100 creative writing prompts for kids

35 writing prompts for young kids (ages 5–9)

These prompts are designed for early writers still finding their voice. Keep the stakes low: a few sentences, a drawing alongside, or even telling the story out loud counts as a win.

1. [Fantasy] Write a story about a character who has a secret power — but no one knows about it.
2. [Fantasy] Imagine a city that existed long ago but has now been destroyed. What did it look like? Who lived there? How did it all end?
3. [Sci-fi] Write a story about a planet that hasn't been discovered yet.
4. [Fantasy] Imagine you're a mermaid. Describe your under-the-sea home. Who are your friends? What does your house look like?
5. [Humor] What if your pet could talk? What would you two discuss?
6. [Fantasy] Create a daily schedule for a person who is as small as a snail.
7. [Personal narrative] If you had to choose one biome to live in — desert, rainforest, deep sea, arctic, mountains, or tropics — which would you pick, and why?
8. [Fantasy] If you could become invisible, where would you go first? What would you do there?
9. [Personal narrative] Why do you think your parents chose your name? Does it suit you? Why or why not?
10. [Adventure] Imagine you live on a deserted island and a big storm is coming. What do you do?
11. [Personal narrative] What is your earliest memory? Describe it like a scene in a movie.
12. [Fantasy] What would you do if you found a magic compass that could get you anywhere in the world in under 3 minutes?
13. [Fantasy] Your toy comes to life at midnight. What does it do while you're asleep?
14. [Mystery] You discover a tiny door in your bedroom wall. Where does it lead?
15. [Sci-fi] Write a story where the sky turns green one morning and nobody knows why.
16. [Adventure] You find a map with a giant X on it. Follow the path. What do you find?
17. [Humor] Your dog has a secret job while you're at school. What is it?
18. [Fantasy] If you could switch bodies with your best friend for one day, what would you do?
19. [Fantasy] A baby dragon shows up on your doorstep. How do you take care of it without your parents finding out?
20. [Humor] Write a story about the very last cookie in the jar — told from the cookie's point of view.
21. [Fantasy] Describe a world where everyone can fly — except you. How do you get around?
22. [Mystery] You wake up and everything in your house is upside down. Your family acts like nothing is wrong. What is going on?
23. [Fantasy] If you were the ruler of a kingdom, what would the laws be? Write your kingdom's constitution.
24. [Fantasy] What would life be like if you were your favorite animal?
25. [Persuasive] Is sweet or salty better? Write your best argument as if a million dollars is riding on it.
26. [Personal narrative] Write a step-by-step guide to being you.
27. [Adventure] Imagine you were the only person alive in the age of the dinosaurs. How would you spend your time?
28. [Humor] Would you rather always be too hot or always be too cold? Write a story about a character stuck in that situation.
29. [Mystery] If there were a secret passageway in your house, where would you find it — and where would it lead?
30. [Sci-fi] If an alien landed in your backyard tonight, what would happen?
31. [Sci-fi] What will life be like in the year 3000?
32. [Personal narrative] Are you most like an ocean, a gust of wind, a fire, or a tree? Why?
33. [Sci-fi] Write a letter to your current self from the future.
34. [Fantasy] Imagine you lived inside a shopping mall. Describe a typical day.
35. [Poetry] Write a poem about one of your family members. Try to capture something true about them in three lines.

If these prompts are sparking real stories, Outschool's online creative writing classes give kids a live teacher and a small group of other young writers to share their work with.

35 writing prompts for ages 10–12

Kids at this age are ready for more complexity: character motivation, plot tension, and real consequences. These prompts push a little harder.

1. [Realistic fiction] Write a scientific report about your pet. Use objective language only — no "she's the best dog ever."
2. [Sci-fi] Write a story where all technology stops working for one week. What happens to your family? Your town?
3. [Fantasy] Create an original superhero. Give them a backstory, a weakness, and a nemesis.
4. [Personal narrative] Write an itinerary for your dream vacation — including the flights, the hotels, and the weird detour nobody planned for.
5. [Personal narrative] Write a letter to your younger self. What do you want them to know?
6. [Persuasive] If you became president tomorrow, what's the first thing you'd change — and why?
7. [Realistic fiction] What was life like for your great-great-grandparent at exactly your age?
8. [Sci-fi] What would your life look like if you lived underground? Describe a full day, start to finish.
9. [Personal narrative] Imagine you're a star athlete in your favorite sport. Describe the morning of your biggest game.
10. [Realistic fiction] You're living in ancient Egypt. Describe one full day in your life.
11. [Mystery] You discover a secret society in your town. What are their rules? How did you find out about them?
12. [Mystery] Your family goes on a road trip and takes a wrong turn into a town that isn't on any map.
13. [Realistic fiction] Write a story told entirely through text messages.
14. [Adventure] You win a contest to visit any moment in history for exactly one hour. Where do you go, and what happens?
15. [Mystery] You find an old journal hidden in the attic. The last entry is dated the day you were born. What does it say?
16. [Sci-fi] The last human on Earth finally meets an alien — and they're completely ordinary. What do they talk about?
17. [Adventure] A famous explorer asks your family to join their next expedition. Where are you headed?
18. [Realistic fiction] Write a story from the perspective of the school lunch table where kids always sit alone.
19. [Mystery] Your neighborhood has a tradition nobody ever talks about. What is it, and why does everyone pretend it doesn't exist?
20. [Personal narrative] Write a letter to a historical figure you admire. Tell them what the world looks like right now.
21. [Adventure] A portal opens in your living room. You have exactly one minute to decide whether to step through. What do you do?
22. [Fantasy] Write a story where the villain turns out to be completely misunderstood.
23. [Humor] Your science fair project goes catastrophically wrong — but produces an unexpected result. What happens next?
24. [Fantasy] In your story, the moon is actually a spaceship. It's been there for 10,000 years. Someone just figured it out.
25. [Sci-fi] Write a story set 50 years from now. Your current self is a character in it.
26. [Mystery] Every morning, someone leaves a single flower on your doorstep. You've never seen who does it. One day, you find out.
27. [Fantasy] You have the power to rewind time — but only once, and only for 10 seconds. When do you use it?
28. [Realistic fiction] Write a story about two kids who start as rivals and end as friends. What changed between them?
29. [Persuasive] Make the case for a longer summer. Use two real reasons and one completely ridiculous one.
30. [Personal narrative] Describe a moment when you changed your mind about something. What made you think differently?
31. [Adventure] Your class goes on a field trip. The bus gets lost. Everyone looks to you to figure out where you are.
32. [Fantasy] A genie gives you exactly one wish — but it has to benefit someone else, not you. What do you wish for?
33. [Sci-fi] Animals have learned to speak — but they've decided not to tell humans. You're the first kid they trust. Why?
34. [Humor] Your family's smart home assistant develops opinions and starts making its own decisions. Things escalate.
35. [Mystery] The new kid next door seems completely normal — except they never go outside during the day. Write the story.

Kids who've started finding their writing voice tend to grow fastest with real structure behind them. Outschool's writing clubs for kids are built for this exact stage — a teacher who pushes the writing without killing the enthusiasm.

Creative writing prompts for middle school

Middle schoolers are navigating identity, relationships, and a much bigger world than they had at 8. Good prompts for this age lean into that complexity — they invite real opinions, real stakes, and real voice.

1. [Realistic fiction] Write a scene where two characters are having completely different conversations while appearing to talk to each other.
2. [Mystery] Write a story in reverse — start with the ending, then work backward to the moment everything changed.
3. [Personal narrative] Describe a moment in your life that felt small at the time but turned out to matter. What did you learn?
4. [Sci-fi] It's 2074 and people can upload memories to share with others. Someone uploads the wrong one by accident. Write the story.
5. [Realistic fiction] Write the last text exchange between two people who used to be close.
6. [Personal narrative] What do you think about more than you admit? Write about it directly.
7. [Fantasy] A character wakes up inside their own life — but they're a stranger in it. They have to figure out who they're supposed to be.
8. [Mystery] The detective realizes halfway through the investigation that they're the one who did it.
9. [Persuasive] Write an op-ed arguing for or against something you actually believe. Write it to convince a real person, not to get a good grade.
10. [Sci-fi] One ordinary object from our time — a phone, a key, a sneaker — is in a museum 500 years from now. Write the placard and the story behind it.

Funny writing prompts for kids

Sometimes the best writing comes from the silliest starting point. These prompts are designed to make kids laugh first — and then surprise themselves with what they write.

1. [Humor] Write a formal complaint letter from a sock that keeps getting separated from its match in the laundry.
2. [Humor] Your dog discovers email. What does he send, and who does he send it to?
3. [Humor] You've been elected class president. Your first official act: eliminate homework. Write your speech.
4. [Humor] A superhero whose only power is always knowing exactly where their keys are. Write one day in their life.
5. [Humor] Write a Yelp review for your school cafeteria, your backyard, or your bedroom — as if it were a restaurant.
6. [Humor] Your cat has been secretly running your household for years. Today, you finally catch on. What do you do?
7. [Humor] You discover that the library books in your town are all narrated by extremely opinionated squirrels. Write a scene.
8. [Humor] Write the world's worst advice column answer. The advice must be technically true but completely unhelpful.
9. [Humor] An alien lands in your town and writes a confused report back to their home planet about human birthday parties.
10. [Humor] Write the pilot episode of a reality TV show about dramatic vegetables competing to be the star of a salad.

Story starters for elementary students

Some kids don't need a question — they need a first line. These story starters are complete opening sentences designed to immediately pull young writers into a scene.

1. "The morning I found the door in the back of the refrigerator, everything changed."
2. "Nobody believed me about the talking turtle — until it started winning arguments."
3. "My grandmother said the hat had magic in it. I thought she was joking. She wasn't."
4. "The robot showed up at my locker on a Tuesday and handed me a note."
5. "I'd always wondered what was behind the fence at the end of our street. Now I knew."
6. "The dragon wasn't what I expected. For one thing, it was very small. For another, it was extremely apologetic."
7. "Someone had swapped all the signs in our town overnight. The gas station now said 'Library.' The library said 'Pizza.' Nobody knew what to do."
8. "The problem with winning the science fair was that I wasn't sure my experiment was supposed to do that."
9. "My dog started leaving me notes. The handwriting was better than mine."
10. "It was the last day of summer, and I had one hour to fix everything I'd accidentally broken."

30 writing prompts for teens

These prompts are for writers ready to go deeper — into character, conflict, and what they actually think about the world.

1. [Personal narrative] In the movie of your life, who would you cast to play you, your family, and your closest friends?
2. [Realistic fiction] Write a story from the perspective of your favorite fictional character, dropped into your actual, everyday life.
3. [Humor] Would you rather have farts people can see or burp glitter? Write a fully committed, logical defense of your choice.
4. [Sci-fi] You're living inside your favorite video game — and you have to figure out how to get back to real life.
5. [Personal narrative] Invent a new sport. Describe the rules, the equipment, and the decade-old traditions that have built up around it.
6. [Sci-fi] If you had a robot as a best friend, what would you do together — and what conflicts would eventually come up?
7. [Realistic fiction] Write a story where the main character only communicates through questions.
8. [Fantasy] Rewrite a classic fairy tale, set in the present day. Change the ending.
9. [Sci-fi] Describe your everyday life to an alien who has never heard of Earth. Be specific — don't take anything for granted.
10. [Personal narrative] Write the lyrics to a song you'd perform if you got a record deal. Pick the genre first. Write the chorus before anything else.
11. [Humor] Write the pilot episode of a TV show starring you as the main character. Set the premise in the first scene.
12. [Mystery] Write a story in reverse — start with the ending, then work backward to the moment everything changed.
13. [Personal narrative] Describe a moment in your life that felt small at the time but turned out to matter.
14. [Sci-fi] It's 2074 and people can upload memories to share with others. Someone uploads the wrong one by accident. Write the story.
15. [Horror] Write a story set in a place you know well — your house, your school, your neighborhood. Something is slightly wrong with it. The wrongness grows.
16. [Persuasive] Write an op-ed arguing for or against something you actually believe. Write it to convince a real person, not to get a good grade.
17. [Fantasy] A character wakes up inside their own life — but they're a stranger in it. They have to figure out who they're supposed to be.
18. [Mystery] The detective realizes halfway through the investigation that they're the one who did it.
19. [Personal narrative] What do you think about more than you admit? Write about it directly.
20. [Realistic fiction] Write the last text exchange between two people who used to be close.
21. [Sci-fi] One ordinary object from our time is in a museum 500 years from now. Write the placard and the story behind it.
22. [Horror] Write a story with no monsters. Just an ordinary situation that becomes terrifying.
23. [Fantasy] Your character has a gift everyone assumes is a blessing. They've been hiding the fact that it's actually a curse.
24. [Personal narrative] Write a letter to the first person who believed in you. Tell them what it meant.
25. [Adventure] Two strangers are trapped in an elevator for six hours. One of them is hiding something significant. Write the conversation.
26. [Persuasive] You have five minutes in front of your entire city. What do you say?
27. [Sci-fi] Tell the story of Earth — from the perspective of someone who just arrived here for the first time from another planet.
28. [Realistic fiction] Write a story about the moment right before something important happens. Stay in that moment. Don't let it happen yet.
29. [Mystery] A character gets a message from themselves from three years in the future. It's just four words. What are they, and what does the character do?
30. [Personal narrative] Write the first chapter of your autobiography. Start wherever feels true.

Teens who write seriously often find that peer feedback changes everything. Outschool's writing clubs for teens are small-group spaces built for honest critique, not just encouragement.

Summer writing prompts for kids

Summer is when kids have more time to write — and more experiences worth writing about. These prompts capture the specific texture of summer: heat, freedom, boredom, adventure, and the particular feeling of a long afternoon with nowhere to be.

1. [Personal narrative] Write about a summer day that didn't go as planned — but ended up better than expected.
2. [Adventure] You find an old rowboat tied to a dock at a lake, with a map inside it. Where does the map lead?
3. [Personal narrative] Describe a perfect summer day from start to finish. Don't skip the small details.
4. [Realistic fiction] Write a story about two kids who spend all summer trying to build something — a raft, a fort, a garden, a robot. What happens?
5. [Humor] Write the official rules for a sport you and your friends invented this summer. Take it completely seriously.
6. [Personal narrative] Write about the best book you read this summer. If you haven't read one yet, write about the one you'd most want to find.
7. [Fantasy] The fireflies in your backyard start blinking in a pattern. You realize it's a message. What does it say?
8. [Realistic fiction] Write a story about the last day before school starts. Make it matter.
9. [Mystery] Something goes missing at the family barbecue. You know who did it, but you can't prove it yet.
10. [Personal narrative] Write a letter to yourself to open on the first day of school. What do you want to remember about this summer?

Writing prompts by grade level

If you want prompts matched specifically to where your child is developmentally, here's a quick guide to which sections work best by grade band.

• Kindergarten to 2nd grade (K-2): Focus on story starters and the simplest prompts from the ages 5-9 section. Oral storytelling counts — have your child dictate while you write, or let them draw the story and narrate it.
• 3rd to 5th grade (grades 3-5): The full ages 5-9 section works well, and many kids this age are ready to tackle the first 10-15 prompts from the ages 10-12 section. Encourage longer responses and introduce the concept of a beginning, middle, and end.
• 6th to 8th grade (grades 6-8): The full ages 10-12 section, the middle school section, and the funny prompts. Kids this age are ready for revision — ask them to write a draft, then improve one specific thing about it.
• High school (grades 9-12): The teen section, plus any prompt from the earlier sections approached with more depth and craft. Encourage teenagers to experiment with structure, point of view, and form — not just content.

Frequently asked questions about writing prompts for kids

How many writing prompts should kids do a day?

One is plenty. The goal is consistent writing practice, not volume. A child who writes one thoughtful paragraph from a prompt every day will develop stronger writing skills faster than one who rushes through five prompts a week without really engaging with any of them.

What makes a good creative writing prompt for kids?

A good prompt is specific enough to eliminate the blank-page paralysis, open-ended enough to allow real creative choice, and interesting enough that the kid actually wants to write it. The best prompts have a built-in tension or surprise — a dragon that's apologetic, a dog with a secret job — that immediately suggests a story worth telling.

What if my kid doesn't want to write?

Start with the funny prompts. Humor lowers the stakes and makes writing feel like play. Also consider letting them dictate instead of write — oral storytelling builds the same narrative skills and can lead naturally back to writing once the pressure is off. More tips for building kids' writing skills can help if resistance is persistent.

How do I help my kid improve their writing without discouraging them?

Focus feedback on one thing at a time and phrase it as curiosity rather than correction. "I want to know more about what the dragon looked like" is easier to act on than "you need more description." Celebrate what's working before addressing what could be stronger.

Are writing prompts good for reluctant writers?

Yes — the right ones are. Reluctant writers usually resist the blank page, not writing itself. A strong prompt with a clear, funny, or surprising premise removes the most painful part of starting. The key is matching the prompt to what that specific kid finds genuinely interesting.

When your kid is ready to go further

A good prompt gets a story moving. What comes next — drafting, revising, finding a voice, learning what actually makes a story work — is where the real growth happens.

If your kid is writing regularly and ready for more structure and feedback:

• Online creative writing classes — storytelling, fiction, and poetry for all ages and skill levels
• Creative writing clubs for kids — live peer groups where young writers share their work and get real feedback
• Creative writing tutoring — 1-on-1 coaching for kids who want personalized support

You can also read how to teach creative writing at home if you want to run the sessions yourself, or browse writing prompts for middle school for more targeted options. Try a class today — no commitment required.