Need Story Prompts & Starters? There are lots of great story prompt ideas here for you and your writers. You see, with these fun and fabulous lists of creative writing story starters — 3 lists in all — your kids will enjoy 85 boosts of creativity. PLUS, you’ll find 13 fabulous finish the story ideas.
That means there’s a total of 98 story prompts for students right here at your fingertips.
Oh yeah.
So get to it and help ignite your students’ imaginations and creative writing interests. Above all, enjoy!
Here’s what you’ll find in this post:
Yeppers. There are 3 wonderful lists of story starters and story-writing prompts and ideas for your writers. All FREE and all fun.
Lots of Wonderful Story Writing Prompts to Ignite the Imagination
Each idea gives students a starting point from which they can take any number of directions. They’ll think about what they would do if they found $1000 on the ground or what would happen if one of their best friends was elected President.
For extra fun, encourage your kids to share their stories with one another after writing. They’ll be amazed to see how many different ideas they came up with from the same short story starter.
Promote imagination and adventure with these new journal prompts and creative writing story starters. Regardless of whether they write silly, scary, or serious stories, students will love the chance to write something unique.
Ok… Here are those wonderful creative writing story prompts for your young writers!
List #1 — 55 Story Prompts, Creative Writing Prompts, and Story Starters for Kids
- You become a character in your favorite video game, and…
- Your grandma comes to town and brings an unexpected surprise…
- You are an astronaut who finds something strange on the moon…
- Your parents tell you that you’re moving across the country.
- An alien comes to Earth, and…
- At the beach, you find a special seashell…
- At summer camp, the boys and girls wage a prank war against one another.
- Every time a dog barks, something unusual happens…
- You learn that you are heir to a throne…
- At the library, you find a photo in a book.
- The last seconds on the clock are ticking, and the ball is in your hands. What happens next?
- You get stuck in an elevator with…
- In the backyard, your dog finds a mysterious necklace…
- Your best friend is elected President.
- At the mall, you walk by a mannequin that looks just like you. Something odd is happening…
- You find an old photo of your grandmother, and see that she was a famous actress…
- You receive a letter in the mail saying that you’ve won $10,000. What do you do?
- Your favorite athlete shows up at one of your games—but as a player on the other team!
- Your bicycle runs away from home. How do you find it?
- You discover a magic button that will…
- You suspect the school library might be haunted…
- You come home to find your cat eating a bowl of ice cream. What happens next?
- You win a contest on the radio for…
- Three kids get locked in the mall. What do they decide to do?
- You travel to the prairie and see…
- You switch places for a day with your favorite celebrity.
- You’re a race car driver with an embarrassing secret.
- Your favorite singer agrees to perform an exclusive show in your basement.
- You come home from school to find a box on your porch. What’s inside?
- At your birthday party, you receive a very special present…
- Your luggage gets lost at the airport and you accidentally open the wrong bag.
- Your class gets snowed in at school. What do you do?
- You show up at school, but you can’t remember where of your classes are or who anyone is.
- You switch places for a day with your dad.
- In the back of your closet, you find a basketball jersey…
- You find out that your teacher used to be…
- The pizza delivery person brings you something you didn’t order. What is it?
- You find $1000 on the ground, and…
- Your family wins the lottery.
- You discover your parents are spies…
- You become the youngest person ever to set a world record for…
- You and your best friend end up on the set of your favorite TV show. What happens?
- You take a ride on a tornado, and…
- You run into some trouble while camping…
- There is a magic swing at the park that will take you to…
- The power goes out, and you’re home alone…
- One day, there is a very strange weather report that says…
- Everywhere you go, you keep hearing a song that no one else can hear…
- You find a map leading to buried treasure, but it’s buried under the principal’s house!
- You hear an ad on the radio for a magic product that will…
- You stumble upon a cure for __________. What do you do with it?
- On Christmas Eve, you hear a strange noise on the roof…
- You’re in the school play and worried about forgetting your lines.
- You get home from the zoo and find a baby monkey in your trunk! What do you do?
- You win a cooking contest for your famous __________ recipe.
I hope you enjoyed these superb story starters for students.
Just in case our list of writing prompts above was enough… here are some more ideas for kids.
BONUS List #2 — 13 Finish The Story Writing Prompts
These finish the story writing prompts and ideas should help writers easily create a good story of their very own. Enjoy!
- I went to outer space with three dinosaurs and couldn’t believe it when our spaceship…
- I went to see a movie with my best friend when suddenly…
- My family’s summer vacation was going great until my family member did this…
- A detective and K-9 partner were given the task of …
- If I were a superhero, I would…
- Visit a new planet or lots of new planets
- Fix climate issues here on earth
- Use my superpower to…
- Or none of the above, I would…
- The last time I spoke to them…
- The one thing that always gives me inspiration or gets my creative juices flowing when I write is…
- My favorite childhood memory was when…
- I used to say to my friends that when the cookie crumbles, just eat one of the other cookies. I learned this when I…
- If I could have any gift in the whole wide world, I would choose to receive a…
- My very favorite place in all the world is…
- I went on a road trip and couldn’t believe the magical things I saw. It was like Science Fiction (but real!). This is what happened…
- My mom heard a knock and opened the front door. To her astonishment, she saw a giraffe and…
Whew! What a great list of finish-the-story writing prompts. Now, let’s get to those story starters for kids.
Oh yeah. Here are Those Creative Story Starters for Kids, As Promised!
Creative writing offers so many benefits for kids. It helps them tap into their imagination and expand their creativity, which teaches them to think outside the box. It’s also fun, boosts their confidence, and gives them a wonderful outlet for self-expression.
Whether your students have written one story or 50 stories, the practice of regular writing can have a positive impact on their creativity. Relax and enjoy this fun listing of imaginative story starter ideas for kids!
NEW! List #3 – 30 Story Starters for Student Writers
- The lights suddenly went out and everything in the room was black. Then, I heard a noise I couldn’t identify coming from the window…
- I was digging around in the attic and found a pair of magic glasses. It was incredible what I could see with them in my house…
- Paddling along in a canoe, we made it to the center of the lake. Suddenly, the boat got a leak and…
- I was tired of living with my name. I decided it was time to change my name to something I really liked…
- I found a magic seed and when I planted it…
- After hearing some strange sounds under my bed, I peeked underneath and there I found a dragon. He seemed pretty friendly…
- The mailman came by and delivered a box so big we couldn’t get it through the door. We opened the huge box outside and…
- All of a sudden, right in front of Sarah’s eyes, her family completely disappeared…
- Ella looked down at her watch. Her mouth dropped open. Her watch was now turning backward…
- Johnny found a box in his backyard buried in the dirt. It was full of secrets that had been kept hidden for centuries. He tried to decide if he should open the box…
- Ryan went out to the kitchen for a snack, and when he opened the refrigerator, he found something that he never expected to see…
- Jennie’s mom was driving her to school when suddenly the car started lifting right off the ground and into the air…
- Marc and Mitch made a big decision, and by the end of the day, they would come to regret that decision more than anything in their life…
- Thunder started to roll and lightning flashed. One minute it was raining and then suddenly there were bright, colorful drops of paint falling from the clouds instead of rain…
- Jimmy woke up in the morning and he felt a bit different. He turned his head on his pillow, and suddenly he could see through walls…
- My mom had to run to the store and I was supposed to look after my little sister. I really wished I would have now…
- Lisa looked in the mirror after washing her face. She screamed. Something had definitely gone terribly wrong…
- It was the most important decision of my life…and I made the wrong one…
- Ryan loved riding his dirt bike through the trails in the woods. But today the woods looked different. The trees looked angry and there were no birds singing…
- Lenny loved to go around squashing spiders. But this was the day that the spiders would finally have their revenge…
- One dark, stormy night, the monsters didn’t stay under my bed. They came out to play…
- Dear Diary. There’s a good chance that this will be the last time I get to write in you. You see…
- My dream had always been to go to the Olympics, and finally, the day came when I got my wish. I was at the Olympics to compete in…
- “Home run,” yelled Alex as everyone watched the ball fly beyond the fence. For a moment there was silence, followed by the tinkling sound of glass breaking in the distance…
- Michael went out to help his dad milk the cows on their family farm. He always talked to the cows while he milked them, but today one of the cows talked back…
- Jenny and Lisa were having a grand time camping in a tent in the backyard. They were laughing and telling spooky stories and having fun until they suddenly heard a strange noise…
- Jeff loved eating ice cream. When he saw a poster advertising the chance to win an ice cream cone every week from the local ice cream shop, he knew he had to enter. The only thing he needed to do was come up with a new ice cream flavor.
- Suddenly the television turned on by itself. I looked over and saw a message that I could never forget…
- The door upstairs that led to the attic had always been locked, but today Henry had found the key and was ready to explore…
- My pet robot usually listened to my commands. But today, it seemed like it had a mind of its own…
Sometimes kids have a tough time knowing how to start their stories. If this is the case for your students, then, by all means, please use the fun story starters above to help spark their imaginations.
I hope you enjoyed these Story Starters for Kids.
Ok, see this…
367 More Story Writing Ideas
Yippee… we offer you loads more fun writing prompts on a variety of topics for all grades. Here are some of our favorites. Take a look!
- 32 Fun Story Starters to Inspire Middle School Kids
- 25 Terrific Fantasy Story Ideas
- 49 Story Starters Ideas for Elementary Kids
- 34 Creative Story Ideas for Middle Schoolers
- 162 Creative Writing Topics or Students
- 30 Short Story Writing Ideas for Kids
- 10 Great Choose your Own Adventure Story Ideas
- 25 Story Openers and How to Start a Story
With the chance to write their own stories about their favorite pet, an enchanted forest, or what they would do if they found a frog with magical powers, our fun writing prompts, story starters, and lesson plans will inspire all students from pre-K to high school.
A Few Final Thoughts…
Daily writing offers many benefits to students, but the ability to explore new worlds is undoubtedly one of the most important.
So put these creative writing story starters on double duty and use them as journal prompts for kids as well! Whether they’re writing creatively or considering a topic of personal reflection, journaling improves critical thinking skills and encourages imagination.
When students write on a regular basis, they gain more confidence in their schoolwork and in their own ideas.
Indeed… Journaling is a powerful way to empower your students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Until next time, write on…
If you enjoyed these Creative Writing Story Starters,
please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.
I appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator
PS – Here is an awesome story starter generator resource.
