Language Activities for 12-Year-Olds

Write and deliver a 2-minute speech on a topic your child cares about — using an opening hook, three main points, and a strong closing for persuasive impact.

Write an original short story with a character, conflict, and resolution in under 500 words — a focused creative writing exercise that builds narrative craft.

Find or write a short play script and perform it as a family reading the parts aloud — no memorization needed, just expressive reading with character voices.

Write and record a short radio play with dialogue, sound effects, and narration — storytelling through audio alone, like the old-time radio shows.

Try writing three different poetry forms — haiku, limerick, and free verse — to discover that poetry has many shapes and your child can find their favorite.

Write a letter arguing for something your child cares about — a later bedtime, a family pet, a new game — with three reasons and supporting details.

Write a personal essay about a meaningful real experience — a time you learned something, overcame a fear, or made a mistake — practicing reflective writing.

Start a pen pal exchange with a cousin, friend, or family member far away — writing real letters about your life and waiting eagerly for responses.

Write a news article about a real or imaginary event using the who, what, when, where, why structure — learning informational writing through journalism.

Write a mystery story that includes three hidden clues the reader can use to solve the mystery before the reveal — teaching plot planning and reader awareness.

After watching a movie together, write a structured review with a summary, opinion, star rating, and recommendation — learning critical analysis through entertainment.

Draw the literal meaning of idioms — 'it's raining cats and dogs' — alongside the real meaning, creating a hilarious illustrated guide to figurative language.

Cut interesting words and phrases from old magazines and newspapers, arrange them into a poem, and glue them on paper — creating art and poetry simultaneously.

Write a complete story in exactly 100 words — not 99, not 101 — a creative constraint that teaches precision, word choice, and the art of saying more with less.

Write a story using ONLY dialogue — no narration, no 'he said' — forcing characters to reveal everything through what they say to each other.

Describe a place using all five senses — sight, sound, smell, taste, touch — to create a paragraph so vivid the reader feels like they're actually there.

Hold a structured debate with opening statements, arguments, rebuttals, and closing — teaching your child to build and defend a position with evidence.

Design a crossword puzzle using vocabulary words and clues, then challenge family members to solve it — combining word knowledge with puzzle design.

Read a passage together and use context clues to figure out unfamiliar words BEFORE looking them up — training the skill that strong readers use constantly.

Write a diary entry from the perspective of a book character at a key moment in the story — exploring their thoughts, feelings, and motivations from the inside.

Read the same book as your child, then hold a discussion with prepared questions about characters, themes, and favorite moments — like a real book club.

Research a person your child admires and create an informational poster with key facts, a timeline, quotes, and why they matter — a mini research project.

Rewrite the ending of a familiar story with a completely different outcome — what if Goldilocks befriended the bears? — practicing creative revision.

Take turns building a wild collaborative story with improv rules and prompts — sharpens quick thinking, listening skills, and creative language use.