Elementary Students Writing Prompts

Describe someone walking through a field. Something important happened there - try not to reveal it until the very end.

Write a fantastical poem about shadows detaching from their objects and wandering free.

'The old bookstore had always been my escape, but today it felt different, almost magical...'

Write a poem about a window that is stuck open and can't be closed.

What does this window represent in the poem?

You are a child who has lost their favourite toy on a day out, and bedtime is quickly approaching. Describe how this makes you feel.

Consider your language choice carefully here, and the age of the child. How do they display their emotions?

Write a poem about something a young child wants very badly but cannot have.

Consider your language use for the chosen age of the child and choose a specific style of poetry that would be suitable for this prompt.

Write a story about a child creating a time capsule to be opened in 500 years.

What they include could be silly or useless, or maybe they have some interesting thoughts about the future.

Write a poem describing the beauty of something you believe is overlooked.

Try and create a interesting picture of this beauty in your writing

Write a story where you give a different meaning to an ordinary compound word.

Take a word that could be split into two separate words, and give it a new meaning! For example, ‘supermarket’ could be a market for superheroes.

You are sitting under a tree in the sun and begin to feel sleepy. Write a poem about your surroundings and feelings.

Choose a specific style of poetry that would be suitable for this prompt.

Start a poem with an onomatopoeia and end it with a different one.

An onomatopoeia is a word that mimics the sound of something such as bark, boom, or screech. These sounds can tell a story if used effectively!

Making friends with the ghost in your attic brings you many benefits as well as faults.

Use this sentence as an opening line to your story.