A 30-minute writing task for your YEAR 4 child - the beach

✨ Getting Ready for 11+ Creative Writing ✨
Year 4 (ages 8–9) is the perfect time to start building confidence. Reading widely—adventure, mystery, fantasy, history, or even non-fiction—boosts imagination, vocabulary, and story sense without feeling like work.

👉 Link writing to reading: after a passage, ask your child to describe the setting, imagine what happens next, or write from another character’s view. You can also link a task to a book they’re already reading — because they know the plot, characters, and mood, it gives them confidence to start rather than having to come up with an idea from scratch. Using a picture can also feel less intimidating and provides a spark for the imagination. This makes writing feel more natural and reflects the kind of tasks they’ll face in exams.

Drawing on my experience teaching in the classroom and preparing students for the 11+, I know this approach really helps. 🌟

✍️ Try this at home (about 30 minutes)

Short reading extract (created for practice):
“Salma and Daniel kicked off their shoes and ran across the golden sand. The waves sparkled in the sunlight as they raced each other to the shore. Ahead of them stood a little hut with a bright red roof, and behind it the sea stretched out as far as their eyes could see…”

Task: Describe the sunny, lively beach around the hut.

💡 Tip: Find a beach photo (or use the one I’ve shared) to spark ideas before writing.

Writing toolkit:

• Adjectives: shimmering, golden, breezy, sparkling, endless, lively
• Verbs: splashed, shimmered, glistened, raced, drifted, scattered
• Similes: “as blue as a painted sky”; “waves racing like playful puppies”; “sand warm like a cosy blanket”
• Onomatopoeia: splash, swoosh, fizz
• Personification: “the sea whispered secrets”; “the waves danced to the wind”; “the sun beamed proudly”
• Metaphors: “a carpet of gold”; “a mirror of blue”; “a ribbon of waves”
• Alliteration: shimmering sea; golden grains; playful puppies

👩👦 Parent tip: Use the toolkit to experiment with sentences. For example:
“The shimmering sea stretched like a mirror of blue, while the golden grains of sand scattered between their toes.”

Short, fun exercises like these build imagination, vocabulary, and confidence — all vital ingredients for 11+ success. 🌟

I hope you and your children enjoy the task!

Anna