Write a story
Story starters for kids
108 free story starters in 9 story worlds, each with Kevin Coulston’s characters, printable starter cards and a ready-to-go comic. Draw the character first, then pick a starter and keep going.
Crusty GoobersWeird, wonderful little creatures with big feelings and very strange habits.12 starters
RobotsBolts, beeps and big ideas: stories about robots who don’t quite work the way they should.12 starters
MonstersFuzzy, slimy and mostly friendly: monster stories that are more silly than scary.12 starters
DinosaursStomping, roaring, egg-hatching stories from long, long ago (and some from right now).12 starters
Unicorns and mermaidsSparkly, magical stories with a little bit of mischief.12 starters
Aliens and spaceBeam-ups, crash landings and very confused visitors from other planets.12 starters
Alexis and the T-RexesNew adventures for Alexis and her baby T. rex friends, Snap and Daisy.12 starters
HalloweenSpooky (but not too spooky) stories for the last week of October.12 starters · Halloween
ChristmasCozy, funny stories for the busiest week of the year.12 starters · ChristmasHow to use a story starter
- Pick a world and draw one of its characters. Every world links to free step-by-step lessons.
- Choose a starter, or cut out the cards and pick one from a hat.
- Ask: what goes wrong? Add a “Suddenly…” twist if you get stuck.
- Finish it as a three-panel comic, a mini-book or a page of writing.
In the classroom
- Put a stack of starter cards in the writing center for early finishers.
- Read one starter aloud for morning work and compare how differently everyone continues it.
- Use the Halloween and Christmas starters in the last week before a holiday.
- Pair with the story writing lessons for grades K–5.
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Get the free Story Writing Pack
12 printable story writing pages (comic strips, a character file, a villain planner, a story map, a choose-your-path planner and an author certificate) sent with your welcome email. After that, new free pages and book news.