You may be young, but you still have things to say, stories to share, reports to write or even jokes to tell. Some people love expressing themselves in their journals or through poetry. As school starts up, now’s the perfect time to get into writing because your words matter!

The way we use words is important. We choose the words we use to identify ourselves, share our thoughts and ideas, define and record our hopes and aspirations.

Words communicate ideas and transmit knowledge. Words are a way to express our thoughts and emotions. Words reflect points in time and record history. Words let us understand the people and the world around us, and let us shape and share our own stories.

You choose words every day. You may not realize it, but you probably change the kinds of words you use depending on whom you are speaking to or what you are writing. A lot depends on your audience and the message you’re trying to communicate. The text you send your mom is different than one you might send to your friends. The paper you write for your teacher shows what you learned and how much you understand a subject.

You may use fancy, formal language when you CONVERSE with older relatives or when you write or present a school report. You may use slang or have a looser, funnier voice when talking with friends or sharing inside jokes among siblings. The words you pick are based on the person you’re talking to, or the reason you’re writing, and the method or way your message is delivered.

Express Yourself!

A poem you write in your free time can express your feelings and your unique way of seeing the world. Creative writing can let you build and explore new worlds. The scribblings in your journal or diary can help you express your emotions, organize your thoughts or record your daily actions for POSTERITY.

The Poetry Center at the UofA has many great programs for kids to invigorate their creativity. One offering, Writing the Community, sends professional writers into classrooms to lead multi-week creative writing workshops. Students can explore poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction in six- to eight-week sessions.

The Poetry Center also offers field trips for students in fourth grade and above; has lesson plans for K–12, and for younger kids there’s a semi-annual Kids Create family day. To learn more about these programs and events, or to apply for a 2024 Writing the Community residency, visit poetry.arizona.edu and check the Education menu.

“Poetry reading and writing is beneficial for kids for many reasons, including exercising their imagination, having a space to share their voice, and developing empathy,” according to Wren Goblirsch, K-12 Education & Community Engagement Specialist at the UA Poetry Center.

Reading a lot can help improve your writing. When you read, you pick up new words and increase your vocabulary. You learn new things and have an opportunity to look at things from someone else’s point of view. Reading a wide variety of different authors and types of writing exposes you to different styles and voices.

The Tucson Festival of Books happens each spring on the UofA campus and lets you meet a variety authors and illustrators and get an inside perspective on their work. The festival also celebrates young authors and artists. Next year’s festival is happening March 15 and 16, 2025.

     Learning to write essays in school is important, but students can get bored if that is the only kind of writing they do, according to Dr. Wendy R. Williams, Associate Professor of English at ASU’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. In her previous work with young authors, Williams found that “students became really excited when we gave them opportunities to explore many different forms of writing.”

     “While essay writing is important, we are shortchanging students if that is all we offer them,” explains Williams. She notes that poetry, comics, memoirs, scripts or songs are just a few of the forms that kids can explore. When students are exposed to different forms of writing, have more choices and get support through mentoring, they begin to “enjoy writing and to see themselves as real writers with important things to say—as they should!” 

     When you’re looking to spark your imagination, draw! Literally draw, then use those doodles and artwork as inspiration, shares Williams. Draw a map of your neighborhood and label it with memories; draw a heart and fill it with things you love, or draw a self portrait and label places where you have scars. She says these are some examples of ways to jump start your writing.

     “Drawing is a great way to brainstorm, and it helps writers visualize specific details before they start crafting a work, leading to more vivid and powerful compositions,” Williams shares. 

     According to Williams, “Students write more and with fewer errors when they are invested in the piece they are writing.” So find your voice, express your interest, and get writing!

Cover the News for Bear Essential

A good way for young people to write regularly is by reporting for Bear Essential News. And there are so many stories that kids can cover. This year’s presidential election already has taken some dramatic turns and may be a very close race. And 592 athletes are competing for Team USA at the Olympic Games.

Our Young Reporters are really Bear Essential’s eyes and ears wherever they go. What do your friends and classmates think about being back in school? Does your teacher have any tips on what students can do to make this a successful and funtastic school year? You can highlight sports or clubs that you’re into, do book or movie reviews, interview interesting people or cover fun events.

Joining Is FREE!

If possible, we’d like Young Reporters to cover a story every month or two—it’s a great way to sharpen your writing and communication skills.

You don’t need to be the best writer to write for us. All stories that get printed or published on our website are brought up to the same level by Bear’s team of editors. Every story we publish will have your byline, which includes your name and school.

The Young Reporters Program is for students in grades 3 thru 8 and is provided FREE through our non-profit, Bear Essential Educational Services. To help you get started, you’ll receive a Young Reporters kit—a flip pad for doing interviews, your official press pass and, most importantly, your how-to YR manual, which explains how to gather the facts, conduct interviews and to write them up into a news story.

Go to www.BearEssentialNews.com and under the Young Reporters tab, you can print out the Sign-up Form. Fill it out, have your mom or dad sign the bottom and either mail it to us or take a picture of it and email it as an attachment to youngreporter@beesf.org. In a week or two, we’ll send you your YR Kit. Teachers can collect completed forms and mail them together. We’ll send a box of the kits to your school. Questions? Please call toll free: 1-866-NEWS KID (866-639-7543).

Famous Folks Who Kept Diaries & Journals

Some people are well known for keeping a CHRONICLE of their daily personal thoughts, ideas or notes (sometimes illustrations, too). Some of these folks are famous because of their habit of writing or because of work that developed or started in a diary or journal. Are you familiar with these names and some of their work?

• Charles Darwin
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Anne Frank
• George Orwell
• Virginia Woolf
• Lewis Carroll
• John Steinbeck

Which Word Works?

Words are wonderful, but some can seem wacky! Homophones are words that sound the same, but have different meanings and spellings. They can be tricky to tell apart. Which (or witch) word do you mean?

• The bee may be mad, but it’s not its fault!

(noun: insect)  (verb)  (it is)  (possessive pronoun)

• Oh dear, the deer ate my plants.

(endearment) (animal)

• They’re looking for their car that is parked over there.

(they are) (possessive pronoun) (adverb: place)

• He read the book with the red cover.

(verb) (adjective: color)

• Her reign as top horsewoman ended when she failed the rein in her horse.

(noun: tenure, royal authority) (verb)

• The reins were slippery from the rain.

(noun: straps) (noun: precipitation)

• The tale of Peter Rabbit tells how he lost his jacket, but not his tail.

(noun: story) (noun: bottom)

• There are too many to fit in the box—at least two or three too many.

(adverb: excessive) (preposition) (number) (adverb)

• Where will you wear your new hat? At the warehouse?

(adverb: place) (verb) (noun)

• Whose cat is that, and who’s going to catch it?

(possessive pronoun) (who is)

• You’re always on time when you look at your watch.

 (you are) (possessive pronoun)

• Would you like to chop wood for the fire?

(verb: past tense will) (noun)