10 Creative Writing Ideas for Students
By Holly Kearny

Getting students to write can be a difficult task to embark upon. With the television, movies, video games, and now internet offering tons of stories, it can be hard to get kids to come up with stuff of their own. However, it isn’t an impossible task and below we have just ten creative writing ideas to help get kids writing.

Creative Writing Ideas for Students

1. Fan fiction – It isn’t just for Trekkies and their related websites. Having kids write a story that takes place in their favorite fictional world from Harry Potter to Star Wars can take the burden off creating a whole new fictional world and focusing on just the story.
2. Animals – It’s no secret that kids love animals. Have them choose a pet or favorite zoo animal and write a story from their perspective. It can really get kids engaged in both writing and learning more about their furry friends.
3. In the news – Grab a headline that is age appropriate from recent events. Then ask the kids to write a story from the point of view of someone who lived the event. It’s a good exercise for both empathy and learning what’s going on in the world around them.
4. Song writing – Are your students constantly humming the latest pop craze? Turn the tables on them by having them write a song of their own. A simple string of lyrics set to a tune is all that’s needed.
5. Round robin – This oldie is still a goodie. Start off the lesson with “Once upon a time, there was a…" and have student after student chime in on the next part.
6. Headline Mish-Mash – Have each student write an adjective, person or animal, verb, and other noun on a separate sheet of paper. Throw them each into a respective bag and have students pull out one of each. Then have them write a story on the ensuing headline such as “Crazy boy laughs (at) cookie."
7. Show and tell – Use this common classroom practice to get the kids writing. After bringing in a toy or other treasured object to the class, have the kids write a short story about it. Where it came from, who gave it to them, what it means to them can all be powerful elements for storytelling.
8. Personal essay – You’re never too young to write one. Have the kids choose a monumental time in their life such as getting a younger sibling, moving, or a moment when they had to grow up, then have them write about it.
9. Critique it – Because writing only gets better with critical feedback, have kids critique each other’s stories. Then have them rewrite it with the new notes incorporated. It can be a learning experience in both giving and hearing criticism.
10. Submit it – If your children or students have written an amazing story, send it out. There are many publications, such as Stone Soup, that specifically publishes stories by kids, for kids.

Holly Kearny manages the site Teaching Degree Finder. Her site helps students find the right college to get a teaching degree. 


Done with Creative Writing Ideas for Students? Go back to Middle School Writing Prompts