32 Super Short Story Prompts for Students

Short Story Prompts for Students— Journaling is a wonderful way to help students become more comfortable in their writing and in expressing their own ideas—and its benefits are even more incredible when kids begin journaling at a young age.

That’s why we’ve designed a new set of 32 short story prompts especially for elementary school students. Practicing short story writing helps kids to develop a number of important skills, including critical thinking, cause and effect, empathy, and of course, writing and communication.

In order to maintain the interest of young, easily distracted students, these prompts are designed to be both fun and relatable. You and your students can choose from silly fantastical topics like a story about Freddy, the friendly fire-fighting dragon—or stick to topics that are grounded in the student’s daily reality, like a story about the perfect snow day. For extra fun, be sure to have the class share their stories with one another at the end of the day so they can see just how many incredible possibilities they and their classmates came up with!

Use these elementary school short story prompts to get young students writing and exploring their creativity this school year.

32 Short Story Prompts to Get Elementary School Students Writing

Write a story about a leopard named Lily who loves leaping, libraries, loud noises, and lizards.
Write a story about a dog that digs up a dinosaur bone.
Write a story about a family who lives on a boat.
Write a story about a grandma who makes the world’s best cookies.
Write a story about a gorilla named Gus.
Write a story about a boy who has an unexpected adventure while walking his dog.
Write a story about an artist who creates very realistic paintings.
Write a story about a made-up reason why the leaves change color and fall each year.
Write a story about a young girl who wants to be a singer when she grows up.
Write a story about an old man who lives by the beach.
Write a story about someone who accidentally shares a secret they weren’t supposed to.
Write a story about a beautiful, multi-colored butterfly.
Write a story about the perfect snow day.
Write a story about a boat with a very special mission.
Write a story about a magical pencil that makes doing homework much easier.
Write a story about a young boy who is a very talented chef.
Write a story explaining how Calvin the Cowardly Cow got his name.
Write a story about a magical forest and the creatures that inhabit it.
Write a story about a girl who accidentally loses the class pet.
Write a story about a penguin parade.
Write a story about a family who chooses to live with no Internet at home.
Write a story about a pair of sisters who are always getting into trouble.
Write a story about a girl who invents a magic ice cream dispenser that gives you any flavor you can think of.
Write a story about a cat and a dog that are the best of friends.
Write a story about a cowboy who comes to live in the big city.
Write a story about a magic umbrella.
Write a story about a secret tunnel under the school.
Write a story about Freddy, the friendly fire-fighting dragon.
Write a story about a silly board game where every player gets to make a new rule.
Write a story about a malfunctioning time machine.
Write a story about a pair of brothers who are very best friends.
Write a story about a group of friends who get trapped in a maze.