, I watched my student’s writing become darker and darker, and I tried these therapeutic writing techniques which can also be used as discussion prompts to cheer them up.
“Tell me three good things that have happened over the past 7 days?” Asks Sonia when our group of fourth graders log on for their weekly writing class.
“Nothing good happened, I miss my grandparents, I can’t hug them,” mumbles Diana.
“I wish my mom didn’t work at the hospital,” Michelle pulls her hair over her face.
“My grandpa is old, he might die, and I will never see him.”
“What if soccer is cancelled forever?”
Time runs slower when you are child, and two months in quarantine feels like a lifetime. So many children especially in grades 3-8 are feeling lonely and anxious trying to cope with drastic changes in their surroundings and routine. A child’s writing says so much about their inner world, fears, delights and imagination. Week after week, I watched my student’s writing become darker and darker, and I tried these therapeutic writing techniques which can also be used as discussion prompts to cheer them up.
- What three qualities do you love the most about yourself? Describe how each of them makes you special and why you chose it as your top three.
- Write a thank you letter to yourself. Include three things you did well, and thank yourself for each one. You can start the letter like this: Dear Self, You have done great this week. I especially want to thank you for…
- Describe your biggest accomplishment and why it means so much to you.
- What was your biggest learning moment this week?
- Write a thank you letter to someone in your life.
- What three objects in your home do you appreciate the most?
- Write about the last time you laughed really hard. What was so funny?