Most children have a creative streak and you often don’t need to do much to encourage it. If you’re looking for something creative (and quiet) for the kids to do at home, school or at OSHC, creative writing could be just the thing you need. Not only does it require some creative thinking, but it also helps to improve writing skills and concentration too.

While kids do a lot of writing during school time, they don’t always get to write about something that interests them. Writing can be a great way to express creativity and explore ideas without having to follow a particular structure too closely.

Once you’re ready to start writing, use these creative writing prompts to get your stories

started

• Imagine dinosaurs roaming the Earth again. What is it like?
• On a dark and stormy night…
• You have travelled into space. What do you see?
• Write a story that includes the following: “Watch out for the monkey!”
• An old man throws a coin in a wishing well. What does he wish for?
• Write about a day from the perspective of a dog
• A prince decides he wants to be a villain rather than a hero
• Tell a story about a cloud
• Trust
• A bird turns into a human for a day
• You now have a superpower. What is it and what do you do with it?

You can use creative writing prompts with kids in many ways:

• Pick one and complete a story as a small or large group, allowing each person to write one sentence as you go to complete a whole story together as a group
• Draw a prompt out of a hat and use that as the basis for your story
• Have each person come up with a story starter sentence. Swap sentences with a partner and start writing
• Use a prompt to tell a story out loud.

You can find more ideas at Scholastic Story Starters, The Literacy Shed and Super Teacher Worksheets, and a range of other websites too. If you have a younger group, you could also use photos or single words cut from magazines or newspapers for your story prompts. Have the children tell the story and write it down for them.

Creative writing should be fun, individual, and flexible in its approach. Allow children to explore ideas without any fear of getting them wrong and be gentle with your feedback.

Whichever method you use, enjoy flexing those creative muscles and helping your kids to celebrate their writing successes.