Unlike story starters, which aim to provide a specific opening line, writing prompts offer broader themes or concepts for children to explore. Effective writing prompts are open-ended questions or statements that help make up a toolkit designed to inspire creative, persuasive or narrative writing.
I wrote about simple Story Starters here. I use the simple story starters to get children past the ‘blank page’ issue and they can make for a great warm up activity.
Writing prompts are slightly more involved. Well-crafted writing prompts extend the story starter idea with the aim to make writing a more involved, fun and enjoyable activity, fostering a lifelong love for the craft. When children are excited about writing, they are more likely to engage with the task and produce higher-quality work.
Some years ago, I started on creating simple box sets of story starters and writing prompts. These resources have been invaluable in my classrooms and with each class I taught. They are playful and always add an element of fun and laughter to our creative writing activities.
Here are just some of our prompt cards.
My Who, What, Where box is an easily adapted and differentiated writing prompt that changes when one of the elements is different. By changing simply the character, the setting or the problem, the whole story can take a different direction.
You can download some of my Story Prompts to make a start on your own toolkit here. I have provided both Irish and English language versions.
Each child picks a card or two from each box and sets about using the prompts to create their writing piece. If a child picks two elements that are the same as they picked previously, their story can still be very different depending on the third element. I always ask the children to read their elements to the class before they start brainstorming or writing and these are often met with laughter and funny suggestions. At times, stories are passed around orally before any words meet the paper!
Using imagery to inspire writing
Writing prompts can also be visual and these can be more holistic and meaningful to the class. I have found visual and pictorial writing prompts are highly effective for children of all ages. Pictures prompts are universal and don’t require advanced reading skills. Pictures also break down language barriers.
You can provide (or older children can find) vivid imagery that can ignite creative thinking and allow children to describe what they see and can imagine is happening. Tools like canva.com have special premium accounts for teachers to use at no cost and you will find large libraries of professionally made images and photographs to use as visual prompts. These can look great on a large panel display.
A simple search for “creative writing picture prompts for children” will yield a myriad of pictures that can be used in the classroom to engage and invite children to write.
Children quickly learn to observe and describe details in the picture, enhancing their ability to notice and articulate finer aspects of a scene or situation and this can inspire a variety of writing forms, such as narratives, poems, dialogues or even non-fiction explanations, depending on how the image is interpreted or the intention behind it.
Pictures often raise questions: “What’s happening here?” “Who is this character?” “Why is this scene unfolding?” These questions naturally guide storytelling. A compelling or relatable image can evoke emotions, helping children connect to their writing on a personal level and express themselves more deeply.
Prompts like “What would happen if animals could talk?” or “Describe a world where gravity doesn’t exist” require children to think about the prompt and consider various possibilities and consequences.
Sharing and collaborating
A simple and engaging way of getting children to become involved in each other’s writing is to ask everyone to write the first sentence of a story, including something suspenseful or intriguing – the hook for bringing the reader in.
Put all the sentences in a box and ask everyone to pick one to start their story. This makes the creative writing process inclusive and the children are actively involved.
To engage children further, I always have a writing table in my classroom. I use copies covered with coloured paper to create simple books and write a prompt on the front of each one. The prompts encourage the children with a topic for their writing and they can write a story, read another child’s story or illustrate a piece that has already been written. This is a lovely early finisher activity and caters to different learning styles and interests.
Write One Sentence
I find this is always a hit with children and is a fun and playful way for a quick piece of creative writing.
I start the story with one sentence and as an early finisher activity or at break time etc the children take turns to write the next sentence to continue the story. Only one sentence at a time and each child can take the story in a different direction. They have to read what has already been written in order for their continuation to make sense.
It’s fun and interesting to see everyone’s ideas and how they each shape the piece of writing. I read the story to the class when it has reached its ending and will give a new starting sentence and off we go again.
All these activities can be transferred to Gaeilge too and can be adapted to suit the needs and levels of the individual class and children.
Playful story starters and writing prompts are invaluable tools for unlocking creativity and imagination in the classroom. The possibilities are endless and the benefits for children are immeasurable.
So let’s embrace the power of storytelling and watch as our children’s imaginations soar.
More reflections on play centred learning from Gillian:
https://www.instagram.com/the_glitter_and_coffee_teacher
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