Creative Writing Prompt: 30 New Ideas for Kids

Creative Writing Prompt: 30 New Ideas for Kids Who Feel “Stuck”—

Journaling is a powerful activity for young students that can encourage them to open their minds to new possibilities and to become more comfortable expressing their own thoughts and opinions. However, for many children, getting started is the hardest part. For a child who is not used to writing, learning how to press the pen to the page when inspiration isn’t readily flowing can be an extreme challenge.

Fortunately, the right writing prompts can help a kid who feels “stuck” to move past the writer’s block and channel his or her inner creative genius. Though there are all sorts of journal prompts that can get kids thinking and writing, some of the most effective are those that are silly and lighthearted. A fun creative writing prompt puts less pressure on a young student than those prompts that are more thoughtful and reflective—and in many cases, can be all that a child needs to stop feeling stuck and to start feeling inspired.

Use these 30 new creative writing prompts to get your students excited about writing and ready to begin regular journaling routines!

30 New Creative Writing Prompts for Kids

Think about something that you know how to do that your parent does not know much about. How would you go about teaching your parent how to do it?
Write about what it would be like if everything in your life was only one color.
If your family could take a vacation to any country in the world, where would you want to go?
You see your best friend steal $5 from another classmate that neither of you gets along with. What will you do?
If you could have any animal in the world for a pet, what animal would you choose?
What would it be like if the weather in the winter and summer months were the opposite of what they are now? How would you spend a snowy July afternoon or a 102-degree Christmas?
Imagine that cars could not only drive on roads but also fly in the air. How would that change things?
Suppose there was an extra day in every week? Would you want it to be an extra weekday or an extra weekend day? How would you like to spend your extra day?
What would it be like if your teacher did not talk, but sang everything he or she said instead? Would you like it or get tired of it quickly? Would it make you want to sing?
Imagine that you had to live underwater in a submarine for one month, but were allowed to bring just one person with you. Who would you bring and what would that be like?
Imagine that you could build the treehouse of your dreams. How big would it be? What would it be like? How would you decorate it?
Make up a brand new holiday that celebrates your favorite hobby. What would it be called? How would people celebrate it?
What would it be like if everyone could safely take family vacations to other planets? What planet would you want your family to visit?
What would it be like if your pet could talk?
If you could spend one year traveling the world on a boat or an airplane, which would you choose? Where would you travel to?
Picture yourself out in your backyard. You suddenly shrink down to the size of a grasshopper, but you’re still human. You’re not the smallest or largest insect in your yard. What would that be like? What would you do?
Have you ever seen pictures of your mom or dad as a kid? Think about one of these images and then write a story about what one of your parents was like as a child. What did he or she do? How did your grandparents react?
If you arrived at school one day and found out that it truly was “Opposite Day,” what would you do? What activity that you aren’t normally allowed to do would you go to first? What would happen if someone accidentally did what they normally do each day?
Write about the differences between pancakes and waffles. Find as many differences as you can.
What if you had to listen to one song (the same song) from the moment you awoke one day until the moment you fell asleep. Consider how, as much as you like the song, it could get tiring. What song would you want it to be and why?
Think about all the chairs in your house. Now, consider that you are one of those chairs, and people will be sitting on you. Which chair would you choose to be and why?
Imagine that the sun shone all night and it was dark during the daytime. What do you think that would be like? How would things be different for you?
If you could make a new invention, what would it be? What would it be used for? What would it look like?
What is your favorite type of weather? Would you rather live in a place that had this kind of weather all the time or in a place where the seasons change? Why?
Imagine that you were suddenly ten feet tall, and you had to stay that way for one week. What would that week be like? Do you think you’d like it, or would you be glad for the week to be over?
Write about your ultimate dream job. Why do you want to pursue that career? What would be the best thing about the job?
If you had to choose one meal and one dessert to eat for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Would you ever get tired of them?
Think about what it would be like to live through an average school day, from waking in the morning to going to bed at night, except that you were the only person not allowed to speak at all for that entire day. What would that day be like? When you would like not having to talk, and when would it be really hard not to talk?
Write a poem about the coolest gift you’ve ever received. Who gave you the gift? For what occasion? How often do you still use it today?
Pick five objects from around the classroom and give each one a name. Then, think about what each object’s personality would be like. Write a story in which the five objects interact with each other.