Writing Prompts for Kids – Am I In The Story?

Writing Prompts for Kids

Am I In The Story?

Teaching kids the “habit of writing” is one of the most important literacy skill building exercises to do early in their lives. While basic skills are important, and mastery of advanced skills comes over time, if children do not acquire the passion for actually doing the writing, they will never become great writers.

In many human endeavors, the most important thing about achieving greatness, about excelling and enjoying and celebrating those endeavors is two simple things.  Everything else does not matter at all if those two conditions are not met.  Two simple rules determine success in almost everything we do.

While this is somewhat tongue in cheek it is absolutely and always true that if you don’t do these two things, you will almost never succeed at anything.

1. Start
2. Continue

You may recall the words of that famous philosopher Mary Poppins who said “Well begun is half done.” Those simple rules apply to writing just as they apply to sports, music, art, reading, spelling, math, dance and many other activities. The sooner you can get your kids writing, and keep them excited about it and engaged in it, the better they will become at it. The lifelong habit of writing well can be a source of inspiration, entertainment, enlightenment, enjoyment and joy. No matter what profession your child eventually decides to pursue, good writing skills will complement that goal and enhance the experience of learning that profession.

Kathee’s mom, Thelly Reahm wrote “Life Story Writing for Kids” to highlight the excitement and interest young kids have when they discover that stories and writing can be about them, their lives and family.

“Am I in the story Gramma?” That’s the first question any of my thirteen grandchildren ask when they see me at the computer, or when I get “Tidbits of Time” out at night to read them a true bedtime story from it.

We all want to be center stage!

If we are read to as a young child, we are more cognizant of the importance of the main character. Especially if we identify with that character. It’s great fun to be in Gramma’s story, but how much more fun, if the child writes a story in which they are that main character. It gives them that wonderful feeling of being somebody special.

>> Read >> Writing for Kids“

Getting the ideas flowing is often the main stumbling block to helping your kids begin a lifelong habit of writing. Writing prompts can often help them get ideas or can help generate some new ideas that spin off from the original prompts. Try using some of these writing prompts for kids each time you sit down with your kids and encourage them to write.

Writing Prompts for Kids

Pick things that your kids are familiar with. These can fall into broad general categories and from those categories come more detailed writing prompts that can help them get started on a story.

Food
Foods I like to cook
foods I hate to eat
Have you ever been in a food fight?

Weather
Have you caught a snowflake on your tongue
Have you ever made a snow angel
How hot does it get in Arizona?

Emotions
Write about a time when you were very sad.
Write about a time when you were very happy.

Current Events
Who just died, what do you know about them, what do you want to know about them?

Lists
8 things that are gross
11 things that make someone a friend
10 animals that I would like to have as pets

Holidays
Birthdays
Sporting Events
Projection (if I were … I would …)
History
Science
Technology

More later. This is getting long and three more projects just arrived in my inbox. Have fun and get writing and get your kids writing.

If you need more help getting started you can find Thelly teaching Life Story Writing online at the Life Story Writing Discussion Group >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/life-story-writing/

Bill Austin

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