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Few things get my teacher mojo flowing like creative writing assignments.

A Few Tips

While it is a good idea to have most topics fit your learner’s interests, challenging them to think about topics that they don’t usually think about can open them up to some wild out of the box thinking.  That rough and tumble little boy who dresses as a superhero on a regular basis could probably put an interesting spin on a classic princess story.

Don’t be afraid to make up new words as journal topics.  Words like “hamble”, “goodensloff”, or “umblegrudge” can spark some wild creations.  What is it?  It is whatever you say it is.  It can be whatever you want it to be.  A picture file can be a great source of inspiration, too. Click here to find out more.

If you have a wicked sense of humor like me, you can give younger ones words like “onomatopoeia”, “lobotomy”, or  “Mongolia” with the same directions as above.  It can be whatever you want it to be.  Read it back to them when they are older and understand the actual meanings of the words.

Remember to keep the assignment within your learner’s abilities.  Before your little one can write, s/he can still create oral stories.  Next, start with a single sentence and a drawing.  Gradually add sentences until you build to a paragraph.  Add paragraphs until you build up to a short story.

Story Starters don’t always have to go at the beginning of the story.  Sometimes the events that lead up to the story starter can be more interesting than the events that unfold afterwards.  You will notice that I am especially fond of story starters that leave the story wide open for interpretation.  Those really are the best.

You know your learners best.  Steer clear of topics that might trigger difficult memories or other issues.

Creative Writing Topics

1. My Favorite Sport
2. My Favorite School Subject
3. The Worst School Subject
4. My Favorite Time of the Year
5. What I love about my (mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, aunt/uncle, neighbor, friend, teacher, pastor…)
6. My Favorite Meal
7. If I had an extra arm and hand
8. If I ran the circus
9. My Favorite Animal (or more specific: Bird, Backyard animal, Zoo animal, Sea creature, Forest animal, Reptile…)
10. My Favorite Game
11. My Favorite Superhero
12. If I could be a superhero
13. If I could have any superpower
14. My day as a prince/princess
15. My day as king/ruler/queen/president
16. If I could pass a law
17. The Greatest Invention
18. My Favorite Bible Prophet/King/Disciple
19. My Favorite Book of the Bible
20. My Favorite Singer/Song/Lyric/Poem
21. If I could write my own TV show/Movie/Cartoon
22. If I could go any place in the world/galaxy/time
23. What I want to be when I grow up
24. If I could spend one day as a grown up
25. If I could spend one day as any animal
26. My Favorite Way to Exercise
27. My Favorite Book
28. If I became trapped in a video game/TV show/cartoon/movie/website/comic book
29. My Favorite Holiday
30. If I had three wishes and couldn’t wish for more wishes
31. If I could give one thing to anyone besides myself
32. If I could decorate my bedroom anyway I wanted
33. My Favorite Shirt/Outfit
34. The Most Disgusting Thing I Have Ever Eaten
35. What Dessert Would You Eat in the Desert
36. If I could eat only one food for  (the rest of my life, one whole week/month/year)
37. If I ruled a tiny island
38. If I could be in a parade, I would…
39. If I were a chef
40. If I were an imaginary character/troll/fairy/goblin/elf/pixie
41. If I had a jet pack/flying car/flying saucer/hover board/spaceship
42. If I owned a restaurant
43. If I had a billion dollars (ten, hundred, thousand, million)
44. If I could take a trip anywhere
45. My Favorite Planet
46. If I owned a cruise ship
47. If my pet could talk to me
48. If I could choose one thing that I never had to do ever again
49. If I lived in a tree/cave/castle
50. I’m just too scared to…
51. My Perfect Birthday
52. The Greatest Vacation Ever
53. The Greatest Saturday Ever
54. The Perfect Party
55. If I could talk to animals
56. If I could have any pet
57. The Greatest School Day Ever
58. If I owned a store
59. My Favorite Sound
60. My Favorite Scent
61. If you could interview anyone (modern, throughout history)
62. What to do when you’re bored
63. If I could eat only one fruit (vegetable, legume, nut) for a whole year (week, month, decade)
64. My Favorite School Assignment
65. I am happiest when
66. I am saddest when
67. I am angriest when
68. I am most scared when
69. I am most grateful when
70. I am most calm when
71. I have the most fun when
72. An Ordinary Day In My Life
73. The most brilliant thing I have ever done
74. The most creative thing I have ever done with (play doh, yarn/string, a ball, my computer, paint)
75. My favorite (Summer/Winter/Fall/Spring/Christmas) Playlist
76. If I could play any instrument (Learn a new instrument)
77. My Day as a Symphony Conductor
78. My Day as a Famous (Artist, Writer, Sculptor, Painter, Musician, Singer, Songwriter)
79. If I became a character in my favorite book
80. My Day as a Top Secret Spy

Story Starters

1. I opened the box and found…
2. With a can of cola, a balloon, and a piece of string, I could…
3. The shovel hit something hard…
4. He carefully opened the envelope…
5. I didn’t expect a stampede
6. The view outside the window was (just as I expected, not what I expected, beyond anything I could have expected…)
7. That fall knocked the wind out of me
8. With that final ____, the game is over.
9. The stone had strange writing on it
10. I can’t believe it landed right in my backyard
11. The curtain opened, and I stepped out on stage
12. I awakened to find
13. That serum/spray/powder worked like magic
14. Then I shrank to the size of an ant
15. Then I grew to the size of a/an tree/elephant/building
16. When I realized I had this superpower, I
17. I was totally creeped out
18. I have never been this excited in my entire life
19. When I opened the door
20. The pain was unbelievable, but worth it
21. Yuck!  I can’t believe I put that in my mouth.
22. I rode the camel/horse/dolphin/elephant all the way to
23. I finally washed up on the shore of
24. This planet/country/city is nothing like I thought it would be
25. He got down on one knee
26. Tiny paws tapping my face
27. Then it licked me
28. I’ve heard of raining cats and dogs, but this is ridiculous.
29. When I looked into the microscope/telescope
30. My journey begins here on this train/plane/bus
31. I had no idea the path led to
32. She opened the book and couldn’t believe what she saw
33. I never thought I’d find myself in this jungle
34. In all his years studying ancient ruins, he has never seen anything like this.
35. Then I added Pop Rocks (*best if you give the learner Pop Rocks for inspiration)
36. I knew that nothing good would come of this
37. The noises coming from the room turned out to be
38. Oh no!  Not wild animals!
39. Mentos and cola were only the beginning
40. She played happily on the piano oblivious to
41. Is this a clue?
42. He woke up in a jail cell
43. I can’t believe they threw me into…
44. With a little faith
45. When she looked at the picture, she couldn’t believe her eyes
46. I turned the corner, and
47. He fought for his life.
48. She found $20,000 hidden inside
49. He passed it to me
50. Once I read the email, I realized…
51. Inside the cup was…
52. I climbed the tree and found
53. Then the doctor came in and said
54. Just an ordinary Tuesday
55. I can’t believe my slippers started talking
56. Not another face plant!
57. I closed my eyes and jumped
58. Right in the middle of all the flowers was…
59. What are worms doing here?
60. She grabbed a tissue and…
61. I couldn’t sleep so
62. The night the world turned to candy
63. When marshmallows attack
64. My day living inside a sand castle (ice castle, gingerbread house, candy land)
65. When I put on the magic glasses,
66. Oh no!  Anything, but that!
67. How did that get there?
68. This is a recipe for disaster
69. The chime of the bell meant
70. If I lived in a house made out of books
71. But behind the painting she found…
72. I was excited until I read the fine print at the very bottom.
73. I followed the recipe exactly as she wrote it.
74. It can’t be 2 o’clock already!
75. As I listened to the wind howl, I knew I was in a lot of trouble.

I plan to add to this list over time, but 120 is a good start.  I hope you get a lot of use out of this list.

Tell your friends to stop by and visit as well.  I would love to hear what your learners came up with.  Feel free to share in the comments.

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