40 Wonderful Middle School Writing Prompts

Middle School Writing Prompts and ideas for you and your kids— Using writing prompts with middle school students offers a fun, creative way for kids to explore their writing skills and their ability to take thoughts and express them in written form.

Journal Prompts for Middle School — Use and enjoy our free list of middle school writing prompts.

Oh yeah!

And now you can…

Use our wonderful list of middle school writing prompts for students to help them build important writing skills while improving their ability to express their unique thoughts and ideas.

Table of Contents

Essay, Writing, and Journaling Prompts for Your Classroom
40 Great Middle School Writing Prompts
Why Use Journaling Prompts for Middle School Students
Going beyond middle school writing prompts…
5 Fun Writing Ideas to Use This School Year
More Middle School Writing Prompt Resources

Essay, Writing, and Journaling Prompts for Your Classroom

By the time children are in middle school, they’ve learned how to start writing their ideas on paper.

From middle school, on into high school and college, students will get many essay assignments on different topics. Yet, holding the attention of middle school students can be tough.

The good news is…

Creative middle school writing prompts can keep students motivated and interested in writing. Yeppers… using writing prompts for middle school students offers an exciting and engaging way for kids to explore their writing skills and their ability to take thoughts and express them in written form.

So…

Don’t wait until tomorrow. Get to it and use the following middle school writing prompts with your middle school students today!

40 Great Middle School Writing Prompts

In essay form, discuss how going through disappointments can have a positive side.
Write about someone you care about and why they are so important to you. (Tip: You could include all the traits about them you most admire.)
Playing a team sport can have both good and bad points. Explain both the good points and the bad points about playing on a school sports team, explaining every point.
Think about someone you look up to. Write about this person and why you admire this person.
Imagine your school is considering making all students wear uniforms. Do you think this is right or wrong? Write a letter to your school giving your position on this subject and supporting your position with convincing reasons. Explain your reasons.
Think about your favorite sport or hobby. Write a composition about this hobby, explaining how to engage in this activity. Be sure to include all the steps someone needs to follow to do this activity.
Think about the favorite thing that you own. Write a descriptive essay to describe this item using words that explain how it sounds, looks, smells, tastes, or feels. Describe it so someone else can picture it in their mind.
Writing an essay finishing this thought: if I were able to change one thing about myself it would be…
Write an essay persuading a friend to stop doing drugs.
What character from a book would you enjoy meeting and why?
Imagine you worked at a pet shop. What would happen and what would you do if 200 mice got out of their cages in the pet shop?
If you could travel into the future, what would you do?
What things make you feel angry and why?
If you were president, what one thing would you like to change in this country?
What is your favorite commercial on TV and why is it your favorite?
Do you ever remember what you dream? Do you dream in color? Write about a very vivid dream that you remember.
Write about a big argument you had with a friend. Are you friends today? Who was the first to apologize?
Do you think it is an insult to use the expressions “throws like a girl.” “runs like a girl,” or “hits like a girl?” Defend your position.
Do you really need to have a college education to be successful? Why or why not?
Write an essay on what friendship means to you and why people become friends.
Do you think that social media is a positive thing? Write an essay discussing why or why not.
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do,” is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, a former First Lady of the United States. Write a narrative about something you did that you didn’t think you could do. Include specific details.
Keep scrolling to see even more middle school writing prompts!
If a celebrity was to come speak at your school, what celebrity would you choose to speak? Write a letter to persuade your school principal to invite this celebrity to speak. Include important details and convincing reasons to support this choice.
Write an essay that explains the ways you have changed since you started middle school.
Write an essay describing why honesty is so important in any type of relationship.
What is your greatest accomplishment and why do you feel it is your greatest accomplishment?
What is your favorite hobby? Write about why you enjoy it so much.
Have you ever been bullied? Talk about a time that you were bullied or when you witnessed someone else being bullied. How did this make you feel?
Did you ever have to wear something that you hated? Why did you hate it?
Write about a time that you went on a vacation or trip that turned into a disaster.
Write about a time that you tried helping someone but it actually made things even worse.
Have you ever broken a promise? Why did you break it? How did that make you feel?
Have you ever been through a hurricane, flood, tornado, or fire? If so, describe what happened and how you felt.
Write about the funniest experience you have ever had.
If there was one law you could change, what law would you change and how would you change that law?
If you got the chance to be principal for one week, what would you do?
Have you ever wished that you could be older? What would the benefits and problems be if you were older?
Write a biography of one of your parents or grandparents.
Write about three things that you worry about.
Write an essay on the most difficult things about being in middle school.

I hope you and your writers enjoyed these fantastic and fun writing ideas and middle school writing prompts.

Remember…

Writing regularly can help kids improve their school grades. It can get children used to expressing their ideas and can get them familiar with many different styles of writing, including expository, descriptive, and persuasive writing.

Why Use Journaling Prompts for Middle School Students

Although you can certainly just give students an assignment to start journaling about their lives, you’ll get much better results when you use prompts to help them get started.

It can be tough for reluctant writers to know where to begin. Although their daily lives likely include all sorts of sources of inspiration, middle school students may feel overwhelmed or insecure about sharing their deepest thoughts.

However, journaling prompts are a fun, low-pressure way for young writers to build confidence. Students can write short stories, share drama and adventure, or reflect on their childhood memories in their writing.

As the school year progresses, you’ll notice students becoming more comfortable writing—and each student will have the chance to share his or her unique point of view. So get to it and use this awesome list of middle school writing prompts with your writers today, I think you’ll be glad you did.

Going beyond middle school writing prompts…

Now, if you are looking for even more fun writing ideas to incorporate into your classroom, we have ideas for you. Take a look and try some of the following activities and journal ideas for middle school students!

5 Fun Writing Ideas to Use This School Year

1. Share Your Perspective with a Classmate

Though students should never be forced to share their personal writing if they would like it to be kept private, sometimes it’s fun to try journal writing with the specific intention to share your work.

Ask students to pair up with a classmate (or a small group of classmates) and assign them the same journal prompt. Each student should write their own journal entry and then trade with their partner(s) and read one another’s work.

Your students will be amazed to see the different ways that they interpreted the same initial writing prompt—and they’ll see that each person truly does have their own perspective!

Bonus list of 10 Shared Middle School Writing Prompts

Journal Sharing With a Classmate Writing Ideas

Write about something that your partner probably doesn’t know about you.
What is your favorite part of the school day? Your least favorite?
Write about your family. Who do you live with? Do you have any pets?
What is your favorite hobby or activity?
Write about a time when you were scared.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Where do you want to go to high school or college some day?
What do you like most about our school?
If you were the President of the United States, what law would you put into place?
If you were an animal, what kind would you be?

—> View even MORE shared journal prompt ideas <—

2. Get Creative with Narrative Writing Prompts

Narrative-themed middle school writing prompts —or short story starters—are a great tool to use when your students are suffering from a little writer’s block.

Sometimes it can be challenging to reflect or write honestly about your own experiences, so a fiction writing assignment allows students to get creative and explore their imaginations instead.

Use narrative writing prompts whenever your classroom needs a fresh boost of creativity…or whenever you feel like your students could do with a new point of view!

3. Experience New Things

Of course, it’s also tough to write and feel creative when you don’t have the experience to draw from…so sometimes all your students need is to try something new!

Give your middle schoolers an assignment to go try something new every day for the next week. It can be something small, such as sampling a new food or doing a different chore at home—or something bigger like making a new friend or finding a place to volunteer!

Afterward, ask students to reflect on their new experiences in their journal writing. They can write about what they did, what they learned, and what they most enjoyed—as well as what the experience of trying a new thing was like!

4. Use Persuasive Writing Prompts to Craft an Argument

Finally, we also recommend using persuasive middle school writing prompts in your classroom to help your students improve their journal writing skills.

The ability to write and communicate persuasively is a very valuable skill that will serve your students well for the rest of their lives. As they use persuasive writing prompts, they’ll become more adept critical thinkers and will learn how to craft an argument, defend a position, and provide supporting evidence.

Best of all, persuasive writing prompts can easily be tailored for all ages and writing skill levels! Students can learn persuasive writing by defending arguments ranging from the best ice cream flavor to how the Internet and social media affect self-esteem in teenagers.

We hope these middle school writing prompts, journaling ideas, and all-around fun writing ideas will be useful in your classroom this school year—and that your students will enjoy expressing their thoughts and nurturing their creativity!

5. Writing about Favs is Loved by Most Writers

For those reluctant writers or non-writers, we suggest you use this list of middle school writing prompts about favorites. These are simple ideas that nearly every writer can answer without much effort. Plus, they are an excellent way to get those creative juices flowing for writers of all skill levels.