One of the tricks that I used when I was tutoring is to write monster menus. You can adapt this to anything, really, we did Fairy and Clown Menus, as well, depending on the child’s interests.

Basically, what you do is design a menu for a monster restaurant. What would they serve in a restaurant like this? Write numbers down the side, leaving plenty of room for writing. This is supposed to be a fun way to get your child interested in writing, so focusing on form and neatness might not be the first priority.

Next, brainstorm with your child to come up with some seriously disgusting dishes. Younger kids can just come out with the type of dish (Earthworm Pasta with Dog Snot Sauce), while older ones might want to add a description (exceptionally gritty earthworms tossed in sauce made of dog snot, sesame seeds and ground lima beans). Fit the activity to your child’s ability.

Have more than one child? Why not make it a group activity with everyone taking turns writing up a dish? Trust me, they’ll be so involved in thinking up the grossest thing they can come up with that they won’t even notice they’re writing!