Story Prompts

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Not surprisingly the research shows that the more children write the better their writing becomes.  The trick is to get reluctant writers writing.  Below is a list of story prompts.  However, for reluctant writers, I suggest you begin by creating oral stories to which both you and your child contribute.  Once you have experienced success with this strategy, you can start recording your child’s story – your child dictates the story while you type.  Then, slowly, slowly, you can transition over to your child writing the story.  Initially this may just be the first paragraph or an occasional sentence.

Remember to provide an audience for the story your child has written – ‘publish’ it as a book and put on the bookshelf with your other books, send it to a friend or relative, post it on Facebook…..[divider]

  • You’ve received a letter in the mail. You open the envelope and find an invitation to….
  • You arrive home to find a parcel by your front door. You open the parcel and inside …..
  • Opening up the newspaper, you see an article about you. In the article it claims that you…
  • You are staring at your mobile phone playing a game, when suddenly you can’t see anymore. In a scared voice you call your mum/brother/sister/dad/friend and find that they are blind as well….
  • Opening up your lunch box you find….
  • You walk through the school gates. You’re not particularly early, but it is deadly silent.  Your footsteps echo through the playground.  There is no-one around…..
  • Staring outside the window, the normal scene disappears and you see….
  • Weird events happen in dreams. Write your own dream (real or imagined).
  • Eavesdropper – you are minding your own business in the toilet/in your bedroom/in a shopping centre when you overhear….
  • The secret – it could be your secret or someone else’s….
  • Mirror, mirror on the wall. When you look in a mirror your image is not an exact reflection.  You look in the mirror and you see …..
  • Magic touch – every time you touch something it turns into …..
  • Secret message – you find a message in a ……It is written in a code that first you have to solve.
  • Invisible – you wake up and no-one can hear or see you…..
  • Strangest holiday ever…..

Check out the Writing Creatively and Introduction to Writing Creatively books.