Wanna know my favorite Father’s Day writing activity? It’s really just a card. I love getting cards myself, and so I imagine that’s what dad wants too. Buttt I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t thought of a lot of other things we can do with our students as well! As I’ve said before, in my Mother’s Day blog post, I teach across five grade levels, and each group requires its own approach. Let me tell you what I will do with each of my groups!
Why is Father’s Day important?
It’s really fun to talk about a holiday with students, because it’s familiar to them. Father’s Day, and Mother’s Day too, provide an easy topic to discuss in a target language. Most kids have them – with the emphasis on most – be mindful of that always! I find that getting students to realize why they are and should be grateful for their parents and all the ways they receive support from them will make them better people in the long run. Practicing gratitude is such an important trait to have.
When to celebrate Father’s Day?
Whenever suits you best, I suppose. Before is fun, because then the kids can take their ‘gift’ home in time for the actual day, so a Friday or even a Thursday would be great. Or if you haven’t got time beforehand, do it on the Monday or Tuesday after. Father’s Day is on the third Sunday in most countries (Spain’s is in May, I think), so you can plan ahead.
On to my Father’s Day writing ideas!
So as I’ve said I’ve got my different groups that each have their own requirements. For my younger students, it’s always fun to write something that is closer to home, so I really like letter writing as well as creating a nice card for dad. For my older kids I love essay writing and speech writing the most. In these activities I can really have them dig deep about what it takes to be a great dad. Let me tell you how I do any Father’s Day writing activity.
Father’s Day speech writing in English
Get students to prepare a speech for their father! The speech should be about what his greatest qualities are and why he is the best dad in the world. In this activity I teach them about persuasive devices as well as body language and performing a speech the right way. I will tell them about structure as well and being convincing as a speaker. I love to talk about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. I’ve seen some wonderful performances in the past, and it’s great fun to speak so passionately about a topic like this.
Father’s Day essay writing
Writing an essay is a calmer activity. Essay writing really makes students think about the structure of their arguments and being persuasive as a writer. I also talk to them about the overall structure of an essay, and about vocabulary use and linking words. Students must provide evidence for their claims in the form of examples and personal experience. They always come up with the best arguments for why their dad is the best dad in the world.
For both speech- and essay writing I want my students to warm up with a speaking activity. I have a set of discussion cards that I use to get thinking about our fathers. I get students to use them in groups, and it helps them open up about what they think. These cards also make for great writing prompts for Father’s Day for journaling or something like that.
Father’s Day greeting card writing
With my younger students I like to do letter writing for Father’s Day. Letter writing is a familiar activity for them, and earlier in the year we will have already discussed how it’s done right. You will have to make sure that they know about the format of a letter, about structure – intro, body and conclusion – and letter conventions. And then I will get them writing a letter to dad for Father’s Day. They must tell him why he is the best father in the world and really convince him with reasons and examples. It’s a wonderful gift to him that they can bring home.
How do you write a Father’s Day letter? Check out this resource to help you organize it with your students!
A great addition to this activity that I found in an Action last year is this block of letter paper! I give each student a pretty page to write the letter on so that it looks amazing when they bring it home to dad. So much fun!
Also fun is this!
This flip book I made! This Father’s Day writing activity is great for younger kids too, I feel. Print and fold a booklet for each of them and get them to answer the prompts about their father. With its Father’s Day writing prompts, it really helps students access their gratitude and love for dad and back their feelings up with reasons. It’s a lot of fun!
