Journal Prompts That Get Kids Writing!

Looking for fun and exciting writing prompts that will actually motivate students to write? You’re in the right place! These simple journaling prompts are just the ticket to getting your students’ creative and imaginative juices flowing once again.

Why is it that so many kids loathe writing?

They moan and groan, whine and complain, reason and cajole, and come up with myriad excuses not to write.

I know of a student who faked a severe wrist injury just to get out of writing.

And when they do write, it’s mind-numbingly boring. There’s no voice! No passion! No satisfaction! Just line after line of flat, four-word sentences devoid of depth and adjectives.

What has caused this joyless, mundane, writing mess??

I’ll tell you my theory: Testing.

All of the joy has been sucked up by scripted essays, written responses, and a forceful nudge to supply a steady stream of text-based evidence.

Why can’t kids write just for the sake of writing?

It’s no wonder kids leave our classrooms and never pick up a pencil to write anything for the sheer pleasure of writing ever again. Or why they leave our schools never wanting to pick up a book to read for pleasure.

I’m not voting to do away with critical thinking, or fact finding, or supporting claims with evidence, as all of these play a vital role in creating well-rounded, intelligent writers.

What I’m voting for is to bring back creative writing. To bring back journaling. To return the joy, the whimsy, the pride to students’ writing instruction so that we won’t raise a future generation of leaders who lack imagination and creativity.

Who’s with me?

To start this movement, I’ve included twenty of my very favorite and fun journal prompts. These are tried and true writing prompts that get students buzzing with ideas and excited to pick up their pencils. They will furiously write. They will excitedly share.

No more groaning. No more whining. No more fake wrist injuries or trips to the clinic.

Just one more super important thing before I let loose on the writing prompts:

I always like to set the scene for writing by making it a little more special than our normal day-to-day routine. This is easily done by dimming the lights, putting on some soft music (I highly recommend streaming The Piano Guys or Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra), passing out special writing utensils such as mechanical pencils or gel pens, and placing a snack on their desks to get their brain juices flowing. I mean, the snack can be as tiny as a single Skittle to suck on or as simple as a mint. Setting the scene for writing doesn’t have to be done on a large scale; I think you’ll find that any extra little effort pays off in dividends.

Without further ado… 20 Journal Prompts that Kids Adore!

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3. Teacher for a Week

Congrats! You’ve won a chance to be the teacher for a whole week! What would you teach your class? Scuba diving? Video game design? Where would you take them on a field trip?  Paris? Disney? What kinds of assignments would your students have?

4. Can We Please Have a Pet??

Write a letter to a parent asking for a pet. Be sure to show how responsible you are. How will you take care of it? Where will it sleep? How will you entertain it? Be as persuasive as possible!

*Bonus: Present your letter to your parent and see what happens. You never know!

5. Spirit Animal

If you could become any kind of animal, which animal would you be? Perhaps a dolphin that glides through the water? Or an eagle that soars above the treetops? What about a monkey that swings through the trees? You decide! Tell about what it would be like to be that animal.

6. Look Ma, It’s a Flying Car!

Great Scott! You invented the first flying car! What does it look like? What kind of special features would it have? Where would you travel with this incredible flying machine?

7. Time Machine to the Past

While exploring your grandparents’ dark, dusty attic you come across a time machine to the past. What year would you program the time machine to? What happens when you are transported to that time period?

8. The Very Best Age

If you could wake up tomorrow and be any age, what age would you choose to be? Perhaps age five so you can return to kindergarten? Or maybe sixteen so you can drive a car? Explain what you would do if you were that age.

9. Storm Drain Adventure

You are driving your brand new, totally awesome remote control car out in front of your house. As you’re getting used to the controls, the zippy car accidentally takes a hard left turn—right into the storm drain! Determined to get your car back, you grab a crowbar from the garage, pry open the manhole, and peer down into the dark sewer below. Then you take a deep breath and jump down into the hole hoping that your car will be right at the bottom waiting for you. Write a story about what happens when you land at the bottom of the storm drain.

10. We All Scream for Ice Cream

Invent a new ice cream flavor. What is this new flavor called? What does it taste like? What delicious items does it have inside of it? Where will you sell your ice cream? *Bonus: Design a logo for your ice cream flavor.

11. Stranded on an Island

Help! You and a friend are stranded on a deserted island with no rescue in sight! Luckily, you have a bucket, a shovel, and a box of matches with you. How will you and your friend survive until you are rescued? What will you eat? How you will drink fresh water? How will rescue planes spot you?

12. Buy This School Supply!

The marketing director at Target enlists you to come up with a brand new, one-of-a-kind school supply to sell to kids your age. What will you invent? What does it look like? How will it help kids with their school work? Most importantly, why should kids run to Target and buy it immediately?

13. Bedroom Redesign

Exciting news! Your parents have given you the go-ahead to redesign your entire bedroom! The best part? You can spend as much money as you want! How will you redesign your bedroom to make it the coolest, most awesome, most spectacular place to sleep and hang out? Will you have a tree-house bed? A zipline to the bathroom? A jacuzzi in your closet? Perhaps an arcade or an ice cream parlor? It’s all up to you!

14. No More Screen Time

Pretend that all technology is banished for an entire day!Gasp! There is no TV, computer, tablet, cell phone, video game system, DVD player, etc. Tell what you would do all day long starting with waking up and ending with going to bed. Would you enjoy this day?

15. Ruler of the World

If you were ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (chores, Brussels sprouts, homework, and so forth)? Make a list of at least 10 items to completely abolish.

16. My One-Inch Life

Imagine you wake up one morning and realize that you have shrunk down to only one inch tall! Ahh! What is life like for you? How will you eat? How will you get around? What will your house be like? What challenges will you face?

17. Mystery Box

“Ding Dong!” the doorbell chimes. You scramble to the front door, fling it wide open, and find no one there. Curiously, an enormous box with your name scrawled upon it is sitting on the welcome mat. What’s inside the box? What happens when you open it?

18. Meal of the Century

You wake up to find  the following note taped to the fridge: “Tonight’s dinner will be epic. Choose whatever you’d like to fill the table. Foods can be homemade, bought at any store you want, or ordered from any restaurant(s) you choose. Don’t forget dessert!” What foods will you choose to fill tonight’s dinner table?

19. My Super Power

Pretend a mighty and all-powerful genie pays you a visit. He proceeds to grant you one wish and one wish only: You may choose a super-power. Which super-power would you wish to have? Invisibility? Super strength? The ability to fly? Or maybe something completely different? What would you do with this super-power?

20. My Future Self

Imagine what you will be like as a grown-up. Where will you live? Where will you work? What kind of house will you live in? What type of car will you drive? Will you have a family? What will you do in your free time?

Do you have any tried-and-true writing prompts that spark creativity and imagination? What do your students love to write in their journals?? I’d love for you to share!!

yours in reading (and writing prompts!),
rawley

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