Fun Writing Prompts for Kids

It’s not always easy for students to find the inspiration they need to start writing. Use these fun writing prompts to help students develop a daily habit of writing, that will have their creative juices flowing in no time.

  • A guitar pick, a red balloon, and a wicker basket. Write a scene or a poem that includes these three objects.
  • Tell this story: “There it was, finally. Our island. Our very own island. It looked beautiful above the waves of fog, but there was still one question to be answered: why had they sold it to us for only five dollars?”
  • "When I stepped outside, the whole world smelled like…" Write a scene that starts with that line.
  • What animal lives beneath your human skin?  A mouse? A cougar? Or what? Explain with writing.
  • What if your pet could only talk to you at midnight for an hour?
  • Write about 5 things you'd rather be doing right now.
  • Create a menu from a fictitious restaurant. Make sure the restaurant has a theme, such as Classic Books, and the food should all be given appropriate names (e.g.,  “Mockingbird Pie”).
  • You’re a talk show host. Pick two guests. Why did you choose them? Are they people who get along, or people with vastly different viewpoints? Write about the episode.
  • Rewrite “The Tale of the Three Little Pigs” by using people that you know as the pigs and the wolf.
  • A blue trash can, a red picture frame, a teddy bear with the stuffing falling out, and a padlock. Put these four items somewhere in a story, scene, or poem.
  • What road-trip would you take if you suddenly could? Write about it.
  • Pick a family member or two and write about his or her reputation in your family, or tell a family legend.
  • Write a self-portrait.
  • Pick one from each list to make a creature and animal combination. Now write a short story or scene in which this creature appears.

List 1                                                           List 2

Vampire                                                    Porcupine

Ninja                                                           Armadillo

Zombie                                                       Pig

Pirate                                                          Goat

Mummy                                                     Lobster

Clown                                                         Possum

Banshee                                                     Shark

Wraith                                                        Moray eel