Writing is a great way to slow down -- and in today's fast paced culture, making time to slow down is becoming more and more needed. While your kids might not always be able to voice their need for less stimulation and quiet, as parents, grandparents, and teachers, it's our job to still make sure we provide these opportunities.
Learning to journal or write doesn't come naturally to us all, so here are 25 fun creative writing prompts to help your kids get started! Consider writing these ideas on papers or popsicle sticks for you kids to pick from if you'd like to make it even more hands off! (P.S. You might need to offer a little incentive to get them started. Sweet treats, some extra allowance money, you get the idea.)
1. Write a story about a fairy whose wings stop working and how they solve that problem.
2. Imagine you won the lottery and can do whatever you want. Write about what your life would look like and all the things you would do.
3. Create a world where everything is backwards, opposite, or silly! What types of things go wrong? What kinds of things are more fun?
4. Write a story about a kid who finds out they can time travel. What times do they go to and what happens while they're there?
5. Old McDonald had a farm -- write about each of the animals on McDonald's farm. What types of animals are there, what are there names, and what are their stories?
6. Imagine you wake up one day and find out that you have grown to be 50 feet tall! What would happen? Would you like to stay that way or figure out a way to get back to normal?
7. Think of one of your favorite characters from a fairy tale or story. Write a new story about what happens to them after what you already know!
8. Write an acrostic poem for each member of your family. In acrostic poems, each line starts with a letter of their name.
9. Yo Ho Ho! Write about being a pirate captain and sailing the seven seas. What adventures do you go on? What treasure have you found?
10. Pretend you found two magical potions. What do they do? Would you drink them?
11. Write a story about a leprechaun who gets a little confused and has a pot of soup instead of gold -- but he doesn't mind!
12. You just became President of the United States -- what what would be the first thing you do? What things would you change for the U.S.?
13. Create a new secret language! Come up with new letters and write a note or in your journal in your new language. Take it one step further and try talking in your new language too!
14. Imagine you've traveled to 100 years ago. How do you convince them you're a time traveler with out bringing anything with you?
15. Take a classic fairy tale story but instead of a happily ever after, come up with a version where everything goes wrong.
16. Ask your parent for some socks that you can turn into sock puppets. Decorate them and then write a script, the words and actions, for a little play!
17. Pretend that one day you wake up as your favorite animal. Write about the adventures you would go on and what other animal friends you would have.
18. Write about if all the planets and stars in our solar system were alive and had personalities. Would they be friends? What would each planet be like? Which one is most like yourself?
19. Create an imaginary world or country. Draw a map of it. What is the terrain like? What animals or creatures live there? Is it magical? Still in the olden days? Futuristic with lots of technology? What is the culture like there?
20. Imagine you get to meet your hero or favorite character-- where would you meet them and what would you say?
As parents, we know how important it is to foster our kids' creativity and imagination. These writing prompts offer a fun and engaging way to do just that. So, grab some paper and pencils, and let their little minds wander. Who knows, you might even discover a budding author in your own home!