The best creative writing prompts for kids take one familiar thing and add one strange detail, such as "The door wasn't there yesterday."
Below are 100 of them for children aged 7 to 11, sorted by type and by age, with a new one picked for you every day and a printable PDF.
Each type of writing has three short planning questions, so a child who says "I don't know what to write" always has a way in.
- There are 100 prompts: 20 each of story, description, letter, diary and report.
- Every prompt is tagged for ages 7 to 8, 9 to 10 or 10 to 11, easiest first.
- Answer three planning questions in a few words, then write for about ten minutes.
- Reading the piece aloud is the simplest editing habit there is.
- The whole set is a printable A4 PDF, and Pip's Writing Studio gives a new picture prompt every day.
What is today's creative writing prompt for kids?
Here is today's prompt. It changes every day at midnight and cycles through all 100.
Something was frozen in the ice.
Think about: What was it, and who found it?
What are 100 good creative writing prompts for kids?
Pick a type and an age, then tap Copy to paste a prompt into a document or message. Each type runs from easiest to hardest.
Showing all 100 prompts
- Story · ages 7 to 8
Something was frozen in the ice.
- Story · ages 7 to 8
The door wasn't there yesterday.
- Story · ages 7 to 8
A dragon is afraid of fire.
- Story · ages 7 to 8
The day the playground went completely quiet.
- Story · ages 7 to 8
A very small knight sets out on a very big mission.
- Story · ages 7 to 8
Your cat can talk, but only to you.
- Story · ages 7 to 8
The class pet has escaped.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
The map was drawn in your handwriting, but you have never seen it before.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
Every clock in the village stopped at 3:15.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
You find a key that fits no lock, until today.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
The lighthouse light came on by itself.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
A message in a bottle washes up with your name on it.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
The new boy at school never leaves footprints.
- Story · ages 9 to 10
The bus took a turn it never takes.
- Story · ages 10 to 11
The town woke up to find every door painted red.
- Story · ages 10 to 11
You have one hour before the museum opens and one painting you cannot leave behind.
- Story · ages 10 to 11
Write a story that begins with the lights going out and ends with them coming back on.
- Story · ages 10 to 11
The robot followed its instructions perfectly. That was the problem.
- Story · ages 10 to 11
An old woman gives you a seed and says, “Don't water it after dark.”
- Story · ages 10 to 11
Two friends, one rowing boat and one storm coming.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe the village after the snow.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe your favourite place to hide.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe a dragon's cave using all five senses.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe the school playground at the very end of the day.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe a sweet shop with the biggest jars you have ever seen.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe the sea on a stormy day.
- Description · ages 7 to 8
Describe a monster who is more silly than scary.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe a market just before it opens.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe a forest at night without using the word dark.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe an old attic that nobody has opened for years.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe a train station in the rain.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe a bakery at five in the morning.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe the moment a firework lights up the sky.
- Description · ages 9 to 10
Describe a beach in winter.
- Description · ages 10 to 11
Describe a city street from a pigeon's point of view.
- Description · ages 10 to 11
Describe an empty classroom on a Sunday.
- Description · ages 10 to 11
Describe a storm arriving, from the first cloud to the first drop.
- Description · ages 10 to 11
Describe an abandoned fairground.
- Description · ages 10 to 11
Describe a character only through the things in their pockets.
- Description · ages 10 to 11
Describe a busy kitchen on the morning of a birthday.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write to the owner of the umbrella.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write a thank-you letter to someone who helped you when you were lost.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write a letter to a child who will find it in a time capsule.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write to your favourite author and tell them what you would change in the story.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write a letter from a dog to the family who has just adopted it.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write to Father Christmas, but this year you are asking for something unusual.
- Letter · ages 7 to 8
Write to the head teacher asking for a new playground rule.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write a letter from a mermaid to a sailor who dropped his compass.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write a letter to your older self, ten years from now.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write to the council asking for a new park, and give three good reasons.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write a letter from an astronaut on Mars to their family on Earth.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write a letter of complaint to a giant who keeps stepping on your village.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write a letter to a character from your favourite book.
- Letter · ages 9 to 10
Write a letter to the person who lived in your house a hundred years ago.
- Letter · ages 10 to 11
Write an apology letter from a villain who has just changed their mind.
- Letter · ages 10 to 11
Write a letter persuading a friend to try something that scares them.
- Letter · ages 10 to 11
Write to the mayor persuading them to keep the old library open.
- Letter · ages 10 to 11
Write a letter you wrote but never sent.
- Letter · ages 10 to 11
Write a letter from a tree that has stood in the same place for three hundred years.
- Letter · ages 10 to 11
Write a letter from the moon to the sun.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
My first night camping.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
The day I lost my tooth.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
A day at the seaside when everything went wrong.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
My first day at a new school.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
The day my pet did something naughty.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
My birthday, from the moment I woke up.
- Diary · ages 7 to 8
A rainy day that turned out to be the best day.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
The day you found the secret door.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
The day I met a dragon.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
The diary of a pirate's cabin boy or girl on the first night at sea.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
The diary of a snowman, from Monday to the thaw.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
My first time on stage.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
A day I was braver than I thought I could be.
- Diary · ages 9 to 10
The day the power went out for a whole evening.
- Diary · ages 10 to 11
The diary of an explorer who has just found a lost city.
- Diary · ages 10 to 11
The diary of a child in a Victorian classroom.
- Diary · ages 10 to 11
The moment you realised your best friend had been keeping a secret.
- Diary · ages 10 to 11
A diary entry written on the last day of primary school.
- Diary · ages 10 to 11
The diary of a lighthouse keeper during a week of storms.
- Diary · ages 10 to 11
The diary of a scientist whose experiment has just gone very, very right.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
Write a news report about the giant boot.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
Report on a school sports day where everything went upside down.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
Write a weather report for a town where it rains sweets.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
Report on the dog who stole the sausages from the school picnic.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
Write a report about a new animal discovered in the garden.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
Report on the day the fire engine visited school.
- Report · ages 7 to 8
A seagull has flown off with a whole ice cream. Report the news.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Write a newspaper report about a sighting of a sea monster in the local pond.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Report on a robbery at the sweet shop, using eyewitness quotes.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Write a news report about the first day of school on the moon.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Write a report about a bridge that appeared overnight.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Report on a town where gravity stops working on Tuesdays.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Write a sports report on the most unusual race ever held.
- Report · ages 9 to 10
Write a report on a school trip that ended up in the wrong place.
- Report · ages 10 to 11
Write a news report on a mystery: every book in the library has gone blank.
- Report · ages 10 to 11
Write a report as a nature documentary presenter watching a playground at break time.
- Report · ages 10 to 11
Write a report for the local paper about a mysterious light seen over the hills.
- Report · ages 10 to 11
Write an eyewitness report from inside a storm.
- Report · ages 10 to 11
Report on an invention that was supposed to change the world but did not.
- Report · ages 10 to 11
Write a news report on the day a town voted to cancel Monday.
How do you use a creative writing prompt with a child?
Use the same three steps with every prompt. It takes about ten minutes and nothing is marked.
- Pick a promptLet your child choose, or start at the top of a type and work down. The first prompts in each type are the easiest.
- Answer three planning questionsShort notes are enough. The questions below change with the type of writing, and the answers become the beginning, middle and end.
- Write for ten minutes, then read it aloudSet a timer. When it rings, your child reads the piece out loud and fixes one thing they hear. Praise one detail you liked.
| Type | The three planning questions |
|---|---|
| Story | Who is there? What has just happened? What might go wrong? |
| Description | What can you see? What can you hear or smell? What small detail would surprise a reader? |
| Letter | Who are you writing to, and why? What do you want them to know or do? How will you end? |
| Diary | When and where does it happen? What happened, and how did you feel? What do you hope for tomorrow? |
| Report | What happened, to whom, where and when? Who can you quote? Why does it matter to the reader? |
Is there a printable list of creative writing prompts?
Yes. The PDF has all 100 prompts in ten list pages, ten writing pages with the planning boxes and ruled lines, and a blank page for a prompt you invent together.
Get all 100 creative writing prompts as a printable PDF
- 24 pages
- Ages 7 to 11
- Printable A4
- All 100 prompts, ordered easiest to hardest, with a tick box
- Ten writing pages with three planning boxes and ruled lines
- A blank page for your own prompt
Thanks! Your download is on its way.
We'll only use your email to send this and, if you tick the box, new free papers.
How can kids get a new creative writing prompt every day?
The list above gives you plenty to start with. If you want a fresh idea each day, with a painted picture to look at first, Pip's Writing Studio does that for ages 7 to 11.
A new prompt every day, with a picture
Each day opens with a painted picture and a first line, so there is never a blank page.
- A picture prompt every day
- One short lesson at a time
- A Writing Book of their best work
- Private, on their device
What makes a good writing prompt for kids?
A good prompt is short, concrete and open. It names one thing a child can picture and leaves the rest to them.
- One strange detail. A familiar place with something wrong in it, such as a clock that stopped or a door that wasn't there yesterday.
- A clear job. "Write to the owner of the umbrella" tells a child who to write to and what the piece is.
- Room to answer. The prompt never says what happens, so there is no wrong answer to be afraid of.
- The right level. A seven-year-old needs a first line and a feeling. A ten-year-old can take a rule, a viewpoint or a change of mood.
To go further, our guide to marking 11+ creative writing shows what markers reward, and the free creative writing worksheets add two model examples.
Which exams ask for writing? See which 11+ exams include creative writing.
Frequently asked questions
What are good creative writing prompts for kids?+
" They are short, open and easy to picture, so a child can start straight away. This page has 100, sorted by type and by age.
What age are these prompts for?+
Ages 7 to 11, from Year 3 to Year 6. Each type runs from easiest to hardest, and every prompt is tagged 7 to 8, 9 to 10 or 10 to 11 so you can pick the right level.
How long should my child write for?+
About ten minutes is a good target. A younger child may write four or five sentences and an older child a full page.
Stopping while they still have ideas makes them keen to come back.
What if my child says they have no ideas?+
Ask the three planning questions for that type of writing, such as who is there, what has just happened and what might go wrong. Short notes in answer to those questions are enough to start, and they become the beginning, middle and end.
What is the difference between the five types?+
Story prompts ask for a made-up event. Description prompts ask for what a place or person is like.
Letter prompts write to a real or imaginary reader. Diary prompts are first person and feeling-led.
Report prompts are written like a newspaper article, with facts and quotes.
Are these good practice for the 11+ and Year 6 writing?+
Yes. Several 11+ exams and Year 6 teacher assessment ask for a story, a description or a letter.
Short, regular practice with a plan builds the stamina and control those tasks need. See which 11+ exams include creative writing for the board-by-board detail.
Can I print the prompts?+
Yes. There is a printable A4 PDF with all 100 prompts, a tick box beside each, ten writing pages with plan boxes and a blank page for your own prompt.
Enter your email on this page to download it.
Does Pip mark my child's writing?+
No. Your child tries one technique, reads the piece aloud and checks it themselves.
Our guide to marking 11+ creative writing gives you a simple scorecard if you want to look at it at home.
Can my child write the prompts in the app?+
Yes. Pip's Writing Studio gives a new painted picture prompt each day with a first line, a technique to try and a Writing Book.
What your child writes stays on their device.
How can I make a prompt harder or easier?+
To make it easier, ask for three sentences and let your child tell you the idea first. To make it harder, add a rule, such as no use of the word said, or ask for a second paragraph that changes the mood.
The Pip team builds Pip, the 11+ and KS2 practice app for children aged 7 to 11. We write guides that help parents support their child at home.
