Grades K–1
My Monster Comes to School
A picture starter for the youngest writers: pick a spot in the school, draw the monster there and write one sentence.
Writing worksheet · Creative writing prompts
Pizza Gets a Job
A funny story prompt with a four-part plan: the job, the problem, the fix and the ending.
- Grade level
- Grades 4–5
- Time
- About 40 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Creative writing, Generating ideas, Story structure, Writing with voice
What kids do
“This slice of pizza just got its first job. Plan the story, then write it with a beginning, a middle and an end.”
Printed on the sheet:
- What goes wrong?
- How Pizza fixes it
- Write your story
- Nobody ever expected a slice of pizza to get a job at
Teacher tip
Push for a real problem in the middle: a pizza delivering pizza might be tempted to eat itself.
How to use it
- Read the prompt aloud with lots of drama, then give two minutes of quiet thinking.
- Let kids talk the story to a partner before they write a word.
- Let early writers draw first, then talk, then write.
Watch for
Stories that never get past the beginning. Ask what happens next and what the problem is.
Talk about it
- How did your story end? Could it end another way?
- Where else do writers use this skill?
Take it further
Bind finished stories into a class anthology for the library corner.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More creative writing prompts
Grades 1–3
The Mermaid’s Treasure Map
An adventure prompt: kids draw the mermaid’s treasure map, decide what the treasure is and write the hunt.
Grades 2–4
Shrunk to the Size of an Ant
A tiny-world prompt: a giant thing to climb, a bug to meet and a way to get big again, then the story.
Grades 3–5
Interview a T. Rex
An interview prompt: kids answer questions in a T. rex’s voice, add their own question, then write the visit.
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