Fun Writing Prompts for Kids at Home

Reading at home is very important for the development of literacy skills, but many parents don’t realise that kids need to engage in writing at home too. 

It’s important for students to get frequent practice writing in different styles. If you make writing a regular, fun activity for the family it will help build confidence and alleviate anxiety.

Below are prompts for four types of writing kids will enjoy.

Journaling 

Journaling is great for beginning writers as entries are written in first person and focus on personal thoughts and experiences. This helps students reflect and express themselves. 

When talking to kids about journaling, ask them why they think people like to capture moments and thoughts in writing. Let kids select their own journal and decorate it with stickers and drawings to personalise it. 

If you’re looking for inspiration for older students, check out the New York Times 500 writing prompts. The prompts below are a great place to start with younger kids.

     *Describe your favourite place and explain why you like it.

     *If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

     *Describe a perfect day in your life, starting from the moment you get out of bed.

Narrative 

Narrative writing is more sophisticated than journaling as it requires an understanding of story structure, characters and dialogue. 

Beginning writers often include themselves as the narrator or main character in their stories. You can help kids write about characters by talking to them about how these characters feel and their motivations.

Scholastic has a wonderful interactive story starter tool kids will love. The prompts below will also get kids’ imaginations running wild.

     *Write a story about being sent back in a time machine to live with the dinosaurs. 

     *What happens when you and your friends discover hidden treasure in the garden?

     *Write a story about the amazing adventures George the parrot has when he escapes from his cage. 

Exposition 

In contrast to narrative writing, which is designed to entertain, expository writing provides information. Examples include newspaper reports, instruction manuals and essays. The language is neutral and factual. 

When exploring this style, it’s helpful to read some simple news reports together and brainstorm how these examples differ from creative writing and journaling. 

These prompts will help kids recognise the features of exposition.  

     *Write a news report about children discovering treasure in the backyard using 5 W’s – Who, What, When, Where and Why.

     *Use an online headline generator to come up with the title for a news report.

     *Write a report about your favourite book. Include the title, author, characters and a summary of plot. 

Persuasion 

The purpose of persuasive writing is to convince the reader to share the writer’s point of view, or to take some action. Like exposition, this form of writing makes use of facts, but it also uses emotional appeals.  

Advertising is one form of persuasive writing kids will be very familiar with. Others include speeches, reviews and opinion pieces. 

These prompts will help kids recognise the differences between persuasive writing and other text types.

      *Write a review of your favourite book explaining why other people should read it.

     *Write a letter to your principal discussing why students shouldn’t have to wear uniforms every day. 

     *Find an everyday object in the house and design an advertisement for it. Include a catchy slogan that will persuade  people to buy it.

   Fun writing exercises at home will help kids become confident writers.

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