85 Interesting Creative Writing Prompts for Kids to Help Them Write Better Stories

If you’re a parent, teacher or tutor looking for a way to help your kids write better stories, then writing prompts are the answer! You may use your child’s creative side to help them become a better writer. It will also develop their interest in telling stories and spark their imagination, especially if they write about something that interests them either because it was an exciting experience or simply because it is interesting to them.

What are creative writing prompts?

When it comes to writing, kids can often use a little help getting started. That’s where writing prompts come in. Writing prompts are short exercises that give kids a starting point for their writing. They can be used to generate new story ideas, improve descriptive writing skills and more.

A writing prompt is simply a topic or idea to get kids writing. It can be something as simple as “What did you do today?” or “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”

The beauty of writing prompts is that they can be used to write any type of story, from a silly tale to a serious drama. And the best part is, they’re fun!

How can writing prompts help kids write better stories?

Writing prompts are a great way to help kids write better stories. By providing a starting point and some structure, prompts can give kids the confidence they need to sit down and start writing. And once they get started, the sky’s the limit!

Prompts can also help kids explore new ideas and experiment with different genres of writing. Whether it’s a prompt for a funny story, a scary story, or a mystery, there’s no wrong way to use a prompt. So whether your child is just getting started as a writer or is looking for a way to break out of a rut, try using writing prompts. You might be surprised at what they come up with!

Why are creative writing prompts effective?

Writing prompts help take the pressure off of coming up with an idea on their own, and they give kids a jumping off point for their stories. They can also provide a structure for a piece of writing, which can be especially helpful when starting a new project.

Ideas for ways to use creative writing prompts with kids

There are lots of ways to use creative writing prompts with kids. You can use them as a way to get kids interested in writing, or as a way to get them thinking about a particular topic. Prompts can also be used as a way to get kids to practice their writing skills.

Here are some ideas for ways to use creative writing prompts with kids:

Use a prompt as a way to introduce a new topic.

If you’re studying animals, for instance, you could start by asking kids to come up with an animal story. This will help them to engage with the material and get them thinking about the topic in a new way.

Use prompts as a way to encourage kids to be creative.

There’s no need to adhere to any specific rules when it comes to stories – let the children’s imaginations run wild! This is also a great way to get reluctant writers interested in writing.

Use prompts as a way to practice specific writing skills.

If you’re working on punctuation, for example, you could ask kids to write a short story that includes several examples of correct punctuation usage. This will help them to internalize the rules of punctuation and make them more likely to use them correctly in their own writing.

Daily Creative Writing Prompt for Kids Printable

To make things a bit easier, I created this free printable Daily Writing Prompt Worksheet Template to use each day with my son. Although loves to read and does so daily, writing has never been his “thing.” I am really hoping these writing prompts help him not only practice writing but also give him ideas for stories he may want to write on his own.

I included small sections for “Write a note to Mom and Dad” and “Write a note to a friend” to make it interesting and after using this for a couple days, I shared the worksheet with a parent from school. Our children are good friends and her son really took the “write a quick note to a friend” to heart.

It gave him the idea to incorporate my son into his creative story in addition to writing a quick note. Soon, we were taking photos of the sheets each day to exchange with our sons and it became a really fun way for the kids to interact with one another. They looked forward to seeing what the other had written each day and it made the daily project seem less of a chore.

Interesting Creative Writing Prompts for Kids

Here are some fun and interesting creative writing prompts for kids that can be used as story starts, creative journaling or just plain fun.

1. If you could turn into any animal, what would it be and why? Where would you live?
2. A group of friends go out to eat. One friend pays, but the others don’t have enough money to tip. What happens?
3. You are a ladybug. What do you do each day?
4. Two people are arguing. One is trying to convince the other of something that they don’t believe. What is it?
5. Write a story about a day in the life of your pet. What kind of secret adventures do they have while you’re at school?
6. You’ve lost your memory and all you have a is box with random items in it. What does the memory box contain and what do the items say about you?
7. What would happen to life on earth if the sun disappeared? What are some ways humans might adapt to a new reality in darkness?
8. What would it be like to live in space? Would you want to live on a planet or in a spaceship traveling the galaxy?
9. Your friend is anxious about an upcoming swim meet. What words of encouragement do you have for her?
10. Write a story about being shrunken down to the size of an ant. How would your everyday life change? What kind of dangers would you face?
11. What if the moon was made of cheese? Would mice still live there? What other animals might be found on the moon if it were made of cheese?
12. You are in charge of organizing an Earth Day activity for your class. What will you do?
13. Invent a new holiday and describe how it is celebrated. Who started it and why?
14. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? How would you use it to help others?
15. If you could make anything out of origami, what would it be?
16. What if everyone in the world had the same hair color? How would you make yourself look different. Would you even want to?
17. Write a story about a time when you were very brave. What made you so afraid and how did you overcome it?
18. What would it be like to be able to read people’s thoughts? Would you use your power for good or evil?
19. You are a lighthouse keeper in ancient Alexandria. Describe how you saved a ship from crashing into the shore during a terrible storm.
20. If you could travel back in time, what year would you visit? What event would you like to witness?
21. If you could choose any job in the world, what would it be? Why?
22. What would it be like to have a magic wand? What kind of spells would you cast?
23. You are designing a new thank you card for Hallmark. Describe what the illustration on the cover and what would it say inside?
24. Write a story about a time when you were treated unfairly. How did you react and what was the result?
25. If you could be any character in a book, who would you choose to be? Why?
26. What if you woke up one day with a new physical feature, like a tail or wings? How would your life change?
27. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be? Why?
28. You are one of the last two standing for the national spelling bee. What tough spelling bee words do you both get next and what happens?
29. What if everyone had to wear the same clothes? What kind of fashion trends would emerge?
30. If you could own any pet, what would it be? How would you take care of it?
31. What would it be like to live in a world without color? What kind of mood would it set?
32. Your Halloween pumpkin comes to life. What does it say?
33. Write a story about a time when you were really embarrassed. What happened and how did you react?
34. What would it be like to have a trillion dollars? How would you spend it?
35. You are one of Santa‘s elves and get to choose your assignment this Christmas. Do you want to help build toys in the workshop or do you want to be an Elf on the Shelf, and why?
36. If you could master any skill overnight, what would it be? How would you use your new skill?
37. If you could invent a new food, what would it be and how would it taste?
38. Write a story about being stuck in quicksand. How would you get out?
39. What if the sun only rose once every 100 years? What would people do with their time?
40. Chocolate has been banned in your town. What do you do?
41. You’ve been given a mysterious box. What’s inside it and why is it so special to you?
42. You can only speak in movie quotes for 24 hours. How does your day go?
43. A meteor is going to hit the earth in 24 hours. What do you do?
44. If you could own any piece of art, what would it be? Why?
45. What if animals could talk? What would your pet say to you?
46. An alien rings your doorbell. What does it look like and what does it say?
47. What would it be like to have x-ray vision? Would you use your power for good or evil?
48. Write a story from the perspective of melting snowman. What does he see and feel as he melts? What would you be thankful for?
49. What if you could choose to never grow up? Would you do it? Why or why not?
50. You find a holiday gnome hiding in your bathroom. Where is he from and why is he there?
51. What would it be like to be the last person on earth? How would you spend your days?
52. What if there were no such thing as gravity? How would people and animals live?
53. Write a short story that starts and ends with the same sentence.
54. Write a poem about your favorite color.
55. You wake up with a terrible cold. What could someone do to make you feel better and how would you want to spend your day?
56. Write a letter to your childhood self.
57. Write a screenplay for a movie that takes place in one room only.
58. Have an ongoing conversation between two people, with each piece of dialogue being one word longer than the last. 
59. Follow someone around for a day and write about their life.
60. Come up with creative excuses for why certain events happened in history.
61. If trees could talk, what would they say?
62. They ran out of peppermint at the candy cane factory. What flavor do they start making instead? 
63. You find a wallet on the street. Whose is it and what does their day entail?  
64. You’re at a museum. Suddenly, the paintings come to life and start talking to you. What do they say?
65. You have the power to become invisible whenever you want. How do you use it?
66. You wake up one day and discover you can’t get hurt. What do you do?
67. Your playdough art sculpture wins an award at the local art fair. What did you make and what award is it?
68. A genie grants you three wishes. What are they?
69. What would you do if you were stranded on a deserted island with no hope of rescue?
70. You can teleport anywhere in the world with the blink of your eyes. Where do you go first?
71. You can time travel, but only to the future. What do you see?
72. You’ve been invited to a party at Buckingham Palace. What happens?
73. You and a friend get lost while hiking. What do you do to survive the night and how are your rescued?
74. You have the ability to turn water into any beverage. What do you choose?
75. A mad scientist has created a clone of you. What happens next?
76. You’re in a room with no doors or windows. How do you get out?
77. You’re the new ruler of a small country. What’s your first decree?
78. You can only use one type of transportation for the rest of your life. What is it?
79. You can transform into any animal you want. What do you become?
80. You can choose to live in any time period. When do you choose to live?
81. Plants are taking over the world. What do you do?
82. You’re stuck in an elevator with a famous person. Who is it and what do you talk about?
83. What is your least favorite household chore and why?
84. You have to teach a friend one school subject. What would it be and how would you teach it to them?
85. Write about what would it be like if you had a shark as a pet. Would you feed it fish or try to change its diet to something else?