Playful Paragraphs

A one-hour creative writing workshop
for KS2 and KS3

Intended to build confidence in young writers by showing them how to assemble a sequence of sentences that builds a picture in a reader’s head and hooks them into a story.

Group of school children gathered around the author Sarah Holding in a classroom, some kids holding books, with a projector screen showing 'SeaBEAN' in the background.
Illustration of a pencil with an eraser at the top.

what happens in this workshop?

ice-breaker
After briefly introducing myself I read a short section of SeaBEAN aloud and ask the class what made them feel curious to know more.

topic
Exploring how fictional adventures start, and what is needed to make the reader want to keep going.

activity
We brainstorm ideas about how to mix physical sensations and resulting feelings, then pupils write what happens when their version of Alice enters the time-travel device.

support & feedback
I help individual pupils, and at the end I invite a few to read their work aloud and I offer feedback to support what they’ve learned.

resources
Whiteboards, pencil and plain paper work best, thesauruses are also a handy extra sometimes.

success criteria
When classmates can visualise the scene playing out in their heads like a little mind movie.

Book a Playful Paragraphs workshop with Sarah for your school
A simple illustration of a diamond with light blue and white facets.
Cartoon rocket launching into the sky with a cloud above.
A light bulb icon with a minimalistic line drawing style.
Illustration of a piggy bank with a coin being saved.
A digital illustration of a financial candlestick chart with six candlesticks, representing stock price movements.