5 Reasons to Use a Writing Choice Board in Kindergarten

Teaching writing in kindergarten is one of the most challenging tasks of the school year, for students and teachers alike. One of my favorite ways to keep writing practice fresh and engaging is to use a writing choice board. In this post, I’ll share some of the reasons why this is such a helpful tool for kindergarten writing practice.

What is a Writing Choice Board?

A writing choice board is an open-ended way for students to practice writing. It is usually in a grid format with a different writing task or prompt in each box. Students are tasked with completing a particular number of tasks from the board during a period of time. For example, the student might be asked to complete four activities over the course of the school week.

A writing choice board is very similar to the homework menus that I’ve shared in the past. The only difference is that a writing choice board focuses only on tasks that will help students practice writing skills.

5 Reasons to Use a Choice Board for Writing Practice

There are many reasons why a choice board is a good choice for writing practice in kindergarten! Here are five of my favorites:

1. Student-Led Differentiation

Differentiated writing practice is a very important tool in kindergarten! Some students start the school year having never held a pencil before, while other students are writing complete sentences at the beginning of the year. In order to help all students succeed, it’s essential that we meet them where they’re at and provide them plenty of opportunities to build on their current skills.

A choice board provides differentiated writing practice with the additional benefit of students deciding which task or prompt would be best for them. They get to look through the menu and find a writing task that matches their current skills and interests while giving them a chance to improve their writing. A choice board makes it easy for you to provide these options for your students, with all of the differentiated tasks available in one grid. 

2. Increase Buy-In and Motivation

Maintaining student buy-in for writing practice can be challenging in kindergarten. After all, writing is one of the most difficult things we ask our young students to do during the year! They have to come up with what they want to write, put together everything they know about phonics, and then use their still-developing fine motor skills to put those thoughts in writing. It can become disheartening for students and can impact their willingness to keep trying!

Writing choice boards can help students stay motivated to practice writing because they include engaging writing tasks that are short and manageable. These quick wins can help students feel successful as writers, which will motivate them to keep trying!

3.  Build Independence

Using a choice board for writing practice can also encourage students to become more independent. When students can choose a writing task that feels like a good fit for them, they will be more likely to complete the task independently. Students will grow accustomed to selecting a writing task and getting right to work. This independence can spill over into other parts of the daily learning routine.

You can also use a writing choice board as an option for early finishers. After completing their work, students can choose an engaging writing task to work on while they wait for the next classroom activity to begin. Any time kindergarten students can transition from one activity to another without asking “Teacher, what do I do now?” is a major win for building independence!

4. Encourage Creative Thinking

One of the biggest challenges that students face when completing writing practice is deciding what to write about. Creativity is like a muscle that needs to be strengthened and developed! Since a writing choice board is full of engaging prompts and ideas, students can focus their creativity on responding to the prompt instead of coming up with a topic. 

When we give students a blank sheet of paper and encourage them to write about anything that comes to mind, they are more likely to spend their mental energy on choosing a topic rather than on the actual creativity of the words.

5. Provide Developmentally-Appropriate Homework

I know that homework can be a hot topic in kindergarten! If you work in a school district that requires you to assign homework, choice boards are an excellent option. Since the assignments are flexible and easily differentiated, students and their families can choose writing tasks that won’t be a burden. Families will be able to choose tasks that fit within their evening schedule and also within their child’s writing stamina.

Kindergarten Writing Toolbox

Are you interested in using writing choice boards in your classroom, but feeling overwhelmed at the task of coming up with a grid full of unique writing tasks and prompts? I have a resource that can help!

Inside the Kindergarten Writing Toolbox, I’ve added monthly writing challenges that your students will love! Each writing choice board is presented as a challenge, with students trying to complete three in a row. It’s reminiscent of tic-tac-toe, and it’s a great way to keep students motivated to practice writing in class or at home! The choice board also includes coordinating worksheets that students can use to complete the tasks.

In addition to the monthly writing challenges, the Kindergarten Writing Toolbox subscription has a wide variety of themed seasonal writing activities that you can use in your classroom. It also includes access to a library of visual supports and other teaching resources that you can use to help the writing block go more smoothly in your classroom. If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in the Kindergarten Writing Toolbox, just click below to learn more about it.

Save These Kindergarten Writing Choice Boards

Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite board of kindergarten writing ideas on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these choice boards when you’re looking for a way to make writing practice more engaging in your kindergarten classroom.