508 Writing Prompts About Kids

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There is no better time to start creative writing than at childhood. Believe or not, it is best to encourage your kids to try creating stories at a young age. This is because the activity can provide them plenty of benefits that could turn them to better adults. 

For once, creative writing can exercise their creative minds and practice their imagination. It can also improve their self-expression and self-confidence. Moreover, it can teach them to be more observant and curious.  

If you are looking for fun and interesting writing topics for your kids, here are writing prompts you may try:

  • You buy the most amazing television set in the world. What feature does it have that makes you want to buy it?
  • Write a story about when you were trapped on an Antarctic island with a rock tied to your ankle, and then describe how you ended up there.
  • Macbeth doesn’t feel too bright, though he’s a warrior and a king. Write about a person who might appear dumb to others but is actually really smart.
  • At the beginning of a school year, 4 students went to the same school. By the end of the school year, 3 of the students were still at school. Name the students and tell the story of how all 3 leave the school.
  • Looking up at the island’s great volcano, Norumbega, Gulliver wonders about the possibility of dwelling inside it. Or is it possible to live atop the giant as he soars through the sky on great swoops of the wind? Friends, we’re waiting! Start one tale! Gulliver is still out there, somewhere…until you bewitch us anew.
  • You can watch one television show you’ve never seen before or read a book you’ve never read. Which will you choose and why?
  • What happens if your family wakes up one day to find that the world has been turned into topsy-turvy lookalikes?
  • If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why? Feel free to leave writing prompts in the comments for kids to respond too.
  • A burglar breaks into your house while you’re at home. Write about what you do to cope with the situation.
  • Write about a character with an especially long, odd name. For example, Barmax Mordekaiser Ampgunkula.
  • You’ve made a baseball team, but you play in the soccer league. You show up for your first practice session, and…
  • You and your family are the only people who live in a gigantic city. Describe what that would be like.
  • What is the first kitten you remember? Tell me about what happened the first time you met it, or about the first kitten you ever had.
  • Rewrite any of the stories in the previous chapter to include a red herring. For instance, the red herring could be Muhammad Ali, The Red Balloon, the Kissing Hand, or a book you’ve read recently. Write the story as if the red herring doesn’t appear in the original version.
  • Imagine you have an identical twin who you don’t even know about! What circumstances lead to your meeting her?
  • Your best friend gets a tattoo. You strongly believe that tattoos are ugly. Write about what you think about your friend’s decision or encourage them not to get a tattoo if that’s your opinion.
  • If only one person could be rescued out of a fire, you, your best friend, and your favorite teacher are trapped, who would you want saved first?
  • Right now, your school is having a holiday party. Write about anything you would be doing if you were there.
  • You walk into a lemonade stand to buy some lemonade, but the man behind it says the price tripled since the last time you were there. Write a poem with this sentence as your first line.
  • Suppose there is an amusement park where the theme is Italy! Write a story that describes a ride you would want to take.
  • You want to camp out with your family in the backyard, but it is raining. Write the last letter you wrote to the voice of your family members to tell them the bad news and to try to cheer them up. What did they each say back?
  • Would you rather live in a world where most people were robots or a world where you had to always call people porpoises?
  • You have been given a special gift. The gift is so special that you cannot share it with anyone. How do you decide what to do with the gift?
  • Write down every person you think is successful and why you think they’re successful. If you could ask them one question about their success, what would you ask?
  • Tonight you’ve been kidnapped and you help the kidnapper plan the perfect bank robbery on their own. They got you queued into the line of people, but how far will you let them in the bank before you get a chance to get away?
  • Two cousins have just met after many years apart. They have lots to talk about, but remember absolutely nothing of what happened in their lives during their separations. Make a plot out of the adventures they decide to have together.
  • There’s a spaceship crash and there are only two spacesuits left. You have to use one. Who gets the other, and why? You are given a bottle that will fulfill three wishes. What do you wish for?
  • Embrace your imagination and create your own original writing prompts for kids. You never know, your ideas may help spark an author’s creativity – or turn into your next best selling novel!
  • Plot  is the sequence of events that make up a story. It is how a writer arranges the events so it makes sense and leads to a climax that…
  • Write about your own imaginary friend. If he/she was here, what would he/she look like? What do you talk about?
  • Read through your favorite book and pick out everything you really like. Then create your own story.
  • Life is empty and cruel – and yet you can’t help but keep living, day upon relentless day. Write from the perspective of a character who feels this way.
  • Imagine you are a new English teacher at a high school. Write about what your first week would be like.
  • Suppose someone handed you a permanent marker. What would you write on the first blank surface you found?
  • If you could go back in time to see the invention of something, what would you like to see invented? How would it change life as we know it today?
  • Transportation like cars, bicycles, or roller skates have evolved. Write a story about how they are different.
  • You are trapped on a deserted island for five years. What would you bring with you to sustain yourself?
  • Write down something you wish more people did or are better at. How could you help them realize that they are doing or are those things?
  • If you could have one word added to the dictionary, what word would you add and how would it be defined?
  • People are broken into a penguin colony, an alligator colony, a lion colony and a human colony. How do the people from each colony get along with the others? What secrets do the humans have that the other colony does not know? What happens when the colonists discover what the humans are?
  • You discover an old trunk. It is filled with odd-looking things. What is inside? Include everything from a food processor, to a spaceship, to early proof of life on Pluto.
  • You and your whole family get lost on vacation while visiting a country where everyone speaks a different language. How do you communicate?
  • There’s a new amusement park in town, all because one person discovered a secret room behind an old bookshelf. Whatever they dream, the dream comes true! What do you dream?
  • Describe your experience going to up to the tenth floor of a building. Have you been upstairs often? If you live in a house, did you live in an apartment or condo once?
  • A zoo allows you to swap animals with another person for one night. Which animals do you exchange and how would you care for them?
  • Write a story about a thing that is impossible to lose, like a digital photo or a document stored on the internet.
  • A stranger comes to your town and must leave immediately. They have one hour to choose three objects to take with them. What will the stranger choose?
  • What would your favorite historical figure like for lunch? Write a scene with them actually eating it.
  • A book is going to be made about your life. However, every time the writer makes a mistake, or does not understand you, you will disappear from the book. Explain to the writer what he should know about you.
  • Mummy and Daddy have been gone for hours. What are you worried about? Write about it in your journal.
  • and please remember that these are only suggestions to help you or your students get started. If you have any of your own writing prompts for kids, feel free to add them to the conversation!
  • Write a story about a person you think would be good to have in your corner to help you with a problem you face.
  • Tessie’s face is covered in dirt. How did she get that way, and why didn’t her parents notice it before now? Write a letter from Mom to “Dear Abby” about Monkey Butt.
  • Your family moves to another city and you have to live in a new place for a while. Write about your new neighborhood. When your family goes home, write about your old neighborhood.
  • Free write about what your day was like. First think of your immediate surroundings, and then think of your day.
  • A stranger needs to borrow your dog. If you had a talking dog, what would you say to the stranger? Write a letter to your best friend explaining who you are, why your friends like you, and why you like your friends.
  • A crazy old astronaut in his crazy ship is always flying around your town, making scary sounds and scaring everyone, even the brave firefighters. What happens when they take a closer look at the astronaut and his flying ship?
  • A book reviewer has given a local library the wrong book for your age group. Read it and write the review M.L. and make it hilarious, even if it’s the only one the library gets.
  • You and several other people are put in an office building during a simulated disaster, such as a fire. Describe what you notice as things start to happen and get worse.
  • Your teacher asks you to write a story describing your perfect pet. Write two endings for the story.
  • You arrive home from vacation to discover that your entire family has been shrunk to the size of an ant. What is your first reaction? How do you get your family back to normal size? How do you continue your life?
  • Many people today are using the internet. They are becoming cybercriminals when they hack into websites and internet content. Before becoming cybercriminals, explain what sort of jobs you think they will have.
  • One day when you are home alone, you hear voices coming from your closet. What is happening and how do you deal with it?
  • You’re a detective and you have 10 minutes to solve a major crime. What does the crime involve? What clues will you need to look for? Who are the suspects?
  • You discover a treasure map. What is included on the map and where do you go to search for the treasure?
  • Choose a character from a story that you want to write about. What is that character’s name? Then, describe that character.
  • Imagine you are an orchardist, caring for orchards that grow the most delicious fruit. Describe how you care for the orchards, your tools, and keep the fruits safe.
  • Write a story about a grandfather who meets a ghost. You need to be sure to mention everything he does as he sees the ghost and meets him.
  • Dream up the most amazing superhero you can imagine. Write a story about them using at least 10 of the words from the list below.
  • Write the menu for an unusual restaurant serving the strange food people eat in science fiction stories.
  • You are a time-traveler who goes back in time for your high-school reunion. What do you do? Take Click to see some impromptu writing prompts . Incredibly clever writing prompts for kids and teens.
  • Write a story from the viewpoint of your favourite book character if his or her life story was being made into a movie.
  • Lots of current-day inventions are made possible because of things people learned by taking risks. Write about someone who was brave enough to learn something new.
  • Now it’s your turn. Got an awesome writing prompt to share? Make sure your youngest plotter has the chance to share below!
  • Write about a person who can shrink large objects down to tiny sizes, but has a hard time standing their own family.
  • Write a story about a country where celebrities are put to death if they are caught doing bad things.
  • Let’s be pirates! Write a story about pirates who go to the beach and dig a big hole. If they did, what do you think they’d find?
  • Your family is hosting a big dinner party and you’re asked to find fun games for your younger cousins. Suggest some.
  • You’re about to become a ghost and must share a few words of wisdom with humans, what would you say?
  • If you woke up and discovered you had switched bodies with another person, what would that person do?
  • Your family goes to a restaurant for dinner. Everyone likes your meal except your brother and your sister. Write about how you plan to get revenge.
  • The tall man and the small man are two people who work in a bento box factory. They are very fast at their work, but they don’t get paid as much as they think they should. They make a plan to save money by giving themselves less and mea…
  • Movies are a great way to help kids exercise their imagination and get inspired. If he or she has already seen the film in question, encourage him or her to watch it again.
  • A man accidentally turns his daughter into an elephant. Write a story about what happens after that.
  • Write about your deepest fears, many famous authors published their work when they were young teens. Go for writing and you too can be a young author or screenwriter.
  • Write about a children’s book character, superhero, or fairy tale character who has to go to the dentist.
  • If you were a runaway game show contestant on a game show where you were competing with other grownups to see who could keep running the longest, what two things would you grab for before you ran out of the studio?
  • Your character is concussed because a soccer ball struck their head. Write a paragraph telling us how they feel.
  • If you could have a magical amulet with either good luck or invisibility, which one would you want? Create a map.
  • You are sick in bed with the flu. In order to cheer you up, your mom tells you a story. Create her story.
  • Write a story about how you were candidates for a junior astronaut pilot program, and had to take a space shuttle flight to fix a problem in space.
  • You are a TV producer shooting a segment on unusual pets. You go to a home to find a kid’s pet. Take notes. What kind of pet is it and how are they treated?
  • Your father gives you one penny for every question you answer correctly. Answer as many questions as you can before time is up.
  • Write about a time in history where you would have liked to be alive. Why did you pick that time period?
  • A mother koala and her baby are separated on the day the baby is born. Write about how the mother finds the baby. What difficulties do they have to face? Describe how the family spends their days together. Can you describe the baby’s personality? The mother’s personality?
  • I once went to a magic show. The magician asked me to think of a member of my family. He made a drawing of my relative come to life on paper. How did he do it?
  • You have an identical twin sister. Imagine that today you turn evil and mean, and tomorrow you switch back to your old personality, good and kind. Now, imagine that she also switches back to her old personality. What happens to you two?
  • You wake up in a room that becomes your secret hideout. Describe what you find and decorate the room in exciting and unusual ways.
  • Write about a memorable character from a book you have recently read and explain why you liked this character.
  • You and your best friend get into a fight. Write about what it’s like to work through and become better friends.
  • Write about a time when all of your friends and family sent you really cool presents for your birthday.
  • A newer, more powerful steam engine, called Uncle Steam, is at war with an even older one, the Old Steam. The Old Steam is in the city, and Uncle Steam won’t defeat it until the city has been evacuated. Write a story about how the evacuation happens.
  • You only have one match a day to keep your house warm. What would you do with it? Write a story about it.
  • In your notebook the list of words are listed that you are not allowed to use. Imagine that you find another notebook with pages full of your banned words. You like to take the notebook with forbidden words and throw it into a blue lake. What feeling do you have while you watch it going down to the lake bottom? Thanks so much for reading and seeing.
  • You’re a contestant on the Price is Right. What would you bid for a new bike alone? First make sure you have some police tape and metal detectors ready for this one. You’ll probably need them.
  • You wake up one morning and discover that you are famous. Write 5 things about you that make you famous.
  • Eventually, your memories will fade. But imagine you had the chance to preserve your memories of your entire life inside of a hand-held computer. What would you do to your life if you knew you had this chance?
  • You go for a walk and suddenly discover a lone house in the woods. What is it like and what do you find inside?
  • In every giant’s life, there comes a day when they must set out for their journey. Your giant just woke up to this life-changing event. What caused your giant to set out on this journey?
  • You are in a car that crashes into a brick wall, killing you and your parents. You soon find yourself in Heaven with the three most important people in your life. Who are they and what are you doing?
  • A thunderstorm sends your baseball cap magically floating to the moon. Write about what you did to get it back.
  • When looking into the sky, you see three clouds in the shapes of a rabbit, turtle, and elephant. They seem to be moving nearer to you. What are they and what do they want?
  • Imagine you have a magical window in your house that shows you scenes of the past, present and future. What is the best and worst thing that you would see?
  • Imagine you were the opposite of a leopard. That is to say, instead of black and spots, you would be colorful and furry with pointy ears and a long tail. Who would you go and live with?
  • Read and watch fictional stories and then use your imagination to write a new ending to it. What do you think will happen next?
  • Write the backstory for a character’s appearance—for example, describe his/her appearance before the story started.
  • Write a poem about one of your friends. You can also write a character study on the friend you choose to write about.
  • Pick an item from your house. Write a creative explanation about how it got there, or what it’s purpose is.
  • Write the story of a famous historical battle fought using only words that begin with the letter ‘F’.
  • What are two fashions/styles you will never wear? Write a poem or short story describing a person who would wear these clothes/styles.
  • Use the outline to create a final paragraph for the story. The paragraphs will be in the form of you writing a letter to another person explaining how terrible you feel after writing your story.
  • You get a call while you’re at a crowded party. It’s a call about a relative you haven’t seen in ages. He/she is only one hour away and wants you to remember everything you can about him/her. What do you do?
  • They say “be careful what you wish for,” but nobody ever says, “be careful what you read.” There are few books that have not been banned in some way. Choose one that has been banned and examine the reasons why it may have been banned. Then list three reasons why that particular book should be made available to all readers.
  • You discover a device that can make any book come to life, but really, only one book so choose carefully.
  • One day you discover a word that makes everything you write magically come true. How do you decide how to use the word?
  • You just bought a present for your best friend. How will you surprise her by giving it to her? Oh and make it realistic. Don’t just drop whatever it is on her and say here’s your present. Have an original plan how to give it to her secretly.
  • What if you discovered a pair of black shin guards that allowed you to walk on walls and ceiling. Where would you go and what would you do?
  • You wake up one morning and you and all the people in your hometown have switched places with the people in a different country, but no one will notice. What do you do?
  • Write about anything you might find in a time capsule. For extra credit, you can put something of your own in it.
  • Write about a day out at the beach. Include an adventure you’ve had at the beach, or if you have never been to the beach just write about one.
  • Suppose you got lost in the subway. Imagine your Dad coming to rescue you. Tell a story about what happened.
  • You are a superhero with a secret identity. Tell how you use your super powers to protect your identity.
  • Write about a person who isn’t very popular at their middle school, but finishes the year with a very large collection of friends.
  • You are standing in a clearing at midnight next to a black box. Inside the box is a clock that is counting down from 12 hours. Next to the box is a black cat.
  • You wake one day to find that one of your arms has turned into gold. Write about the adventures such a change would make possible in your life.
  • It’s the zombie apocalypse and you’re at home in the zombie-proof bubble bath. What did you do wrong?
  • You are able to travel back in time. You can choose one day to see in the past and one day to see in the future. What days do you choose and why?
  • About Zoo Writing Prompts This is a collection of writing prompts for kids, teenagers and adults organized by category. The ideas include descriptive prompts and writing prompts for kids on categories such as school, family, friends, love, holidays, imagination, story starters, creativity writing prompts, narrative writing prompts, poetry writing prompts, descriptive writing prompts, language, and expression. Independent writers, working on their own or with the help of a teacher, may use this list of free creative writing ideas to compile their own, personalized story starters or use interesting descriptive prompts and engaging writing exercises for their characters. Educators may use these for language arts and English lessons, and they are also an ideal source of themed descriptive writing prompts and fun writing quotes to home school and tutor children.
  • You’re on a mission to rescue your best friend from outer space. What kind of invention do you have that will help you show your friend that you love them?
  • You wake up one morning and discover you’re an animal of some kind. What is it? If you could be the next “It” kid or “it” girl, what would your resume look like to impress them?
  • A tree house in the woods where no one can get you becomes your home for days or weeks. At last you are rescued. What has transpired in your tree house?
  • A glowing ball of light appears and asks your name. When you tell it, it says it can lend you a great gift, but you must promise to take care of it. What do you ask for and what are your new superpowers?
  • You and your friend are going camping for the weekend and decide you should bring cookies. Create a cookie that you think would be delicious to eat but bad to eat. Your friend buys the wrong kind of cookie by accident, and you think it’s a misfortune. What happens?
  • You’re a curling stone in your arena and you are slowly making your way down toward the playing field. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you think as you get to the playing area and prepare to be thrown at the house?
  • You awaken one day to discover that it’s the day of your big sporting event. Unfortunately, you didn’t set the alarm clock, and you’re late. What do you do?
  • Riddles are a fun writing prompt for kids because they make them think. This idea will work especially well for older kids working on their English writing and comprehension skills. To make it a bit more engaging, try this fun riddle worksheet here .
  • When your parents visit this weekend, you may have to help them around the hotel. Your dad is very clumsy and kept leaving the toilet seats up. When Saturday arrives, you realize that you don’t even know how to flush! Your father arrives first and already forgot he left the toilet seats up. Your mom arrives ten minutes later and has a nervous breakdown when she sees his mess with a broken toilet seat. You have to write a 5 paragraph essay on how you handled the situation. You had better do a good job.
  • Disorientation can lead to great writing. Often writers have trouble starting a character on a trip because there is nothing to worry about in the beginning of a journey. Why not kidnap your character and release them later? That would set the suspense building and get the character started.
  • Write a story from the perspective of someone with special powers such as a superhero, fairy, a magician or a genie.
  • You have the power to grant three wishes to the first three people to arrive at the party you’re throwing. What do you wish for? Write anything you like. Just let the story flow in your imagination. But don’t get stuck in your own shoes. Stretch them. For more writing prompts, see Writing Prompts for Adults and Writing Prompts for Kids
  • Your favorite thing to eat is giant human-sized marshmallows. For an entire year, everything you eat, whatever it is, is huge and tastes like a giant marshmallow. How would things change?
  • Your teacher announces that the first test grade will be based on a paper you have written. It has absolutely no importance for the final exam. Write me a report on how you feel about it and how you will feel when the real exam will take place.
  • You love dogs, but your family hates them. Write a letter to convince your family to let you own a dog.
  • Name the funniest joke or cartoon you’ve seen. Then recreate it in your own words for fun and share with family and friends!
  • Another resource for suggested writing prompts is your local bookstore or library. Many writers give readings from their books or share intriguing photos at signings, in which case you get to listen to them and their stories.
  • You have just been elected governor of the United States. Write about what you would do as governor in the next one hundred days in office
  • Think of a story about someone you admire who uses his or her abilities and strengths to do extraordinary things.
  • Copy this onto your blog, and then make a post of your own with the third prompt in the series when it comes up!
  • At a fancy debutante ball everyone wears clothing from the 19 th century, but not you. Write about why you don’t wear old-fashioned clothes.
  • Sometimes it’s hard to fit in at school and do what your teachers tell you. Write a letter to the principal about something that doesn’t make you feel so good at school.
  • A well-meaning witch tries to get rid of the hiccups by casting a spell on you, but she accidentally turns you into a toad. Now what?
  • You are alone on an island. You walk a mile down the beach and find that it is actually a deserted amusement park. You meet the amusement park “ghost.” What does he tell you? Write a story about the encounter.
  • You mail a valuable gold necklace to a friend. She or he keeps it for a few weeks and then sends it to be cleaned. But instead of getting it back, you receive a green paperweight of the same size and shape. How do you retrieve your necklace?
  • Write about what your family would do if you suddenly became rich … but by Monday you have to go back to your normal life.
  • After eating a magic peanut, your tail grows, ears get bigger and you get taller. Describe what you look like.
  • Do you think you were born an important person, or do you think your importance evolved throughout your life as you experienced things and gained power?
  • A man starts a fire just outside the main door of your school. Why? What can the students do? Write the students’ responses.
  • Write about four kindergarten teachers who all have the same pet turtle for a day. Their names are Mr. Moby, Mrs. Turtle, Miss Durt, and Miss Gray.
  • Due to a rainstorm, the world is being drowned in water. Your family is about to be captured probably never to be seen again. How do you change this situation? Write a letter to a celebrity.
  • Give a made-up magic word for a real-life problem and list four real words that could solve the problem.
  • Mothers always know best. Write a story about a mother who knows everything–she knows where you are at all times, she knows what you want, she knows when you’ve been bad or good.
  • Write about an archaeological find that proved absolutely crucial to the advancement of your chosen profession.
  • How would you go about building the best sand castle you have ever seen? Include details in your description.
  • You are given a map of the world on which every country is one inch bigger than the country next to it. Explain how a journey across will change.
  • You awake one morning to find that you are the only elephant left. Some of your relatives have decided to remain with you, while the rest have left you for new land where there is lots of food and water. Write about how you get up from bed, brush your teeth, comb your hair…carry on with your daily routine even though you are one lonely elephant.
  • You are the only one who doesn’t know that dolphins are intelligent. Write a story about a day when you and your friends go to the aquarium and discover that dolphins talk to each other by clicking their blowholes all the time.
  • After walking through a steamy jungle, you drink from an enchanted pond and grow three times your normal size. Describe this experience.
  • Imagine that your teacher is the Wizard of Oz. Describe what he or she looks like, including what color skin he or she has, etc.
  • Have you ever gone to Brownies or Green-Girls/Guides, put your drink down and lost it. Write a story about that happening.
  • You get most of your homework back but you have to rewrite one sentence. But it has to rhyme and your teacher will check your work. What happens?
  • You are alone on a deserted island. You are given all the food and water you need. Use all the details you can think of. Make it really interesting.
  • After working on a particularly hard math problem, you discover that you have shrunk to a very small size. What is it like being so small?
  • It is your birthday, and you have won the chance to go on vacation with your parents anywhere you want in the world. Where would you go and why? What does the trip look like?
  • Write a letter to an author that you like, asking them why they believe their book makes people happy.
  • You have just been banished to an island for a year. You can bring along one possession. What do you choose?
  • The opening line of a book is very important. It can hook the reader or turn them off forever. Do you think it is more important to know the end sentence, or how the end sentence will get to it….or how do you know that you will  get to the conclusion????
  • Someone had made a beautiful cake out of perfect red velvet. It has your name written carefully in icing on the top. Why do you think they made such a cake just for you? Why is it in your bed?
  • What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said about you? Write a response and then write about what happened next.
  • Check out Lauren McDonald’s middle school products at Brainstorming Tutors on Teachers Pay Teachers.
  • All of the toys belonging to your siblings vanished when you came home from school. Explain how this happened and how you affected it.
  • Each family buys their first personal computer. What computer would you buy, why, and how would you use it?
  • How would you decorate your room if you had no financial limits? The surface of the page continues with a five paragraph paper design formatted so it was a big reproducible practice page that could be completed in a composition book at school.
  • You’ve just been hired for your very first real job. Getting ready for work one morning, you look in the mirror and discover that you have grown another head! What do you do?
  • You just won a Crumple Mobile and you can have an unusual feature done to your new crumple mobile. What is it?
  • You win a contest for a prize package of ten items, including an all-expense-paid trip to visit a famous author. Which author would you select and why?
  • Imagine you’ve gained a power to let you control the minds of animals. What do you use your power to control first?
  • Write about a time that you were thrown into the deep end and had to figure things out as you went along. What challenge did you face and how did you make it past it?
  • What type of pet would you choose if you could? Would you want it to be normal or something fantastical? Why?
  • Write about a time when you were very angry and write about what led up to it, what happened during it and how you eventually settled it.
  • You look into a mirror and find yourself 10 years younger. Write about your reaction to the new you.
  • Napoleon, Cleopatra, the Eiffel Tower, Mount Everest, or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Which one do you want to take a tour of? What would you see? What would you do on this tour?
  • You are a famous detective hired to restore a collection of paintings that have been stolen. Where has the thief hidden the paintings? What clues will you find that help you solve this mystery?
  • You have the opportunity to give up your pet for the rest of its life, or take a time machine back to the day your pet was a puppy and relive its whole life again with it. What do you do?
  • Write a story about a time you became invisible and went pranking around your house or neighborhood.
  • You decide to cook a special dinner. Make a list of recipes, order ingredients from a menu, and describe the results in a menu. Include a recipe at the end.
  • What is your favorite adventure story in a book, movie or play? Write about it from a different but similar point of view.
  • Plot twists are an important part of a good read. Sometimes they are far-fetched. Sometimes they are expected. Sometimes the reader’s connection with the book is most important. A plot twist can leave the reader in tears. It can make the reader laugh out loud. What do you think is the perfect plot twist? What kind of emotion do you want your reader to feel at the end of your story?
  • Write about the best and worst birthday parties you’ve ever been to. What were the best and worst gifts you received.
  • You are the president of the United States. You are in a meeting with the president of Russia. You have just received a phone call that nuclear missiles are on the way to the USA. You need to respond but you can only say six or seven words. What do you say to the president of Russia?
  • Writing prompts do not have to be elaborate and incredibly hard to complete but they still direct the child’s thinking and hopefully increase their imagination. The only thing a teacher, parent, or adult has to remember is that they have to come up with prompt thoughts all the time, 365 days a year!
  • Write about a character’s initials. You can have their full name be the initials if you wish. You can choose one of your initials, one of your sibling’s initials or just try making up initials.
  • Imagine you were shrunk down to the size of a pea. If you could do anything you wanted without fear of getting hurt. Who or what would you talk to.
  • While you are typing, you hit the wrong key and your computer erases the last sentence you wrote. It then erases the rest of your work. Nothing is left. What will happen?
  • You’re a traffic warden whose job is to collect parked cars at a busy street. Write a letter to the traffic authority reporting what happened during your shift.
  • Tom is getting left out of all the cool games for kids, so he invents one of his own. But things don’t turn out the way he hopes.
  • What you know what an airplane pilot does on a regular day, write a short story from his or her point-of-view.
  • You are given two years to complete one of the following — how would you spend your time? Read all of Shakespeare write a novel perfect your athletic skills learn to fly
  • Go to a store and imagine that you can purchase anything you’d like. Write down the items you would buy or the “fun stuff” that you would do.
  • A stork announces that there is a baby on your roof and flies away. You go upstairs and your neighbor pops out of his window saying that the stork is standing on the roof with the baby.
  • Another excellent source of printable story starters is your local librarian. The librarian can help you to locate printable activities for children to use in lieu of story starters.
  • What is your favorite motivational saying? Write down what it means to you and a story about how you put it into action.
  • My granddaughter’s favorite animated movie is Wreck-It-Ralph. If you’ve seen it, you might enjoy this topic. What if you could be in a video game? What power would you want? What would your special move be? Or, who would you be?
  • Write a biography about one of your parents. If your parents are to be featured in your novel, make sure they give you permission first.
  • Your good friend is leaving on vacation. Write a letter to them wishing them good luck and telling them why you’ll miss them.
  • You discover a secret room behind a bookcase in your grandparent’s attic. Write about what you find.
  • You have written a book about the extraordinary things that happened to you on a summer day while staying at your Grandma’s house, but you would never tell anyone about it. What’s it all about anyway?
  • Imagine you are the mayor of your town. Write about all the things you would do to make the town a better place.
  • Two people are holding your favorite stuffed animal in each of their hands. You cannot get the animal from one person and the person you get it from must give you the animal. Who would you take the toy from, and what would you do with it?
  • Write a scary story about a babysitting job gone wrong. Then, have the babysitter save the day in the end.
  • You go on a cruise to a tropical island. While you are swimming in the water, you are swept away by a giant wave and carried out to sea. You are saved and should not be going at all, you should still be on the island.
  • Ever left a restaurant with the wrong order because the numbers on your food matched the wrong items on the order menu? What have you done about it?
  • Your friend sends you a funny joke using email. Write back right away to thank your friend, and include the joke in your letter.
  • Write about the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for somebody, even if it made you look like a weenie.
  • Write about the most spectacular Halloween costume you ever made, or that you ever saw someone make.
  • During your entire life, the only contact you are allowed to have with a person from another  planet is a two-minute conversation once a month, for the rest  of your life. Who is the person who you would choose to talk with, and why?
  • Write a story about a character who gets stranded in a desert and has only one food which he can eat.
  • A bus drives through a hole in the space-time continuum and lands before cavemen and women painted on the walls of a cave. What effect would the bus have on them?
  • You are an actor in a stage play. The director says that because of a cloudy sky and bad light, he must move the play indoors. Write about what happens next.
  • Write a story about a typically boring family—maybe a baker’s family, but the parents turn out to be wizards and the kids are their apprentices. Write it in the style of Harry Potter and begin the story, “Mr. and Mrs. Baker were just your ordinary, everyday bakers…”
  • Write about a time when someone did something exceptionally nice for you, and how you felt about this.
  • Write about a time when you gave your little brother or sister a hard time. You’re sorry for causing trouble now, but wish you could go back in time and fix the problem. What would your minute-younger self say to your older self?
  • Write a story about you and a sibling or two siblings going snorkeling under a sea full of sunken treasure.
  • What would the world be like if everyone celebrated New Year’s Day on the same day? How would that change your life? What would you make sure to do on that day that you wouldn’t do otherwise?
  • You have just invented the best game in the world. It is the most fun, adventurous, hilarious game anyone has ever played. Now write about the first time you play your game with a friend.
  • Used in combination with a situation of the students’ choosing, these prompts help beginning writers to focus on situation, characterization, and action at full length. Older students can evaluate the detail, descriptive language, and length as well.
  • How about this great Wizard of Oz themed set of numerous writing prompts that might work well for elementary students, middle school writing prompts , or high school writing prompts. Or this post full of crazy auto writer prompts.
  • Write about a family living alone on an island and have a battle royale with critters for the last piece of fruit.
  • Write about someone who you think is better than you in some way. Maybe it’s more athletic or good looking or more intelligent.
  • You’re about to die from amoebic dysentery. Write a letter to your family saying you love them and why you’re proud of them.
  • You go into an old shop, and you find the sign that says, “The Richest Shop in the World.” Write about what’s in there.
  • Your sister trapped you inside your room by putting the door on the inside. How are you going to get out?
  • Now it’s your turn to be an author. Write your own story. You can even include superheroes or animals.
  • Write a story about when you went to camp. Could be based on something that really happened or could be set at any time in history or in…
  • If you unexpectedly came across a bag of money, what would you do with it? You recently missed a flight on your way home from work. How did you get home?
  • The next time you visit a non-biological parent or relative, ask that person to write his or her reasons for not taking care of you. Then write your feelings about the way you have been treated.
  • Write the story of an orphan who goes to live with a new family, a boy who moves to a new city and so on.
  • You are about to perform a magic trick for a large audience. Write about it. You could write a story about having a bad day.
  • Take a piece of paper, fold it many many times, and cut out the layers. Create a new city out of the building you now have.
  • A time machine is invented, which takes you back in time, but only so far back in time — no further than your own lifetime. What would you do if you were suddenly able to spend a month in the past or future?
  • Your parents have hidden all of your toys. To get them back, you must take an oath of honesty, which your parents keep in mind at all times. What would you tell if you lied? Include everyone in the family.
  • You wake up a witch and a prince, who are engaged to each other. That’s right–WITH ONE OF THEM, YOU CAN MULTIPLY. Anything goes with this story — just make it!
  • Write an instruction manual to help someone use an object you own that they might not be able to figure out how to use.
  • Imagine a robot had taken over the world and you had to get rid of the robot. Why would you try to defeat the robot, and how would you destroy it? What would it do if it retained its memory during the change? What would you do with the world now free?
  • You have just inherited a million-dollars from an unknown relative. All you have to do is carry some large boxes sealed with magic wax back to your house. What do the boxes hold?
  • You’ve been visited by the Tooth Fairy, but something went wrong, and suddenly her teeth are all over the place. Where are the teeth, and how do you get them to her mouth?
  • Imagine there was a world winter games that was held every February. You are competing and you have been very well trained. But you are competing against the world’s fastest skater. What would you do?
  • Choose three things you want to change about yourself and write a paragraph about how you would feel about the changes.
  • Write a story about a creature who is very small. He or she eats lots and he or she either turns into a big creature or something happens.
  • Mix up alphabet letters. You can only use each letter once. Think of a story to go with the words you form.
  • Write a letter to your best friend, telling him or her everything you like about them and why you’re lucky to have them as a friend.
  • Make a poem about a storefront window that describes the object you see in the window using only one syllable word.
  • Using the first line of an Abraham Lincoln quote, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time,” write a story about the most important thing in your life.
  • Pretend that you are a kid who never takes baths and everyone at school is talking about how smelly you are. Write a diary entry as this kid about this entire episode.
  • You’ve just invented the perfect video game. Describe it and the kinds of people who might like playing it.
  • In one hundred years, the person you are writing for is going to die. Write a letter to them so they know what they mean to you.
  • Imagine you are going on a business trip with your parents. On the plane you hear you are going to crash. What do you do?
  • Bring to mind a scary movie that you’ve never seen before – create a sequel to that movie. What was the scary event about?
  • A small boy finds a magic bag in the forest. As soon as the boy touches it, the bag begins to grow. List five things you would want to put in a magic bag.
  • If a magic carpet transported you to a time in the past, which time and place would you choose? Write about your visit.
  • A stranger hands you a black box and says you will get into trouble if you open the box. You decide to open the box and your most worrisome prediction comes true. Write the story of what happened in the black box.
  • Whether it is a personal dream or one that your character wants, try to be realistic in your goal. As you write, describe in detail what your character sees, hears, smells, tastes, and feels. The more vivid your action scenes are, the more your readers will be drawn into the story.
  • Write about a bad day. Write about a good day. Write about a quiet day. Write about a day when you felt angry. Write about a day when you felt happy.
  • You go to wish on a star and the star says they aren’t interested in granting wishes anymore. What do you do?
  • You and your friend find a diary in a dumpster. Read the first few pages and then write a story about the girl whose diary it was.
  • You are given the opportunity to live the rest of your life at sea level or at the top of the highest mountain in the world. What would your preference be?
  • As you walk down the street, you notice a group of people holding a wedding. Stop and watch them. What do they do? Write about your day.  Now write about yesterday.  How are the two things different?Write a letter to a character in a book or TV show.  You are invited to their birthday party. Write a letter replying to the invitation. If you could invite anyone in the world over for dinner, who would it be? How is that dinner different from other dinners you’ve ever had? What are you afraid of?  Write a story about that fear. Describe your dream house.  Would you live there?  Now describe your ideal pet.  Would you keep it? Why or Why Not? Write about a problem you are having with a friend. What would you do if this problem was never solved? Write about your favorite thing to eat and why you like it.   You receive a free coupon to a fast food restaurant. What kind of meal do you order? What do you have to pay for it? What pet would you own if you could have any pet?  Now describe your ideal house.  Would you like to live there? Why or why not?
  • Write a story in which you describe two or more characters trying to get to a specific place but they always seem to arrive at a different place.
  • You feel a stiff breeze, and your next word must begin with S. How would you use that word in a sentence?
  • If you were the only person on an island and you had unlimited supplies of food, water, tools, and shelter, what would you do?
  • What would your house look like if you were not allowed to pick the colors? How could the rooms be decorated?
  • A person gets a wish for every letter in his or her name. Think of a great name with at least nine letters!
  • You see an advertisement for a free puppy. You go and see them and can choose from extremely large dogs and this tiny white poodle. What do you do?
  • If you had super powers and could have super strength, X-ray vision or be invisible, which one would you choose and why?
  • When good things happen to you, list them on the left side of a paper. After you are done listing the things you are grateful for, write about a time you did something nice for someone else. Who did you help, when, and why?
  • A woman who lives by the sea receives a package delivered to her by boat. The package ends up being a small wooden boat, and in the middle of the package the woman finds a note with three numbers on it. What do the numbers mean and what does the t…
  • There is a new video game that has just been released. Write a story about what it is like to play the game after playing all day.
  • You just received the award for Best Storyteller of Primeval Forest. Write a thank you speech for the award.
  • The fire button in the control room of your factory doesn’t work anymore, which means you’ll have to shut down. Unless the nice worker offers to become a real hero and press the button manually.
  • You write a book entitled ‘How to shape my world’ to describe what it would take to better your relationship with your parents or guardian.
  • A cat has nine lives. Write a story about a cat named Mr. Winks who only had 8 lives left … and he was about to fall into a blender.
  • A meteor hits your town. Sometime later you learn that a good person not from your town was hit and killed by the meteor. Write the story of this good person.
  • That’s all the time we have for a question and answer session for today. Feel free to read more Civil War Facts by Kids
  • There is an art competition today for artists worldwide. You are the only artist at your school, and if you make it through your school does not make it through, you get to go to the art competition. Your only problem is…YOU have an art block. Is there any way you could overcome your fears in time to prepare for the competition?
  • You are walking into a forest full of wild animals. Find the funniest way for a monkey to crawl out of a hole and scare you.
  • Jean is a soldier in the Great War. When she meets a young Canadian soldier named Ron, they have a short romance before Jean has to go back to France. Write the story of their meeting, their relationship, and their separation.
  • Write a short story about yourself in which you can walk through any door and find yourself in any place or time.
  • You’ve been invited to be the very first human on Mars! Of course, you’ll have to live in a special habitat, but you can choose what it looks like.
  • Something strange happens to you, Tara. You find yourself shrinking and shrinking until your head touches the ground! How did this happen? When you’re small keep writing as if you are still Tara, telling the tale of her tiny adventures.
  • A metal car from the future shows up in your driveway just before dinner on Sunday. Where do you go and what do you do?
  • If you were a hobbit from Middle Earth, where would you live? If you don’t know what a hobbit is, this resource may help.
  • Two years from now, a robot in the form of a talking cow appears and tells you that your job is to find your magic cowbell and ring it. The robot then gives you pencil and paper and explains the writing prompt to you. What do you do next?
  • You find a frozen snowperson, and it starts to melt as soon as you’re around. Write about your first conversation with it in your journal.
  • Write about interesting people you might meet at the circus. Choose someone at random and write about them.
  • Jump out of bed the wrong way and get locked in a trunk by an evil witch for five days. How do you escape?
  • You awaken tomorrow with the ability to speak any and every language. Write a poem or song in the language you can speak.
  • Rainbow uniforms, flowered hats, and a bouncing cuddly friendly cat like the one Tom proclaims to be his.
  • Write a story about one day in the life of a tree. Describe in rich detail how it spends a 24-hour period.
  • Pretend your favorite uncle was a thief. Write a short story about a time that he/she stole something valuable.
  • A new employee gives you a hard time on your first day. Write a story about how you deal with this person.
  • Parents go out for the evening and leave you alone at home with your neighbors. Would the neighbors lock the doors before they left? Why, or why not?
  • Mad scientist calls you and offers to complete a perfect transformation. Which animal would you choose to be turned into and what would you talk the mad scientist into doing as part of your experiment? Why?
  • Invite a friend into your imagination. You walk around for a while, and your friend says, “Look at the tree!” If you look at the tree, how do you react?
  • An apartment building constructed thirty years ago is set to be torn down. All of your favorite memories take place in one of the other apartments and you are afraid you will lose the memories if the building is torn down. What do you do?
  • You visit a museum containing works by famous artists. Choose your favorite painting by a famous artist and write down what you think it is most about. Then, write an interpretation of your own in the style of the artist.
  • Imagine you were writing a science fiction thriller novel. In your novel, your main character is a superhero. What powers would he or she have? Why would your character be a hero?
  • Write a story about what would happen if you put something in front of a mirror and nothing happens.
  • Recently, you won a free lunch at your most favorite restaurant where anything and everything is free, including dessert. Describe the food you ate with all five senses.
  • You’re building a castle out of Lego blocks. If you could have magical powers to make the castle come to life and take shape before your eyes, what would that look like?
  • Write a story about a person striving to reach the top of a mountain and encountering trouble along the way.
  • The Tooth Fairy is having a yard sale and your parents have just told you that you can have ONE toy. You can pick anything from the tooth fairy’s sale — what do you take?
  • Write a story about someone who is walking home alone at night, and they hear scary stories from the radio. Explain what happens when the person hears each scary story.
  • Write a fake romance novel with a couple you chose as a subject. Describe all the elements of the romance novel.
  • It would be very helpful if we knew how many students and teachers applied for this project last year.
  • Stories about wishes are especially popular among children. Make your own story about wishes and write a five page, double-spaced book report about it. Write out the story and do a book report.
  • Author Natalie Norton shared these playful ideas for creating fairy tales on the go as well as on trend book covers from Pinterest.
  • Your best friend tells you he or she will give up everything to win the Miss or Mister USA Beauty Pageant. What do you do when your friend goes ahead and wins the contest? What would you say to remind your friend of all the silly and wonderful moments together?
  • Going to sleep one night, you have a strange dream… it’s about your life, and how it might be different — take your dream and write a story about it.
  • Someone has just opened a restaurant that only serves quesadillas. Write an advertisement for the restaurant.
  • Suppose you became a famous author for writing an incredible book. Then people started to write other books that told the same story in the same way as you had written. What would you do?
  • Build a small city or country. Describe each house or building. How did you get each thing? What kind of people and pets live there? What kind of music do they listen to? What is the economy like?
  • You meet a zombie at your door. What do you do? tie this into any lessons on the zombie theme you might have planned – “If You Come Across a Zombie….” and “Zombie segregate”.
  • Write a story about a person who is walking down a street when he hears the strangest sound he has ever heard. After hearing the sound for several hours, he figures out that it is coming from one specific house, and that somehow he has to get into that house. What do you think is in the house?
  • A friend makes you a personalized mixtape. What are the songs on it? Write down the titles and, if you know them, the artists’ names.
  • Where will the space station travel to in 20 years? Imagine you’re on board and write about what you might see.
  • Write about a place that is magical to you— where you feel at home or you feel like you can be yourself.
  • Create a race car. What color is it? Where is it made? Has it got a name? Describe its features and how it works.
  • A faery godmother grants you three wishes but each wish can only benefit one person besides yourself. If they were granted to yourself, they would have to be something really small and unimportant, like a loose tooth, or a wish your father won’t yell at you for spilling dirt and mud all over the floor, or a ten-pound piece of brownie.
  • Your closest friend is planning to move away. Write a letter to her explaining why it was your favorite place in the world.
  • People can communicate with wild animals when they are touching something that belongs to them. One day you touch your dog and…
  • Read some nursery rhymes or other old books at a museum or library and discuss what parts might have gotten an adult reader in trouble. Which stories might have gotten a child in trouble back in the day?
  • If you had to live on a desert island, what seven things would you bring with you? Describe what you would do with these things.
  • Write a letter from a person who is in a different place then you. For example, someone on another planet or on another planet can see Earth from a satellite.
  • Who knew that some of the best writing prompts for kids came in the form of questions? Come on, ask them something and see what happens.
  • Let’s say you had a camera with a built-in video transmitter that filmed what people said for you. Would you send them to live in an exotic city, or down to the world’s biggest amusement park?
  • Write a letter to the editor expressing an opinion on a concern you have with the world that you would like to see changed.
  • What should you not do in the ocean that you could do on land? Write a list and describe the consequences.
  • Type in an internet search and see where your typing takes you. Post intriguing excerpts from pages your typing lands on. Challenge yourself to keep from changing the words.
  • One day you wake up as if you have amnesia. You don’t know who you are, where you live, or anything about your past. Write an article for your local newspaper about where you woke up and your feelings about finding yourself in that situation.
  • You wake up after a big party and someone tells you that you had a lot to drink. What do you remember and what do you want to do about it?
  • You are a pirate captain and there are thirty-seven pirates aboard your ship. How do you divide them into three equal groups? What is the captain’s role in the division?
  • A group of pirates decide to take over all the islands in the Pacific ocean by planting an A Bomb on each one. The only trouble is the islands are guarded by fierce gorillas who won’t let anyone stand in their way. Tell us the story of how the pirates fought them off.
  • A group of explorers have discovered a new world filled with strange and wonderful creatures. You are thinking about joining them for an adventure and exploring this new and exciting world. Describe what the world looks like? What animals and creatures live there? What are your feelings toward the trip? What happens?
  • You discover a small door in the wall of your bedroom that leads to an alternate dimension. Describe three things you notice when you step through the door, then write about what happens when you step back through the door.
  • Your parents go out of town, and ask you to take care of your little sibling. Write about what happens to him or her while they are gone.
  • Write the opening of a story where your ordinary everyday life is interrupted and something extraordinary happens.
  • If you wrote school reports about your summer vacation, what would they be about? What ten words or phrases would you use?
  • What is your favorite fictional character? Why? What characteristics do you like about your favorite character? Write a story about you, your favorite fictional character, and another fictional character from a movie, book, videogame, anime, or television show.
  • In your opinion, what is the worst thing anyone could be famous for? Imagine you could have the abilities of a crocodile. What would you do with them? If you could create your own zoo, what three types of creatures would you include and why? In a movie review, lay out the pros and cons of what you saw. If you could visit one of the seven wonders of the world, what would it be? If you had a dog as a pet, and it died, how would you react? If you had enough money to never have to work for the rest of your life, what would you do? Write up the dishonest business practices you might employ if given the right circumstances.
  • Cause and effect are everywhere in the world around us. Explore them every day, either on the small or large scale.
  • A girl who lives in your neighborhood finds a magic notebook that makes her dreams come true. But things keep going wrong and it’s not exactly what she ordered. Why not?
  • You are given the choice to either be rich or be extremely nice and generous to everyone you meet. Which do you choose?
  • First thing tomorrow morning, you wake up to find that your eyebrows have disappeared. You have to live the rest of your life with ordinary eyebrows. What will you do?
  • Every Christmas morning, Santa gives a present to every person in the world, except you. Write a letter from you to Santa, asking what you can do to receive a gift this year.
  • Select a daily item that a person living in the late 1800s would have owned and explain the importance of it.
  • When no one is looking, you suddenly disappear. Where do you go? What happens when you reappear? Write a story for younger children about how they might use their superpowers to bargain for a treat. Do they save lives? Do they play pranks?
  • Okay, laugh if you want. Cute, funny and appropriate for kindergarten, first grade and second grade.
  • What is the biggest problem in the world today? Write a speech about how you would solve this problem or what you would do about it, who knows writing a speech may lead to a career in law enforcement.
  • Write about a teenager from the point of view of a man in his 90s remembering the gang he used to hang out with as a boy.
  • At the park, you come across a vending machine. It offers you its only item for free. What is the item and why is the vending machine giving it away for free?
  • You have been given permission by your principal to carve your dream pet out of a pumpkin for “bring-to-life” day. What type of pet do you create?
  • You are chosen to write an article about music for the school newspaper. Write an article about music you listen to.
  • Write about the different ways you could establish transportation for yourself if you lived alone in the wilderness.
  • Set a timer for 15 minutes and come up with as many captivating opening lines for stories as you can.
  • If you have any suggestions for more children writing prompts, please share them in the comments below.
  • Write a story about a day when you disappeared and only you could see yourself and what was happening.
  • Imagine everyone wears goggles around their neck. When you peer through the goggles, everything in the world looks upside-down. You were the last person in the world to discover the goggles. What would be the first thing you did?
  • Connected to their online communities, therefore gathering a pretty wide group of people who would relate to my art. Connected to their online communities, therefore gathering a pretty wide group of people who would relate to my art.
  • A robot is about to chop you in half. As you stare at the blade, you see a button on the robot’s arm, where his head would normally be. If you could push it, the robot would cease functioning and you would be saved. But, if you pushed the button, the robot would regain its original human consciousness. How would you push the button, while facing certain death?
  • You go on an archaeological dig and find either a dead body or an ancient mummy. Write your own story about what happened.
  • You and your best friend are running from a fire. She panics and trips and you fall under a burning tree. Your only option to save her is to push her off of the tree, crushing your bones. Do you do it?
  • Write a fast-paced mystery story where the crime just happens, but try to leave clues to the identity of the culprit.
  • Write a story about you and your best friend who discover an island with all the chocolate you will ever need.
  • You have three wishes. What do you wish for? Trouble is that each time you use one of the wishes, you lose one of your senses. What do you wish for first?
  • Imagine you lived in the world before there were flowers and plants. Describe a typical day in that world.
  • When writing adventure stories, we always need a fly in the ointment. Some kind of conflict or problem that the main characters need to overcome. If every page is action without consequences or rising in tension then it can be easy for the reader to get bored. Every story needs some obstacle for the story to overcome in order to progress.
  • The sun is so hot it melts the Earth, but we still have ten days left to live. How would you spend these precious ten days?
  • You just finished your first karate lesson and have a real fight on your hands with your bully next to the school’s fountain steps that day. You win all the fights and also become a sensation. How do you feel?
  • The most common writing topics among teens are teenage love. They choose to write about their boyfriend, girlfriend, ex, or someone they like, and express their feelings through writing. Teenagers also love writing about fashion. For example, a teen may write about a concert they went to or an outfit they love.
  • You wake up one morning and discover you have been turned into a creature – a penguin or a jellyfish or something like that – and you have to explain it to your parents.
  • If you’ve been looking for some creative writing prompts for kids, then don’t forget the love of writing comes from within. Their imagination is what will set them apart from their peers and help them grow into proficient writers.
  • Write a story or make up a conversation between two adults who are sitting in chairs at a restaurant.
  • Write a story in which you are the main character living in the world before the dinosaurs went extinct.
  • Write a story about a boy or girl who finds a treasure map and goes on the adventure to find the treasure.
  • Climb up your house, but take your time. Imagine you are climbing up and what you are feeling physically and why you would make your way up there.
  • You are traveling to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus. When you arrive at his house, you hear crying sounds. You want to make Santa Claus happy so you begin to search around the house to see what you can find to make Santa Claus happy. What do you find and why does it make Santa Claus happy?
  • A court ruled that you can now throw as many paper airplane gliders as you like. Write a story about what fun you might be tempted to have.
  • Keep it simple and limit yourself. Don’t just sit down at school of writing. Write for five minutes or five sentences every day. Eventually you’ll build a little story and it won’t be stressful anymore. Try it even if you’re not writing a story. It’s healthy and will make you a better writer because it summons you to be creative.
  • Imagine you won a contest and won a week on a tropical island. List everything you would take with you.
  • You are a great detective searching for clues. Think about a crime you could solve if you found clues.
  • Your best friend is a circus performer and he is going on vacation with his family tonight. Write a note telling him what you would miss about him and how much you will miss him until he returns.
  • You woke up one morning and discovered that the first person you saw after waking up would somehow become your partner in life that day. Who was it and how did you end up together?
  • You have the ability to grow three inches overnight. Which part of your body are you most excited to grow? On which part of your body are you most afraid you will grow?
  • If you could meet any character from any book, dead or alive, who would you like to meet? When you are done writing the character, go back and write about how your character reacts to meeting that person, encounters with characters from books or people you know and love.
  • Write a story about two friends who cannot stand each other. Write about the situation. Then write about how they resolve their differences.
  • Write a pitch for a sequel to your favorite book. Make a poster to advertise the book. Accepted Ed submissions will be ­published in the October edition of the YA/middle grade magazine, Huizache and will be advertised on the Official Junior Literary Guild Website.
  • A character from your favorite video game has come to life and wants to play with you. Will you make new friends? Who will you share your food with?
  • Find something in your room to write about, like your doll, bed, computer, or a shirt in your closet.
  • Second-grader, Matilda Cartwright, still dreamed of becoming a writer.  Every morning for the past two weeks she woke up before anyone else, even before her mother.  She allowed herself five minutes of quiet time for writing on her little pad before jumping into helping her mother with breakfast, showering, dressing, and getting her brothers and sisters ready.
  • Write a story about a kid whose family wins a grand prize in the lottery, like a sports car or boat.
  • You discover a mysterious object and it promises that it will grant you exactly one wish. You wish for —
  • Write a story about a boy who is afraid to leave his room at all, and what he does to overcome his fear.
  • You discover an enchanted red ruby ring. Describe your feelings as the magic of the ring sweeps over you.
  • Imagine being the student with the best attendance record at your school. Write about arriving at school late one day.
  • One day you discover a magic lamp that is filled with a mysterious, never-ending liquid. Anything you drop into the liquid disappears and somehow reappears within the lamp. What would you fill the lamp with?
  • Now write about that wall. Come on. It’ll feel good. No, seriously. Whatcha got. Or if you’ve already started you can finish up. lol
  • The President is coming to your city for a visit. Write the speech you would give to welcome the President.
  • Write stories that begin with the words,  “Once upon a time”  and,  “On this house a great wrong has been done.”  Then continue the beginning of each sentence so that the two stories have the same ending.
  • A dog on TV tells you he has to teleport you to Australia now. Pull out the speech bubbles and draw your dilemma.
  • You go back in time and you have to buy one book. Which book would you get and why? A woman loses everything and is given only one thing to keep. What has she lost?—and what has she kept?
  • Imagine that you live on a farm. Write about something that happened during the summer when it was raining.
  • You’ve in your hands two different colored buttons that you can push to change one thing into another. One turns the most evil person in the entire world into a kitten, and one turns a kitten into the most evil person in the entire world. What do you push?
  • When a restaurant claims it has the world’s best secret sauce, the cook decides to steal the recipe. How does he do it?
  • You get to visit a magic hotel that allows your dreams to come true but when you leave the hotel your memories of ever being in the hotel are erased. When would you go to the hotel and why?
  • Your family is going to an amusement park on the weekend, but you have to do the laundry. Do you wash the clothes or go to the park?
  • You wake up one morning and only have two hours to live. What do you do in those last two hours? LIST OF WRITING PROMPTS FOR CHILDREN
  • You wake up one morning to find a button in front of your door that you have never seen before. You press it and a clown appears from the ground beside you. The clown is named Knap…
  • You enter a contest and must accept whatever punishment the judges decide you deserve. What do you get? What kind of punishment will you accept?
  • Consider your home for a moment. Is there one room that is special, even magical, to you? Write about that.
  • You must identify a monster that lives inside your closet using only one word clues from the following list.
  • You want to enter a contest, but when you get there the poster says you need to be a contestant. So you decide to be the greatest contestant ever. What are you competing in?
  • You’re just about to take a test in school, when one of your teachers tells you that you’re going to die in exactly one minute. What do you do?
  • If you could pick any place to live in the galaxy, where would it be … on a deserted island, on Mars, or another planet?
  • You wake up one morning and your pet badger is a block away from the bed. What happened to the pet badger and how do you get it back into its cage?
  • As you were walking along the edge of a cliff, you suddenly realized that you forgot your friend Sally back at the bottom. You use the magic cell phone to call her. What does Sally do to rescue you?
  • It’s winter. You’re stranded in the mountains and have nothing to eat except Snow Dough. What do you cook? How does it taste?
  • A football team’s only hope in the championship game is your new invention. They will listen to you if you can show them it works. What does it do?
  • You accidentally cut your finger off while chopping wood. It is now growing a new finger underneath the old one and a little red-haired man, who smokes a pipe and carries a shovel around, pops up where it grows out of your palm. Tell about this being and what he asks you to do.
  • Write about the fight between good and evil, using the characters and possible creatures on the terms below.
  • Write a letter from a magic world to a non-fiction world. What would you tell them about the rules of your world?
  • Imagine you only had to sleep four hours a night, but you couldn’t stay up past midnight. How would you spend your time?
  • A magic door appears in your room with an ornate knocker. What do you see on the other side of the door?
  • Hazel and Jake have an argument, but you don’t know who’s in the right, so you try to decide the winner. How will you decide who’s correct?
  • How do you use an hour that you have all to yourself? How would you spend seventy-two two-minute intervals if you had them?
  • What would you use as a secret code to talk to the opposite side of the family, but without everyone else knowing what you are talking about?
  • An invisible person is always following you. You halfway expect to see people staring at you oddly, so you decide to perform a magic show. What do you do?
  • Use the first line and last line of a familiar story to write a new story beginning with “The sun was hot. The runners sank into the sand.”
  • After a camping trip, you discover a poem written on a rock, criticizing your poor camping skills. How do you respond?
  • Write about your birthday party. Give yourself two invitations, one invitation for a girl and one invitation for a boy.
  • You wake up one morning to find everything on your left side has switched places with everything on your right side. What do you do?
  • You are the first person to ever travel to the moon. Why do you go? What do you see when you finally get there? What did you imagine it would be like before you actually got there?
  • Write about a person who finds a stranger’s lost wallet. Write a letter to the person who lost the wallet, explaining why you did not take any of the money in it.
  • You need to write a movie script. Imagine the best movie you have ever seen and write a script based on it.
  • Frogs are shrinking everywhere! This causes problems for the owners of a frog circus. Think of interesting solutions to their problem.
  • Write a story about what would happen if an ordinary person suddenly gained superpowers, and face a supervillain.
  • Write a story in which you fantasize about having been a different person or living in a different time.
  • Write a travel journal about a time your family went camping by a lake with canoeing, swimming and fishing.
  • You’re in a plane that is about to crash when a button appears in the seat pocket in front of you. The instruction manual says that pressing it will open a parachute that will keep you alive. The downside is that it is attached to a terrible person. Do you press it?
  • Imagine you’re a famous veterinarian. Write about someone who comes to see you. What kind of pet does he want you to cure?
  • You live in a place that has a two hour time difference from your grandparents. So, you have 8 hours of “school” in the morning, and they have it then too. What does your life look like?
  • Write a story about what would happen if everything on the planet were made out of instant mashed potatoes.
  • You write a letter to the rain, asking it not to fall today. Why and what do you want the rain to do instead?
  • You’ve been sent back ten years in time to travel to the future. You must report back to the present what has happened during those ten years. You can only take a notebook and a pen with you.
  • Would you rather be able to gather treasure from any garbage can you come across or have cupboards that open up into treasure?
  • You receive a free trip to a small, deserted island for the day. What do you bring with you? What would you do on the island?
  • Choose one of your grandparents as a main character and write them as the hero or heroine of a story.
  • If you could invite anyone in the world—anyone real or fictional—to your birthday party, who would it be? Or, who would you like to give a special party for, and what would it be like?
  • Name your favorite color, food, sport, thing, etc., and then give a brief reason why you like it as much as you do.
  • If you could choose one thing to do, watch or wear for the rest of your life without having to be bored, what would it be?
  • Write about a special friend that was a pet. Take turns writing about what your friend did, thought, and said.
  • What things scare you and why? If you were given the chance to spend a day as a fly on the wall in a stranger’s house, where would you go and what would you see?
  • The floor is made of slippery ice, and you need to grab an object you dropped, but it’s inside a windowless freezer, how do you grab your object?
  • You are given a pet dinosaur to take home with you. It behaves perfectly and is exactly what you want. When you are about to go to sleep, it vanishes in a flash of light. You never see it again. So you’re sitting in your room, tears running down your face, when a little head pokes in through the window. What does it have to say?
  • You’ve been given the gift of a day in the life of someone else. Who is it? Why do you want to know that person?
  • Try out these suggestions and see what wonders you can discover! And remember, always give your very best in all you do , and one day you might just find yourself writing the next great novel!
  • A guy offers you amazing amounts of money to solve a problem he has. Can you guess what he needs you to do? What problems can you solve?
  • Have you ever seen someone cutting their toenails? If so, write about it in as much detail as possible.
  • Write about a family reunion synchronized to a song where all the family members dance and sing together.
  • You find a strange cylinder-shaped object that falls from the sky and reappears a minute later. Write a story about what might have happened a minute ago.
  • Write a story about what you would do if you had a headache and really wanted someone to put a cold, wet cloth on your forehead, but you didn’t have a mom or dad available to do it for you.
  • You go to a shop in the mall, take a look at the items and touch a purse.  Your eyes start to water and the items start to float.  What is happening?
  • First you see her when she’s standing still, but then she moves and you notice that her hair is actually a bushel of snakes. What would…
  • You see four people running towards you, but right before you can see their faces, a giant pizza falls on all four of them, and they run away with a slice of pizza each.
  • Your family is about to go on a vacation, but you have ten minutes to check something in your room and decide to use the time to defy gravity. What do you do?
  • Uncle Bert’s Magical Map Shop hires a new salesperson. He does something…unfortunate with your favorite book. Write a letter to Uncle Bert explaining all the problems that this poor employee caused.
  • You walk outside and find a lamppost with an intricate set of controls. How do you press the sequence of buttons to make your wish come true?
  • Oftentimes, writers are asked how they came up with their story ideas. Can you name a story you wrote? Where did you get the idea? How did it start?
  • Imagine that you had to go on a road trip, but you only had five rules to follow. What would your rules be?
  • The person you like the most has invited you to their birthday party. However, you are not allowed to bring any of your friends. Describe how you find a way to tell your friends anyway.
  • Write about a time in your childhood when you were lacking something important. What was it and what did you do about it?
  • Imagine you could swap lives with one of your friends for a day. What would you do? Imagine you could slip into another person’s body, for just one day. How would you feel? Set your story at a picnic. Just before lunch someone drops the turkey… Make a list of the five strangest jobs you can think of. Where can we find some space turtles?
  • Write the story of an animal who has escaped from the zoo. What did he/she do and why did he/she do it?
  • Imagine you are stranded on a deserted island. You can only have five books with you to explore. What books would you choose and why?
  • You live in a town that is infamous because of scary stories. You set out to disprove these stories. How does your day go?
  • If someone gave you a million dollars and told you you had to spend it all in one day, what would you buy?
  • Write about a character who has the power to travel back in time. Who would you visit in history? Or what would you change if you could?
  • If it was your birthday and you could invite anyone you want, dead or alive, to your party, who would it be?
  • Imagine you are a movie screenwriter and you have to write the funniest scene you can think of. Then imagine it is your job to film the scene the way you imagined it.
  • Another great site is here . We didn’t find any monkey stories, but we did find a lot more plot ideas on this site.

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