Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

Developing as a writer requires writing a lot. There are opportunities available to encourage and motivate young writers and help them develop their craft.  If writing poems, plays and stories excites your child, encourage her submit her writing for publication in a school or special interest magazine. There are more than a few online literary and writing magazines that publish writing by and for children and teens.

For a child that likes competitions, many historical organizations and various nonprofits (e.g., environmental groups) sponsor annual themed writing contests for children in various age/grade categories. For an older child who wants to improve and enhance her skills, there are specialized summer writing workshops and intensives that offer focused concentrations (e.g., science fiction, screenwriting, novel writing) and provide an opportunity for peer review.



  1. Founded in 2002 by internationally acclaimed author Dave Eggers and award-winning educator Nínive Calegari, 826 Valencia inspired a network of creative writing and tutoring centers now eight cities… Read more
  2. Through on-site arts education programs, outreach to schools and community-based partnerships, Appel Farm provides people of all ages, cultures and economic backgrounds with a supportive, cooperative… Read more
  3. Every year, the EngineerGirl website sponsors a contest dealing with engineering and its impact on our world. The topic and detailed instructions for the contest are posted in the fall with a… Read more
  4. EXPLO summer programs allows students to investigate subjects they’re not likely to encounter during the school year. Our courses aren’t for credit and are ungraded. They encourage students to step… Read more
  5. FPSPI 's mission is to develop the ability of young people globally to design and achieve positive futures through problem solving using critical and creative thinking. FPSPI is a dynamic… Read more
  6. This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to… Read more
  7. In a beautiful natural setting reminiscent of a traditional summer camp, the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program provides high caliber arts instruction and memorable arts immersion workshops to a diverse… Read more
  8. ICS maintains a listing of hundreds of academic competitions in order for students to get ranked in their ICS Global Academic Champions Ranking. Since 2012, ICS has been defining best-practices in… Read more
  9. As the Midwest Torrance Center, we subscribe to creativity as the “highest form of mental functioning.” This framework was initiated and developed by E. Paul Torrance, known as the father of… Read more
  10. The world leader in gifted education since 1979, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth is a nonprofit dedicated to identifying and developing the talents of academically advanced pre-college… Read more
  11. he purpose of this annual writing contest, named in honor of Willamette Writer’s founder, Kay Snow, is to help writers reach professional goals in writing in a broad array of categories and to… Read more
  12. The Mission of the Kids Philosophy Slam is to give kids a voice and to inspire kids to think by unlocking their intellectual and creative potential through a unique and powerful philosophical forum… Read more
  13. Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book… Read more
  14. In 2005, Classical archaeologists Regan & Amy Barr founded The Lukeion Project. Now with a much larger teaching faculty, we offer 6 years of Classical Latin & 7 years of Greek, Classical… Read more
  15. Every year, Mississippi State University offers summer camps designed to educate and inspire kids from elementary through high-school. Our camps give kids the opportunity to further their knowledge… Read more
  16. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. Why do it? For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days… Read more
  17. Talent Search Assessment - A research-validated program, Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) utilizes above-grade-level testing to identify academic ability, measure… Read more
  18. Since 2014, we at RCLA have been directing the Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Contest and continue to regard it as a worthwhile way to honor this great American’s… Read more
  19. River of Words® (ROW) is a program of The Center for Environmental Literacy and a part of the Kalmanovitz School of Education. Acknowledged pioneers in the field of place-based education, River of… Read more
  20. Summer at Roxbury Latin means growth and skill-building, fun and excitement, making new friends and doing what you love. With more than 25 athletic, academic and artistic enrichment programs to… Read more
  21. With 33 years of experience, SIG designs a multi-week program that combines challenging academics with social, cultural, and recreational opportunities to nurture students’ social skills, as well as… Read more
  22. The Office of Pre-College Programs offers programs, events, and competitions that have been designed to challenge talented K-12 students to experience academic rigor and success at levels above what… Read more
  23. Writopia Lab is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in New York City in April of 2007. Writopia runs creative writing workshops for kids ages 6 to 18. All of the workshops have a maximum of… Read more