So, I just looked at my son’s school calendar and realized that he heads back to school in less than three weeks. I’m kind of freaking out here! I thought he’d go back after Labor Day, but nope, he goes back on the 29th. I have absolutely nothing ready! Well, that’s not true. Thanks to my partnership with BIC, I now have fabulous pens and pencils. No case to put them in, no backpack for the case, but I am stocked up on all the coolest writing utensils he’ll need for the whole year.

We used all those awesome pens and pencils, along with a few other fun things that I received in my BIC package,  for a fun writing activity to help prepare Jacob for going back to school. Jake is super nervous- yet also excited- about starting middle school, so I thought this would be a fun way to gauge his fears and expectations. Keep reading, because this writing activity isn’t just fun, it can help your child win a $10,000 scholarship!

Fun Back to School Writing Activity for Kids of All Ages

Jacob has always struggled a bit with handwriting and spent an hour a week in OT during the school year to help him better develop the fine motor skills required for the task. The funny thing is, Jake actually loves writing. He has several notebooks that he fills with amazingly detailed stories, poems and songs. I encourage him to write however he wants, in as many or as few words as he wants, at home so that he continues to develop the skills he’ll need in school without feeling pressured.

For this writing activity, I broke out the colorful BIC^® XTRA-Fun #2 Pencils with Stripes and the BIC^® 4-Color Stylus and Pen. I love that pen. It’s just like the one I had when I was in school, except totally upgraded for a smoother writing experience. I sat down with Jacob and talked to him a bit about his hopes and fears regarding the first day of school. Then I gave him a quick and fun writing exercise by asking him four questions. I learned a lot about my son based on his short answers!

Question 1: What would you do if you were principal for a day?

This is probably every student’s dream! Jake’s answer was “I would give everyone no homework!” Good answer, right? I thought he’d go for something like “I’d give a whole day of recess,” but he’d be happy just to have his afternoon free after school.

FYI, if you ask your kids this question and share it with BIC, you could win a $10,000 scholarship! Just have your kids write out their answer, then visit BICFightForYourWrite.com now through August 15th to enter BIC’s If I Were Principal For a Day Contest. While you’re there, learn more about all the fun ways to celebrate handwriting!

Question 2: What are you most looking forward to about middle school?

Jacob answered that he was looking forward to learning more. Again, I was surprised. I thought he’d say “lunch” or “the end of the day.” I’m really happy to hear that he’s excited about all the new learning opportunities in middle school!

Question 3: What are you most worried about?

This time, the answers didn’t surprise me, as we’ve been talking about them since summer began. Jake is most worried about changing in the locker room and remembering his locker combination. I actually have a combination lock here for him to practice on. I think he’ll do fine remembering the combination because he’s remembered his student ID number all these years without an issue. Numbers stick in his head pretty well. The changing in the locker room, though, I’m not really sure how to make that easier for him. Any advice is welcome!

Question 4: What subjects do you think you’ll like the most in middle school?

My son is the total opposite of me on this one! He answered “math and science.” By the time he hit 3rd grade, he was already better at math than I am. I love the idea of science, but it’s never been my strongest subject. I’m more of a “humanities” type girl: reading, writing, history (especially ancient history). Jake wants to design video games when he grows up, so math skills will come in handy for that.

And just for fun, we answered the question of why we “fight for our write,” because you just know we had to play with that 4-color pen more!

We had a lot of fun with this activity, and I think we both learned a lot about Jake’s feelings regarding the upcoming school year. I’m saving the paper so we can look back at it throughout the year and see if his answers changed. I think it would be fun to do the same activity again every couple of months.

Stock up on BIC Back to School Essentials

Handwriting is such an important part of our children’s educational experience. We all know that handwriting helps promote creativity and fine motor skills, but did you know that research shows it also promotes reading comprehension, critical thinking and even self-confidence! As I’ve learned with Jake over the years, learning handwriting skills is much easier when it’s fun! No one does fun writing tools better than BIC! Check out a few of their must-have back to school writing essentials!

• BIC^® XTRA-Fun #2 Pencils with Stripes: These latest #2 pencils come in bright, fun, two-toned color barrels with stripes. Best of all, they’re already sharpened! I can’t tell you how much that helps me. It seems like every pencil I grab at homework time needs to be sharpened.

• BIC^® Velocity^® Side Clic™ Mechanical Pencil: BIC’s newest Velocity pencil has a convenient button on the grip for quick lead advance! Jake just started using mechanical pencils in addition to the #2 pencils last year and he really loves them.

• BIC^® Cristal^® Xtra Precision Ball Pen: The iconic Cristal pen got a modern update and now features vibrant two-toned caps. I love the way these write! The ink just glides across the paper.

• BIC^® Atlantis^® Bold: These pens are just so much fun! They write in a variety of bold, exciting colors. They’re perfect for color-coding notes during class.

• BIC^® 4-Color Stylus and Pen: As I mentioned above, everyone’s favorite 4-Color Pen got a major upgrade this year. It now includes a lightweight stylus on the top. Just flip it around and use it on your favorite electronics.

• BIC^® Brite Liner^® FlexTip™ Highlighter: I am obsessed with highlighters. Seriously, I’d highlight the entire world if I could. These have a new flexible tip technology that makes highlighting even more fun and easy!

Contest Details, Once More With Feeling

Let’s see those contest details one more time, shall we? Remember, you only have until 8/15 to get this done!

BIC wants to know what your child(ren) would do if they were principal for a day! Take a picture of their handwritten response, enter on BICfightforyourwrite.com and you could WIN a $10,000 scholarship! No Purchase Necessary. U.S. only, 21+. Ends 8/15/16. Click here for Official Rules and details- BICFightForYourWrite.com/official-rules.

Plus, while I have your attention, I’d like to invite you to join the #BICFightForYourWrite Twitter Party tomorrow, 8/11/16, at 1PM EST.

What fun activities are you doing to get your kids ready for back to school? What are your favorite BIC products? Tell me in the comments!