Writing can be an adventure that is as exciting as anything you can imagine. That's why kids take such pleasure in it, from scribbling postcards to pals to keeping diaries that are positively top secret. Every writer needs a little incentive once in a while, though, and to the rescue come these five writing projects. By baking a batch of alphabet cookies, crafting a custom-made pencil, or conversing on notepaper, you and your child can make writing as comfortable and routine as dinnertime. Even kids who find the process of putting pen to paper daunting will find these writing warm-ups just too enjoyable to resist.

Ed Kohn, formerly a reading and writing teacher, is the Research Editor at FAMILYFUN