Bringing writing to life through memorable experiences

Why use memorable experiences?

Memorable experiences are the fuel for writing: they give children something to write about and develop the language and background knowledge needed to effectively communicate their experiences. This is especially important for those children from more disadvantaged backgrounds who may have more limited life experiences. Importantly, memorable experiences also inspire and motivate children to write giving them a real purpose and audience for their work. They turn writing from a classroom-based activity to something which links to the real world and their place within it. They ignite wonder and spark joy, helping to develop confident and engaged writers.

However, making the most of these moments takes careful planning and creative thinking. This resource aims to support primary teachers to plan memorable experiences and turn these from one-off events into impactful and engaging lesson sequences building towards inspiring and purposeful writing opportunities.

Using this resource

This resource is aimed at primary teachers and includes the following sections:

• Guidance for planning a memorable experience
• Tips for identifying exciting and creative writing outcomes
• Advice for building a teaching sequence centred around memorable experiences
• Ideas for free or low-cost memorable experiences
• An idea bank for inspiring writing outcomes.

Further support

Visit our Writing for Pleasure page to find out more about the resources, training and programmes on offer to support writing for pleasure in your school.