Celebrating September (Plus Some Free Writing Activities)

September is full of fun days to celebrate in the classroom. Whether you need some interesting writing prompts or a quick activity, here are some ideas:

Labor Day: the first Monday in September. This day celebrates American workers and how their contributions have made the U.S. a better country... and the unofficial end to summer.
Writing Prompt Ideas:

Have kids write about what they want to be when they grow up. (See below)
Tell how you spent your day off.
For older kids, you can discuss the dangerous working conditions of long ago (around the time of the first Labor Day in 1882) and today.

September 12: National Video Games Day

Writing Prompt Ideas:

Tell about your favorite video game
Do you think parents should limit the amount of time that children play video games? Explain.
Explain how to win one of your favorite video games. (Review of sequencing words)
Do you enjoy playing video games? Why or why not?

September 13: Grandparents Day

Writing Prompt Ideas:

Tell something special about each of your grandparents.
How do you think life was different when your grandparents were your age.
What do you enjoy doing with your grandparents?
What are some things you would like to know about your grandparents when they were younger?

September 16: Mexican Independence Day Great time for a quick geography lesson. If you have Mexican students, have them share a bit about their culture or how they celebrate this day. Compare with your Independence Day holiday.

September 17: Constitution Day

September 19: International Talk Like a Pirate Day

See if your students can guess the meanings of the following pirate words:

"Ahoy!" --- Hello
"Aye" --- Yes
"Booty"--- Treasure
"Hearties" --- Friends
"Land lubber" --- someone who prefers to stay on land
"Maties" --- Friends
"Me" --- My
"Savvy?" --- Do you understand?
"Shiver me timbers!" --- OMG
"Ye" --- You

September 23: The Autumnal Equinox or The First Day of Fall

September 26: Johnny Appleseed Day

There are so many activities that you can do with apples! Here is one below to practice the five senses and/or parts of speech.

And finally, an acrostic poem! For students needing assistance, have them work in groups to brainstorm "fall words." As a group, they then choose their favorite word or phrase for each letter. Finally, they can read their work to the class and display. More advanced students can work individually.