It's pretty obvious that one of my favorite subjects for these free 4th grade writing prompts would be writing. This was the point in school when I started to realize that writing might be a part of the life for me. It is also a great year to teach kids what opportunities there are for writers including songs and plays.
You may notice that the numbers on this page do not start at 1 and work their way up. This is because these 10 4th grade writing prompts are an excerpt from my book, 500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade. If you like these free samples, the full version is available in both digitaland paperback form.
4th Grade Writing Prompts #2: Writing
171. What is your favorite type of writing? Do you like writing in journals, writing songs, writing poetry, writing essays or some other type? Why do you like it and how do you feel when you write like that?
172. If you could write a book during your spare time outside of school, what would it be about and why? Imagine that you have sold the book to a big publisher and you’re going to tour around the world with it. What would you say about the book to your legions of fans?
173. Have you ever taken a class on writing outside of school? If so, what did you learn about writing and what did you write during it? If not, what do you think you might learn about writing in a non-academic setting? Would you learn how to write the next Harry Potter?
174. Two of the major types of writing are fiction and non-fiction. Fiction is made up and non-fiction is about things that definitely happened. If you had the choice, would you write fiction or non-fiction? What would a few of your book titles be?
175. Have you ever had to write a poem? There are many different types of poems. Some can rhyme, some don’t rhyme at all. Some are short and some are as long as a whole book. Write a poem about whatever you feel like. It doesn’t need to rhyme or make sense, just try to express a feeling or two using the words and see what you come up with.
176. Another type of writing is to write for a play or a movie. If you could create a play or movie what would it be called and what would it be about? Write at least two scenes from the play or movie with multiple characters. Make sure it’s something that you’d want to watch!
177. What’s the most interesting thing that you’ve ever read inside or outside of class? Why was it so memorable? Did you learn something new? Did it prove something you’d previously believed wrong? How hard do you think it would be for you to write something with just as much impact?
178. Some of the best writers in the world are song writers. They come up with the lyrics that your favorite singers turn into #1 hits or that they use in popular musicals. Write a short song on whatever subject you choose. Don’t worry about the music behind it, just write the song and see how it turns out.
179. Before the written word existed (on paper and on computers) certain cultures had no way of writing their stories down, so they spoke the stories to each other through oral communication. What is a story that you have heard that you would pass down to future generations? Write the story here. Why is this story the tale that you have chosen?
180. A folktale is often a story of somewhat magical creatures that teaches the reader a lesson in the end. Write your own folktale based on some of the lessons you’ve learned in your own lifetime.
Done with 4th Grade Writing Prompts? Go back to Creative Writing Prompts.
Use the above prompts or article as inspiration to write a story or other short piece.
