Creative Writing Practice 30 Prompts & 5 Fun Tips

Creative Writing Practice with Bonus Prompts & Tips

Creative writing practice is an empowering activity that teaches kids how to use their imaginations—and more importantly, it helps students internalize the fact that their thoughts are worth sharing.

Creative Writing Practice Ideas and Prompts

However, many teachers struggle initially to get their students interested in practicing creative writing because the kids find it to be too difficult or open-ended. Of course, this is no surprise when you consider how tough it can be even for seasoned writers to stare down at a blank page and make the words come out!

Fortunately, practice makes perfect—and creative writing practice can be a fun activity for students of all ages!

We recommend using fun and interesting journal prompts to help your students get in the habit of writing and to show them how entertaining creative writing practice can be. When kids have journal prompts that empower them to write about the things that matter most to them, they’ll be far more willing to stick with writing and to see the benefits of this powerful activity.

Ultimately, kids who enjoy creative writing practice will become better writers—and in many cases, they’ll also become more talented observers and inspired thinkers!

Use these new creative writing practice prompts to get your students interested in regular journaling and excited to explore all the possibilities that await them on the page!

30 New Creative Writing Practice Prompts for Students

Make a list of things that you would like to journal about in the future. What kinds of topics make good journal prompts? Why?
Choose any item from the list you made in #1 and write about it.
What kinds of things inspire you the most to write? Why?
Do you prefer to write creatively about specific topics or to write about whatever is on your mind at the time? Why?
What are some of the benefits of creative writing practice? Why do you think we spend time on this activity?
Do you enjoy creative writing? Why or why not?
Write a story about something that really happened to you, but substitute yourself in the story with the main character from your favorite book. How would he or she respond differently in the situation from you?
Write a very detailed list of everything you’ve done so far today. Be as specific as possible (i.e., “1. I woke up. 2. I opened my eyes. 3. I pulled off the covers,” etc.).
Make a list of random words with the letters A-Z. Go in order of the alphabet, but write down the first word you think of for each letter. Do as many as you can in 10 minutes—and see how many times you can get through the alphabet.
Make up a fictional character that is the opposite of you in every way. List details about yourself (books, favorite color, favorite food, etc.) and then list the opposites about the character.
Write about the last thing that made you smile. It can be as simple as you like—perhaps it was reading your favorite book or something that a friend said. Describe what happened.
Choose two words to describe each person in the classroom. Make sure at least one of the words describes the person’s personality.
Write a short story that involves homework, sleds, and a bird. Then trade your story with a classmate. How were your stories different? Were there any similarities between them?
Write a poem about something you can see in the classroom without saying what the object is. Then, trade poems with another student and try to guess what the other person wrote about.
Choose one of your old journal entries and trade with a classmate. Then, write a review of what you thought of the other person’s writing. Be sure to include compliments and constructive criticism!
Choose one of your old journal entries and trade with another student. Read his or her work, and then write a response or a follow-up to it.
Write a series of questions you could ask someone to get to know him or her better. Then, trade with another student and answer the questions. Share your responses with one another and discuss.
Partner up with another student and work on writing a short story or a poem together. Take turns writing lines or sentences and coming up with ideas of what to write next.
Move to a different spot in the classroom and write about what you see. What looks different? What would it be like if you did all your work here? Be as detailed as possible.
Trade spots with a classmate and write about your new seat. What are the advantages of sitting in your classmate’s spot? What are the advantages of sitting in your spot?
Go outside and find a place to sit down and write. Describe everything you see and hear. Include as many sensory details as possible.
Go to the (hallway, gym, library, etc.) and observe the place around you. What kinds of things have these walls seen over the years?
For homework: Find a place at home to sit down and write. Think about your family’s home and what you like about it. Describe how your home makes you feel.
Lay down on the floor next to your desk for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Then, write about what you heard, smelled, and felt while on the floor. Describe what you thought about.
Write a fictionalized account of an event from your life.
Write a reflection on something that happened to you last week.
Write about something that you would like to happen in the future.
Write about a person in your family and describe him or her in detail. Then, describe why he or she is special to you.
Write about your favorite thing to do. Describe why you like it and why other people should try it, too.
Write about any topic you like!

Five Ways to Make Creative Writing Practice Fun for Your Students

Promoting frequent creative writing practice in the classroom improves writing skills and empowers students to share their thoughts and feelings.

However, your kids will only enjoy these powerful benefits if they really engage in the activity. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that writing is fun and accessible for everyone!

Use these five tips to make creative writing practice something fun that your students will look forward to each day.

1. Prepare Plenty of Material

First things first—before you begin encouraging kids to write regularly, be sure to prepare plenty of material and writing prompts that you can share with your class.

It’s usually a good idea to prepare at least twice as much material as you think you might need. Some kids will launch right into creative writing practice with a simple writing prompt, but others will need a different starter or some additional motivation to truly find their inspiration.

2. Use Brainstorming Activities to Get Started

At the very beginning of class, help your students get ready to write by starting out with some brainstorming activities. A simple, five-minute exercise like writing about a favorite book character or describing what you did last Saturday can be the perfect way to get the creative juices flowing.

Brainstorming activities don’t have to be anything overly complex or even related to the day’s writing prompt—they just need to encourage your kids to forget about any blocks they may have so that they can practice writing creatively.

3. Allow Kids to Share Their Work

After everyone is done writing, allow some time for students to share their work if they would like to.

For many students, the opportunity to share their work with the class is a great motivator to write something interesting and creative. Students who aren’t as confident in their work will perk up and realize how many different ways there are to interpret a writing assignment when they hear their classmates reading their own work.

Of course, keep in mind that not all students will want to share, and that’s okay—creative writing practice can be a very personal experience, and students shouldn’t be forced to share their work if they prefer to keep their writing private.

4. Maintain a Creative Environment

Are there any students in your class who continue to sit slumped over their desks, looking exhausted after only finishing writing their names? If that sounds familiar, it might be time to switch up the way you do creative writing practice in the classroom!

If your surroundings are conducive to it, let students get up and move around before they start writing (once writing time has begun, they should stay in one place so they don’t disturb their classmates!). Allowing kids to sit on the floor or curl up in a reading corner with their notebooks is a great way to inspire new thoughts and make creative writing practice feel like an engaging and stimulating activity.

5. Be Flexible

Creative writing should be a very fluid exercise—and as such, it’s important to be flexible in your requirements and expectations for students.

Some kids will immediately take to the given assignment and will have no problem meeting the requirements you’ve set out. Others might have trouble finding inspiration in whatever the rest of the class is working on and prefer to write about other topics. The most important part of creative writing practice is simply to get students writing on a regular basis and to show them all that writing has to offer.

Allowing kids to choose some of their own assignments and to write about the topics that interest them most will keep them engaged and excited about creative writing—and it will make writing time feel like a truly special part of the day!

More Creative Writing Resources

Until next time, write on…

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Sincerely,
Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator