Games for Writing

This is a wonderful book for the homeschooling environment. First, the author is a tutor for children struggling with public school methods, so she offers enjoyable, imaginative alternatives to the plug and chug kids get in school. Second, as a tutor, the author works with children primarily one-on-one. These games, therefore, lend themselves naturally to the experience of home schooling. Third, the author provides meaningful explanation of the kinds of writing and thinking skills each game addresses; in this sense, these games are more than games. Finally, many of these games can be tied in easily to whatever other content you may be covering at the moment. For example, I found a wonderful game in here that I plan on using when my son and I cover the artistic concept of "line". I also appreciate the chart in the back of the book that categorizes each game according to grade level. On the whole, the author takes a "bottom up" approach to writing. Ditch the spelling tests and grammar grind for now, and teach kids to love writing by providing writing exercises that they'll love. She respects and celebrates the kidness of kids. You can really get several years of use out of this book, even with no other writing book.

My son just doesn't really like reading and writing. He would rather be playing baseball or building things. I bought this and other Peggy Kaye books to find ways to get him to read and write that he would enjoy. I was looking through this book when my son asked what it was about and I told him it was about writing games. He said, "I don't like writing." I said that I knew that and then read him the directions for a game. He actually grapped a pencil and a piece of paper right a way and started playing and of course writing. As with Peggy Kaye's other books, the games appeal and work for my son. I owe her a big thanks!

I am both a writer and a former English teacher (besides being the mother of two), so I may be prejudiced, but I think writing is the most important thing children learn in elementary school. Once they get to high school, in most subjects it will not make any difference how much they know if they can not get clear thoughts down on paper. If you have a child struggling with writing, this is a very useful book. Some school districts get so obsessed with mechanics (spelling, punctuation, etc.) that the kids rarely practice doing any real writing. Others are more creative, but never seem to get around to things like spelling, punctuation and handwriting. In contrast, the approach Peggy Kaye uses is perfectly balanced. She is full of ideas for encouraging creativity, but also full of painless, even fun ways to practice spelling and penmanship. Both of my kids have loved games from this book, and ASKED to play them. They have no idea how much they are learning, they just enjoy the games. I have looked at a lot of books like this, and I have not seen any that are nearly as good.

Games for Writing is one of the best books that I have used with my children. Their skills have improved dramatically within weeks of using several of the suggested games. After using work sheets and finding my kids bored with the same types of skills, Peggy Kaye's book was refreshing and adaptable. I have taken many of the games and altered them slightly to fit the needs of my kids. Fantastic resource for teachers, tutors and parents, who want to teach children that learning is fun.

This book is a wonderful resource to help your child learn to write. It addresses five different levels of writing skill: those who need to learn to motor-skills to control a pencil; those who can form the letters but find writing words or sentences a daunting task; those who can write at a simple level but need help with spelling, handwriting, and grammar; those who have mastered the basic writing skills but need some encouragement to develop their own writing style; and those who are ready to write at some length and need practice. The author has developed games to assist children at each of these levels develop the skills and confidence they need for writing. My six-year-old has been reading at the fifth grade level for some time, but she had absolutely refused to learn to write (beyond forming the letters and a simple word or two). I found this book at the library and tried out several of the games with her. She was delighted by the extreme silliness and sheer fun of the games, and had no protests about the writing part of the games. Now when she gets home from school, she insists that we play one of the writing games -- and I can already see the improvement in her writing and her confidence about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to help their child improve their writing and excel at school. It is also a fun, low-pressure way for a parent to spend some time just playing with their child.