Why My 2nd Grader Hated Writing (And What Actually Helped)

My daughter used to love writing. 

She’d fold paper into little books, create long, elaborate plots (elaborate for a 5-year-old, that is!), and proudly share her illustrated works of literary art with anyone and everyone who’d listen. Writing was playful for her, imaginative, second-nature. 

Then somewhere between first and second grade, something changed. She stopped making her little story books, and “I don’t know what to write” became her go-to response when faced with an open-ended response question. A blank page would bring literal tears. My kid who once overflowed with stories suddenly hated writing, and I couldn’t figure out why. 

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When Writing Gets “Heavier”

The hardest part of this for me as both her mom and teacher was how unexpected it felt. After all, from the outside, it looked like writing should be easier now. She knew more words, could spell more without stopping to ask for help, and had more ideas about her world.

For more sensitive, somewhat-perfectionist kids like mine, the problem isn’t a lack of ideas, but rather so many ideas paired with the fear of getting it “wrong.” 

First, What Didn’t Work

At first, I tried all the things that I thought took the pressure off, like offering longer, open-ended writing time with “fun” prompts that felt easy. I told her not to worry about spelling and to just enjoy coming up with creative responses. But that didn’t work. In fact, some days it made things worse.

That’s when I realized that she didn’t need more writing practice, she just needed to feel comfortable with it again. 

I've seen this pattern in my upper-elementary classroom countless times. But when it came to my own child, there was more of a mental block I had to get over. I remembered her loving writing when she was younger, so it just didn’t make sense to me that she would one day stop seemingly out of the blue. 

But we have to meet our kids where they’re at now, not where we remember them being.

What Actually Helped My Reluctant Writer

Once I shifted my focus away from how much she was writing to how she experienced writing, everything started to change.

Writing Doesn’t Have to Start with Words

I noticed my daughter devouring the Cat & Cat Adventures series by Susie Yi, which gave me an idea. I offered a blank graphic novel page I quickly created using simple panels with space to draw and small areas for text. Drawing her story first gave her a way to plan her ideas visually without the pressure of writing, and when she had that to work with, the words came so much easier.

The key for us was keeping the story prompts very specific and related to her interests, such as: “Show a girl getting ready to set out on a quest,” or “Draw a typical day in the life of your cat.” (This second prompt involved a lot of pictures of a cat napping, but it brought out giggles and a smile during our writing time that I hadn’t seen in awhile!)

The graphic novel idea was such a hit, I ordered her a blank graphic novel book and her own set of fine-tipped pens and markers to make her feel like a “real” graphic novelist. Before long, she was grabbing the book and making her own stories completely unprompted by me.

Making Prompts Smaller

We know that open-ended prompts can actually feel more overwhelming to reluctant writers. “Free write” sounds, well, freeing, but it can be paralyzing for some kids.

What worked better for us were small, focused prompts set around one scene, one idea, one moment. It made the task feel more manageable, and she was more willing to try. 

Guided Journals for Daily Practice

Another big win for us was incorporating a Question of the Day journal. These were short prompts ranging from reflective to creative to silly with the clear expectation of writing one or two sentences. That’s it.

With the journal we chose, there was only enough room for 1-2 sentences, so being able to fill the entire response area gave a sense of accomplishment each day, and she would get excited to see what the day’s prompt was. 

And you don’t necessarily need to buy a special pre-made journal for this; a simple spiral notebook and daily prompts written out on the whiteboard would work just as well! 

Following Their Interests

Instead of choosing writing topics based on what I thought she should be writing about, I started leaning into what she already loved.

Animals. Nature. Pokemon. Adventure. Cats (lots of cats). 

When prompts were tied to her interests, the resistance dropped dramatically. Writing felt fun again, like a way to share something she cared about instead of just completing a task. At this stage, I stopped worrying so much about the academic balance and just let her start enjoying writing again.

Confidence Before Skills

During my years in the classroom, I learned something important: writing skills grow faster when kids feel confident.

So before worrying about perfect grammar, flawless spelling, or seamless transitions, kids need to feel safe to try, free to make mistakes, and most of all, proud of their effort. Then, growth happens naturally.

What Writing Looks Like for Us Now

Our writing lessons still aren’t perfect, but they don’t need to be.

They are, however, lighter. There’s less resistance, more willingness to try, and moments of genuine enjoyment again. Some days are still hard, some days she still gets frustrated, and that’s okay. Progress isn’t linear, and what matters most to me is that writing no longer feels so heavy for her. 

Is Your Child a Reluctant Writer? Start Here:

If you’re finding that writing has turned into a battle in your homeschool or classroom, remember to start small. Change the format, reduce the pressure, and build short, consistent writing habits. With the right support, the love for writing can come back!