APIEChildhood and Memories: Writing Practice
Childhood and memories
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
Warm-up: Words from Our Childhood
Learn words to share your favorite early memories and stories.
📌 How to Use This Lesson
👩🏫 For Teachers
Spend 15–20 minutes on vocabulary before writing. Check answers together using the instant feedback.
🎒 For Learners
First, solve the vocabulary tasks below to learn the 10 keywords. Then, use these words in your email.
Word Order
Put the mixed-up words in the right order to make a sentence.
Put the words in the right order:
Put the words in the right order:
Put the words in the right order:
Put the words in the right order:
Fill in the Blanks with Word Bank
Choose the best word from the bank to finish each sentence.
📦 Word Bank (Use each word once)
My brother and I used to ____ old stamps and keep them in a big album.
My grandfather carved a small wooden ____ for my sixth birthday. I loved playing with that train.
I was quite ____ when I was a child; I often hid my sister's shoes under the sofa.
Our primary school headmaster was very ____. He gave us extra homework if we were one minute late.
When my cousin turned thirteen and became a ____, he spent his weekends listening to rock music.
Choose the Correct Word
Choose the option that best fits the sentence.
Now that we live in different cities, I really ________ our long afternoon bike rides.
In the garden, we used cardboard boxes to ________ that we were flying a rocket to Mars.
My piano teacher had ________ rules: practice 40 minutes every single day, no excuses!
Before going to bed, my parents always asked me to put every ________ back inside the wooden chest.
Match Question to Answer
Match each question to its best answer.
"What was your favorite place to hang out after school?"
"Were your parents very strict about your bedtime when you were little?"
"Which indoor game brought you the fondest memories on rainy weekends?"
Great job! You practiced 10 key words: toy, playground, pretend, collect, childhood, memory, teenager, naughty, strict, miss. Now write your email!
Write Your Email
Write about your childhood memories and send a warm message to a friend.
Writing Task • Air Mail Postcard
A Letter to an Old Friend
"You are writing an email to a friend. In your email, tell your friend about a toy or game you loved as a child, say what you used to do with it, and ask about your friend's childhood."
Frame Starters
Use these starter lines to help you write your email:
- Greeting "Hi [Friend's Name],"
- Opening & Reason for writing "I was thinking about our childhood and ..."
- Past habit / Toy memory "When I was little, I used to ..."
- Repeated routine "We would often ..."
- Question for friend & Sign-off "What did you use to ...? Write back soon,"
Tip: You can continue each starter sentence with your own creative details!
Writer's Checklist
Before you finish, check that your email has all 4 points:
Favorite toy or game
Name the toy or game you loved most as a child.
What you used to do
Say how you played with it, where you played, and who played with you.
Question about friend's childhood
Ask your friend at least one question about their past memories.
Friendly beginning & ending
Start with a warm greeting and finish with a friendly sign-off.
Word count check: Write 120–150 words to share all your ideas.
Draft Your Friendly Email
Grading Criteria Evaluated by AI:
Look at a Great Example
Read this 133-word model email. See how the starters and vocabulary work together.
Hi Sam,
I was thinking about our childhood and suddenly remembered my favorite set of wooden building blocks. Do you remember them?
When I was little, I used to spend hours sitting on the carpet constructing giant castles. My grandfather had carved each wooden piece by hand, so the whole set felt truly special to me. On quiet weekends, we would often pretend that our living room was a castle. We built big castles and fought imaginary dragons! Even as a teenager, I kept those blocks in my bedroom because they held so many wonderful memories.
What did you use to play with when we were younger? Did you have a special toy that you still miss today?
Write back soon and share your stories!
Best,
Leo
Why These Phrases Work So Well
Here is why each highlighted phrase works well for friendly writing.
"I was thinking about our childhood and suddenly remembered..."
"When I was little, I used to spend hours..."
"...we would often pretend that..."
"Even as a teenager, I kept..."
"What did you use to play with when we were younger?"
Ready to polish your own email?
Compare your email with this model answer. Did you include a warm opening? Did you add details about your toy and a question?
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