As you plan your curriculum for the year, have you ever considered having your kids write their own novels?
November is National Novel Writing Month - or at least it used to be. The NaNoWriMo challenge is no longer active, having shut down in 2025 after scandals and reputation damage and the choice to open up to AI content. Likewise, the April and July "Camp NaNoWriMo" challenged are no longer official, although you can find some grassroots efforts on Reddit and Discord.
That said, though, the program was a great concept for motivating kids to write. You don't have to limit it to a month, either, if you want to spread it out as a longer-term writing project. We did so a few times, using it as a fiction-writing tool over several months.
Even though the original website is no more, the Internet Archive still has a copy of the workbooks! I'd encourage you to download it if you plan to use it in the future. If you don't have a download button available, print it to a PDF and save it that way.
If you prefer a printed copy, the Middle & High School version is still available from Amazon:
Want to jump in? Here are a few extra tools that might be helpful for you:
- 8 Novel Outline Templates That Help You Write Your Story
- Character Development Sheet Template
- Fantasy World-Building Template (by Reddit user PurpleLocal4471)
GenZ Publishing also put out a helpful little article with tips on how to be successful with a month-long writing challenge like Camp NaNoWriMo.
Happy writing!
