Simple Writing Celebration Ideas for Kindergarten

We know how challenging it can be for young kindergarten students to learn how to write. This is why it’s so important to celebrate their progress as often as possible! In this post, I’m going to share simple writing celebration ideas that you can easily use to keep students excited about writing.

Why It’s Important to Celebrate Writing

As I’ve mentioned many times before on the blog, writing is one of the most difficult things we ask young kindergarten students to do during the school year. They have to apply everything they have learned about phonics in order to use their still-developing fine motor skills to put pencil to paper. 

It can be disheartening for students to put all of this hard work into their writing, only for it to be turned in to a basket and never mentioned again. This is why writing celebrations are so important! Here are just a few of the many reasons to celebrate student writing in kindergarten:

• Provide an Audience: When students know they’re writing for an audience, it helps them better understand that writing is a form of communication. Plus, it encourages them to do their best work so their audience can read what they have written.

• Motivate Task Completion: It’s not uncommon to see task avoidance behavior during writing time, since it’s such a challenging task. When students know there will be a celebration for the completed writing, they’ll be more motivated to complete the task so their writing can be included.

• Build Community and Confidence: One of the best ways to promote a positive classroom environment and build community is for students to celebrate their peers. As you recognize students for their effort, they will grow in confidence and be more likely to view themselves as writers.

4 Simple Writing Celebration Ideas

Celebrating student writing doesn’t have to be a big production; the more involved the celebration, the less often you’ll likely do it. Since we know how important it is to recognize student effort with writing as much as possible, I’ve always liked to keep things simple. Here are four ideas to help you celebrate the effort and progress you see in student writing. 

1. Open Mic Celebration

This first idea is one that students have always loved, and it’s one of the easiest celebrations! In my classroom, we would sit in a circle and I allowed students to use my teacher microphone to read their writing pieces to the class. The kids LOVED to do this and they were super motivated to get their writing done so they could participate in the sharing portion of writing time.

This is also a great opportunity for students to practice their oral communication and reading skills. Picture writing prompts are a perfect option for an open mic celebration, since students can look at their illustration to remind themselves of what they have written.

2. Classroom Writing Display

There’s just something about seeing their work on display in the classroom or hallway that makes students feel celebrated. They are so proud to point out their completed work to their peers and excited when they find their friends’ writing on display as well.

Students will just naturally compare and contrast their writing with that of their peers. The labeling craftivity above is a great example! Students will talk to each other about the color they chose for the barn, where they put the sheep, and so on. Any time we can get students to talk about their writing, the better! Writing craftivities are perfect conversation starters when they are put on display in the classroom or hallway.

3. Student Books

An ongoing celebration that you could incorporate into your classroom is the creation of student books or journals. As students complete writing prompts, they can add them to a book or journal. Every so often, you can give students the chance to look through their books or journals and find their favorite piece of writing. Students can share with the class or with a peer at their table.

This is such a fun way for students to see their progress over a period of time. When students can see and celebrate how far they’ve come in their writing abilities, they are motivated to keep working at it! Plus, students can take home their books to share with their families for even more encouragement.

4. Class Books

Class books can be another fun way to celebrate student writing in kindergarten. You can give students the same writing prompt or have them choose a writing prompt within a particular theme. Once students have completed the writing prompt and illustration, you can collect them and compile them into class books.

You can incorporate class books into your classroom library so students can look through them during literacy centers or as an early finisher activity. They are always so excited to find their page in the class book! Publishing student writing in this way can build confidence and encourage students to do their best work. It’s a simple way to help your kids feel like the writers they are!

Printable Writing Curriculum for Kindergarten

One of the keys to helping students feel more confident and ready to celebrate their writing is to set them up for success. That starts with writing instruction! I have put together a writing curriculum that can help you transform your beginning writers into confident and capable writers who write complete sentences independently.

This curriculum is designed to grow with your students while differentiating for the wide range of writing development in the kindergarten classroom. If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this bundle of resources, you can find it in the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop and also in my TPT store.

Save These Writing Celebration Ideas

Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite kindergarten board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these writing celebration ideas when you’re looking for ways to encourage your beginning writers.