FUNCTIONAL WRITING ACTIVITIES FOR THE LIFE SKILLS CLASSROOM

Writing is one of my favorite subjects to teach in the life skills classroom! Our students need to practice real-life writing skills to build independence, and functional writing is one of the best ways to do that. I incorporate functional writing into lessons all year long. These are some of my favorite functional writing activities for middle school or high school students with disabilities.

Personal Information Practice

Functional writing starts with knowing your own info! I created a Google Form for each student, which allowed them to practice typing their personal information daily. This may include their name, address, phone number, birthday, etc. You can personalize it for what's appropriate for the grade level you teach. You can even set correct answers so it auto-scores for easy IEP data tracking.

👉 I also have free fillable personal info forms here if you want to try them in your classroom.

Writing Emails and Letters

Yes, our students can send emails, and they love it! Since they all have district email accounts, we make email writing a social and academic task. I give a writing prompt, they email a classmate or family member and CC me so I can review their message for mini lesson feedback. This is great for communication goals and digital literacy.

Text Messaging Practice

Text messaging is such a motivating functional writing skill! You can use this free website to create fake text message prompts. Students write their responses on paper first, and we go over them together.

👉 You can grab a free response sheet for text writing here!

Writing Lists

We write lists all the time. Before cooking, we read recipes and make ingredient lists. We also practice writing to-do lists when completing class tasks or for assignments or materials that need to be taken to general education classes. Writing lists supports sequencing, vocabulary, and executive functioning.

👉 Check out my Let's Write a List resource made just for students with disabilities.

Signature Practice

I don't teach cursive, except for signatures! Signing your name is a life skill. You can use this free website to generate cursive name sheets, laminate them, and let students use dry-erase markers for ongoing practice. For students with more significant motor impairments, have them practice their initials instead of their whole name.

Greeting Cards

From thank you cards to holiday greetings, cards are a fun way to mix functional writing into your curriculum. I always start by brainstorming with my students words and phrases that we can use for the occasion before starting. It’s a great way to practice expressive language, writing structure, and signatures again!

👉 Print free greeting cards from Canva for different holidays and events.

Assistive Technology & Digital Literacy

Functional writing doesn't always mean pencil and paper. In upper grades, we focus much more on typing than handwriting. Many of our students benefit from using assistive technology tools like speech-to-text or predictive text. These supports help students get their ideas written down without the added frustration of handwriting.

It's also important to teach and build digital literacy by practicing typing emails, filling out online forms, and navigating writing apps like Google Docs. These are essential real-world skills that empower independent communication in the 21st century.

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Functional writing helps students build independence and confidence. Whether writing emails or grocery lists, these activities bring real-world relevance to your special education writing instruction.

💬 What functional writing skills do you teach in your life skills classroom? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!