Writing is an incredible skill that kids really have to work at. There are many ways to write and so many different styles that teaching my children can be really daunting!
It is so hard to inspire one of my kids to write. The other big kid loves to write, but is just beginning to do more than a sentence at a time. I decided to create some early elementary writing prompts to satisfy both of their writing abilities, and I wanted to share them with you. (For MORE writing prompts, check out 20 more writing prompts!)
For my younger student, a graduating kindergartner, I will require that he responds to the prompt verbally and I will write down his answer for him to rewrite as copywork.
For my older student, who is finishing 2nd grade, I will have her respond to the prompt directly onto her writing journal. I think a paragraph response will suffice!
If you have an older or more eager student, you could easily use these ideas to have your student write a most extensive writing assignment. Short stories, research papers, practice newspaper articles, poems, and more could be explored with them. Have fun with it!
Elementary Writing Prompts
- If you were given $100, but you could not save it or spend it on yourself, what would you do with it?
- Imagine that there is a planet called Mopidromdia. Describe what it is like there.
- Tell me about a robot that can do your chores for you.
- What is the best way to celebrate a birthday?
- Think of your favorite food. Mary has never seen, touched, or tasted it before. How would you describe it to her so she might understand what it is like?
- Explain the most important things someone needs to know about caring for a pet.
- Who in your family spends the most time in the kitchen? What do they do there?
- Describe what you observe looking outside the window closest to you.
- If you could leave a voice mail on a famous person’s cell phone, what would you say? (If this famous person lived before cell phones were invented, use your imagination!)
- What is the best way to make new friends?
- Tell me about a game you would like to invent. Who would play it? What would players need and where would they play? How would someone win?
- Finish this story: Josh the worm decided that today he was going to leave Mr. Jones’s yard……
- You are being interviewed by a magazine and they want to know more about your family. What would you tell them?
- What was the funniest thing that happened on your last vacation?
- Lily has never seen a chair before and has no idea what it would even be used for! Can you please explain it to her?
- What is the craziest flavor of ice cream that you can imagine? Write a song or commercial to advertise it to other people!
- Think about something you collect. Describe them without using the name of the items.
- When should children be allowed to stay up all night long?
- Describe how you brush your teeth. Don’t leave out any steps!
- If you could plant a garden and it would grow any food you’d like, what would you grow and why?
Keep Learning Fun!
This will be a fun way for us to do writing lessons, and I will also be able to touch upon handwriting, spelling, punctuation, creative thinking, and more. I hope to encourage my kids to push their writing to the next level over the summer so we can start the school year with a little bit of extra practice under our belts!
If you fear that these prompts will be too difficult for your child, give them a try anyway. I have a feeling that you’ll be surprised.
What do your early elementary children write about?
Mae Luzod says
I love this idea–how it encourages creativity but also helps children to hone and sharpen their intelligence and communication skills through creative exercise! I love this so much!
Jenn says
It amazes me what my kids come up with when they are writing. I am glad you enjoyed the list!
Jenn recently posted…20 Early Elementary Writing Prompts #homeschool
Alana (@RamblinGarden) says
I love #8 because it requires a child to develop his/her powers of observation. Believe it or not, the moment I actually knew the power of words was by writing an essay on the view from my living room window, and having it read back to me. All of these are great prompts!
Alana (@RamblinGarden) recently posted…Spring Things – The Glow of Spring
Jenn says
Oh, what a great memory! It’s great how something so seemingly simple can be so powerful. 🙂
Julie - Raise Your Food says
Great ideas! We are starting homeschooling with my daughter this fall. I’ll definitely be using some of these.
Julie – Raise Your Food recently posted…Cheap Garden Trellis for Tomatoes
Jenn says
I would love to hear how she likes them! Good luck with homeschooling. I bet you’ll both love it.
Jenn recently posted…20 Early Elementary Writing Prompts #homeschool
Susan Evans says
Cute writing prompts! When I was an English teacher, I used to do prompts like this every day for my junior high students, the first five minutes of the class. The kids can get quite creative!
Susan Evans recently posted…Eggshell Art
Jenn says
Junior High is when I started loving writing prompts… it’s such a fun age! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Jenn recently posted…20 Early Elementary Writing Prompts #homeschool
DinoMama says
Wow! These are great ideas! I was just thinking how to improve my 7 year old’s writing skills after I received his Report Book recently. Many Thanks Jenn!
DinoMama recently posted…Primary One Parent Teacher Meeting
Jenn says
I’d love to know how your son likes them. 🙂 Keeping it fun and interesting certainly helps them WANT to write!
Jenn recently posted…20 Early Elementary Writing Prompts #homeschool
Jessica says
These sound like fun writing prompts for anyone!
Jessica recently posted…Scarborough Faire – Memorial Weekend
Jenn says
I’m so glad you think so! I remember scouring the WWW for journal prompts back when there were hardly any sites to search for. 🙂 I collected prompts in a journal for future writing. haha!
Jenn recently posted…20 Early Elementary Writing Prompts #homeschool
Emilee says
Great ideas! Our kids are still too young, but I am definitely saving this for later! Thanks!
Emilee recently posted…Real Kids Shades Review and Giveaway
Jenn says
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Jenn recently posted…20 Early Elementary Writing Prompts #homeschool
The Great Gordino says
I did smile when reading those, imagining what the kids would come up, but what a great idea for adults too? Why not!
cheers,
Gordon
The Great Gordino recently posted…60 Years Of A Goal Achievement Classic!
Jenn says
It certainly would be great for adults as well! 🙂 I love to see others’ creativity.
Jenn recently posted…Paleo Challenge Final Push! Vlog
Melissa@Home on Deranged says
You are a genus! I’m pondering doing homeschooling for our wee ones, but still trying to get the courage to do it. I look forward to using your helpful hints.
btw…I’m over here in Waxahachie, and I see you are an administrator for a local blogger network. Do you mind if I ask what it is? I would love to find some local connections! Thanks!
Melissa@Home on Deranged recently posted…10 reasons my husband is funnier than a fuzzy kitten
Gwen T says
Love, love, love this! Very creative ideas for writing – writing comes very easily to a couple of our kids, but others it’s really frustrating for, so this will be a fun exercise. Thanks, Jenn! 🙂
(visiting from TOS Crew – and we’re in the DFW area too. I didn’t know you were in FW! Must get together sometime, don’t you think?!)
Lizzie says
Good ideas:)
Lizzie TOS crew
Jarrod says
These are a good idea. Fun and creative
Amanda (Moming About) says
THANK YOU THANK YOU! I absolutely love this. My oldest needs to work on his writing, because writing workshop was where he always had the most behavioral challenges. I’m great about working reading into our routine, but I definitely need to spend some more time on writing.
Amanda (Moming About) recently posted…Two Fantasy Book Series Worth Reading
Monique says
I like the idea of responding verbally for younger kids. This is a fun way to encourage writing and verbal expression.
Jill says
Oh my, all 20 of these prompts are really good. What kid could resist dreaming up a chore doing robot!?
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
Jill recently posted…Wee Little Ones Bible Study Series Lesson 4 with FREE Printable
Carrie says
These are awesome! I love them and can’t wait until my kids are a little older and can actually WRITE. Pinning these!
Thanks for linking up at Wordy Wednesday! 🙂
Carrie recently posted…Grand Country Inn is Designed for Family Fun