Make Writing Fun This Season with a Summer Roll A Story Activity!
Inside: Keep kids writing this summer with a fun Summer Roll A Story activity! Perfect for Grades 2-4, this printable helps students practice story elements and creative writing in the classroom, homeschool, or summer camp.
Looking for a simple, engaging way to get your students excited about writing? Whether you’re wrapping up the school year, teaching summer camp, homeschooling through the warmer months, or prepping sub plans, creative writing activities are a great way to keep literacy skills sharp. And one of my favorite ways to spark storytelling is with this Summer Roll A Story activity!
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Make Writing Fun This Season with a Summer Roll A Story Activity!
Today, I’m sharing how you can easily bring summer-themed writing fun to your classroom, homeschool, or learning center using our Summer Roll A Story | Creative Writing & Story Elements pack for Grades 2–4 — and why it’s a smart addition to your teaching toolkit.
What Is a Roll A Story Activity?
If you’re new to Roll A Story activities, here’s the idea:
Students roll a dice to randomly select characters, settings, and problems for their stories. Then, using simple graphic organizers and word banks for support, they plan and write their own unique tale.
It’s a hands-on, interactive way to teach story elements like character, setting, and plot while building creative thinking and writing confidence.
Why Use Roll A Story in Your Summer Writing Plans?
Summer learning can be tricky — students are often ready for a break, but practicing literacy skills during the warmer months helps prevent the infamous summer slide. Creative writing activities like this one offer a low-pressure, fun way for kids to keep learning while letting their imaginations roam.
Here’s why teachers and homeschool families love Roll A Story activities:
- They’re versatile: Use them in writing centers, small groups, independent work, or even as a quick class warm-up.
- They support multiple learning styles: Visual learners love the graphic organizers, hands-on learners enjoy rolling the dice, and verbal learners thrive writing and sharing their stories.
- They reinforce story structure: Kids naturally practice identifying story elements and organizing their ideas in a clear beginning, middle, and end.
- They’re easy to differentiate: Perfect for mixed-ability classrooms or homeschool families with multiple ages.
- They make great emergency sub plans: Leave a set ready for those unexpected days away.
How to Use the Summer Roll A Story Pack
This printable pack makes it simple to bring creative storytelling into any setting. Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works:
- Roll the Dice: Students roll to select a character, a setting, and a problem for their story.
- Plan the Story: Using included graphic organizers, students brainstorm ideas and organize their plot.
- Write and Illustrate: Students write their complete story on the provided writing page and draw an illustration to match.
- Share and Celebrate: Encourage students to read their stories aloud, swap with a partner, or display them for others to enjoy.
Where Can You Use This Resource?
This activity is perfect for a variety of learning environments:
- Classroom Writing Centers — Add seasonal variety to your literacy stations.
- Whole-Class Mini Lessons — Teach or review story elements in a fun, interactive way.
- Early Finisher Activities — Keep those quick workers meaningfully engaged.
- Homeschool Language Arts Lessons — Use it as a standalone writing lesson or part of a summer learning plan.
- Summer Camps or Day Programs — Encourage creative expression without needing screens.
- Substitute Teacher Plans — It’s easy to prep, and students love it.
What’s Included in the Summer Roll A Story Pack?
This ready-to-print activity set includes everything you need:
- Roll-and-choose story element charts (Characters, Problems, Settings)
- Seasonal word bank pages for descriptive writing support
- Story planning graphic organizers (for characters, setting, problem, and story outline)
- Final story and illustration page
- Printable dice templates for hands-on fun
Adding a Summer Roll A Story activity to your classroom, homeschool, or camp plans is a great way to keep writing skills fresh while making literacy lessons feel like play. It reinforces essential skills like planning, sequencing, and organizing ideas — all while giving students creative freedom.
If you’re ready to boost your students’ storytelling confidence and add some summer fun to your writing plans, check out the Summer Roll A Story | Creative Writing & Story Elements pack for Grades 2–4 in my shop today!
Summer Roll A Story Printable Set
Inspire your students’ creativity this Summer with our engaging “Roll a Story” activity pack! Perfect for young writers, this pack provides all the tools they need to craft imaginative stories while having fun with a seasonal twist.
Printing and Paper Recommendations
To get the best results when using the Summer Roll A Story, I recommend printing the prompt pages and dice on sturdy, high-quality paper. For durability, especially if you’re using the prompt pages or dice in centers or for repeated use, consider premium cardstock. This type of paper ensures that the pages will hold up over time and the writing pages are crisp and easy to write on.
For an added touch of durability, laminating the prompt pages is also a great option, making them last even longer for classroom or homeschool use. This way, students can use them over and over again, with minimal wear and tear! The scotch laminator is amazing! I have been using mine for many, many years.
