Characters, settings & story starters
Fun Writing Activities: Creative Writing Prompts
Generate creative writing prompts by having students roll a die to randomly select a character, setting, and problem for a story.
resources by type
resources by grade
resources by subject
other resources
1,832 resources
Writing Prompts
Find writing prompts and browse collections by genre, grade or theme.
1,832 resources
Explore sub-categories
Writing Prompts
45 sub-categories · 1,832 resources
Story starters
The Unusual Present: Write An Imaginative Story (And More) (9-13 years)
Read a provided story opening (about receiving an unusual pair of trainers/shoes with hidden powers), write paragraph 3 using guiding questions, then plan and write an original three-paragraph imaginative story (fantasy, crime, or adventure genre) using paragraph-by-paragraph planning questions.
Story startersSeasonal writing
Finish the Story: Back to School Writing Prompts
Read an unfinished story-starter sentence and write an original ending to complete the story; space is provided to also illustrate/title the piece and write the author's name.
Birthday stories & recounts
Creative Writing Prompts Grade 3 | The Special Birthday
Gives grade 3 students 8 themed creative-writing prompts on a special birthday, each with sentence starters, guiding questions, and a word bank, to practice organizing a narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Story starters
Christmas Quick Write Choice Board
Choose one of six numbered options, read the story-starter prompt on that slide, and write a short story continuing from the prompt directly on the slide (duplicating the slide for more room if needed).
Story startersSeasonal writing
April Weekly Interactive Writing Prompts | Poetry Month Writing Prompt
Each week, students choose one of three provided writing prompts (creative story starters, personal reflection questions, or opinion prompts) and type their response directly onto the slide in a 'Type here' text box.
Editable
Open-ended prompts
Creative Journal Prompts for Daily Writing Fun.
A set of daily journal-writing prompt worksheets covering general, seasonal, and imaginative topics to build writing fluency and self-reflection.
Pictures & imagined scenes
Adventure Visual Writing Prompts | Photo Ideas | Writing Project
Provide open-ended visual/photo writing prompts (animal photos) to inspire creative descriptive or narrative student writing.
Speech bubbles
Creative Dialogue Writing Prompts Worksheets.
A set of dialogue-writing prompt worksheets that give students a scenario and ask them to write out a full dialogue between characters with proper punctuation and descriptive tags.
Reading-linked writing
ESL Reading Comprehension + Writing Activity - Dream Bedroom
Give ESL/EFL students a nonfiction reading passage about students' views on their bedrooms and designing a dream bedroom, paired with comprehension checks and essay writing prompts to build reading and writing skills.
Imaginative stories
If Animals Could Talk on Earth Day - Writing Prompt
Write from the perspective of a chosen animal about how humans treat the Earth (writing portion), and draw the animal with a speech bubble showing what it might say (drawing portion).
Stories & dialogue
Easter Quick Write Choice Board
A digital Easter-themed quick-write choice board offering students several sentence-starter writing prompts to choose from, usable in PowerPoint or assigned via Google Classroom.
Editable
Open-ended prompts
Daily Journal Pages, Homeschool Worksheets, Writing Activity
Write and draw about the day, weather, feelings, gratitude and problem solving on journal pages.
Story startersSeasonal writing
Finish the Story: Fall Theme Writing Prompts
Read an unfinished story-starter sentence and write an original ending to complete the story; space is provided to also illustrate/title the piece and write the author's name.
Story craft & viewpoint
Flash Fiction: 24 Creative Writing Prompts for Students
Choose from 24 prompt slides and write a very short story (no more than 1000 words, up to 3 characters, one setting, one conflict, one or two rising actions, and a resolution) within a timed writing session; optionally share stories in small groups for feedback.
Spooky stories
Halloween Quick Write Choice Board
Click a numbered option to jump to a slide with a Halloween-themed story-starter sentence, then write/type additional sentences continuing the prompt into a short story, duplicating the slide for more room if needed; optional 10-minute 'spooky music' audio link is available on each slide.
Editable
Memories & journals
Journal Prompts for Daily Writing
A large collection of draw-and-write daily journal prompt pages for a writing station, each giving students a short topic to illustrate and write about.
Opinion & comparisonText-based responses
Fiction vs Nonfiction – Genre Sorting Packet
Review a two-column comparison chart of fiction and nonfiction features, then sort book covers into fiction and nonfiction categories (by dragging digitally or cutting and pasting), and complete two writing prompts naming a favorite fiction book and a favorite nonfiction book.
Editable
Personal experiencesPlanning a narrative
Storyteller's Wordshop - True Life Stories & Me and My World
A two-part personal-narrative writing journal (combining 'True Life Stories' and 'Me and My World') that prompts students to write and illustrate short personal stories using story starters, brainstorming questions, and vocabulary space.
Story startersSeasonal writing
Finish the Story – Spring Writing Prompts Pack
Read the printed story starter, then write (and, on the illustration layout, draw) to finish the story on the provided lines.
Story starters
Finish the Story: St. Patrick's Day Writing Prompts
Read the printed story starter, then write (and, on the illustration layout, draw) to finish the story on the provided lines.
Story startersSeasonal writing
Finish the Story: Summer Themed Writing Prompts
Read the printed story starter, then write (and, on the illustration layout, draw) to finish the story on the provided lines.
Stories & imagination
Finish the Story: Thanksgiving Writing Prompts
Read the printed story starter, then write (and, on the illustration layout, draw) to finish the story on the provided lines.
Monthly writing
January Daily Writing Journal
Respond in writing to a daily winter-themed prompt (e.g., describing winter through the five senses, imagining being a South Pole scientist or a snowflake, persuasive writing about a sledding trip, step-by-step instructions for building a snowman or making hot chocolate) in a dated journal format.