Most kids and teens love listening to stories and as they get older the urge to tell their own stories grows too. For some kids (often those we call ‘born writers’) this is an easy thing to do – no list of creative writing ideas for kids needed. They grab a piece of paper and a pencil and off they go.
For others, it’s a little trickier. They know they have the words inside them, but getting their ideas out can be hard going. A list of writing ideas for kids is a simple way to squeeze all the goodness out.
The prompts are simply ideas that start a story or outline a story. They can be a picture (story stones are good for this), paragraph, sentence or just a notion. Think of them as a kick-start to creativity.
How writing ideas for kids can spark interest
• A list of creative writing ideas for kids take the terror of the blank page away – even just writing out the prompt on that blank sheet can be enough to get a child going.
• They are fantastic for bring new ideas to life for kids who tend to write about the same things again and again (many children get fixated on their favourite characters).
• Creative writing prompts are a great way to get into a regular writing habit. Keep an exercise book, or a file on the computer, just for stories based on the writing prompts. It’s fun to look back, especially when you receive the same prompt more than once.
• This list of writing ideas for kids is a fun way to spend an afternoon – and not just by writing one story. Set a timer, write like crazy and see what comes out. You can churn through a few prompts in an afternoon and it’s a great exercise to speed up slow writers.
Writing ideas for kids printable
I’ve made a printable sheet of 30 interesting, thoughtful creative writing ideas for kids. Print out the pdf, cut out the prompts and put them into a drawstring bag. Then ask your kid to pull out a prompt. Talk about the idea or just let them get straight into it, it’s up to them how they want to use the prompts.
They might like this too: 16 brilliant books that spark creativity in kids
Click on the image below to print:
Or click here: 30 cool creative writing ideas for kids
Keen or not-so-keen writers
Challenge keen writers by asking them to write in a particular genre (adventure, thriller, drama, comedy, etc), style (poetry – haiku is fun, short story, essay, speech, letter, etc) or word count.
For kids who are struggling, make sure your kid feels comfortable with what’s being asked of them. Try to resist correcting their spelling, grammar or punctuation – at least not too much. Let them know this is a chance for their imagination to really fly. They can write using the creative writing idea any way they wish.
Remember, you don’t have to ‘write’ in order to write. Using the computer to type out stories is perfectly acceptable, and indeed can be a break-through for some kids.
Do you think these creative writing ideas will inspire your kid?