Writing stories is a great way to expand your mind and get your creative juices flowing.
Some of us loved writing stories in school about all topics, from being a secret superhero to talking animals to discovering a new planet in our spaceship.
Often, that creative freedom gets stifled as we grow older and many of us stop writing stories completely.
As a parent, teacher, or caregiver for children, it’s wise to help them foster and cultivate creativity. Children who are encouraged to be creative often maintain a sense of creativity and play throughout the rest of their lives, which in turn significantly improves the quality of their life.
So, read on if you’ve got some kids in your life and want to help them get creative and write a story, ultimately improving their writing skills.
In this article, we’ve included some prompts, ideas, and general story starters for kids to help them craft an exciting and fun story.
40+ story starters for kids
Below we’ve included over 40 creative writing prompts and story starters for kids.
These story prompts cover popular topics and favorite subjects among children, from aliens to school to animals.
What if..?
Out of all the questions in the world, “What if…” is one fraught with endless possibilities. Let’s check out some of them:
What if nobody in the world could lie?
What if humans had three arms instead of two?
What if all the lights in the world went out?
What if humans could fly?
What if every human had a secret superpower?
What if nobody in the world could speak anymore?
What if nighttime became day and daytime became night?
What if you could only eat the same food every day for the rest of your life?
What if advanced aliens landed on Earth?
What if you won the lottery?
What if humans could breathe underwater?
Stories about pets
Write a story about your dream pet. It doesn’t have to be a real animal – you can make it up! Why do you like it? Is it friendly? How big will it grow? If you want, draw a picture of the animal on a separate page.
Write a short story about a day in the life of a pet. What do they do in the morning? What do they like to eat? What do they get up to when the humans leave the house? Use ‘I..’ to write as though you’re the pet telling the story.
Write a conversation with your favorite animal if that animal could talk. What do they tell you? Do they like being that animal?
Write a how-to guide about how to take care of a pet.
If you were an animal, what animal would you be? And why? (‘If I were an animal, I would be a… because…)
A magic spell turns animals into humans. You use the spell on your pet, and it becomes a human. What are they like? How do they behave? Are they your best friend?
In an alternate universe, pets rule the world, and humans are their pets. Write a story in which you’re the pet of another animal. Do they treat you nice? What’s your home like?
Stories about family
Your family is a beautiful starting point for a story. Think about how much fun it will be to read aloud one of your stories during family get-togethers.
Write about a fun time you had with a family member.
Describe your family members. How are they similar, and how are they different?
Parents become children, and children become parents. You’re in charge of the house and must send your parents to school every morning. How does it work out? Do you like being an adult? Or would you rather be a kid again?
You’ve invented the time machine, and now you can talk to your ancestors. You travel back five hundred years and meet your great, great (great, great, great..) grandparents. Where do they live? What was life like five hundred years ago?
Your family is sitting around the dinner table to enjoy a delicious meal. What do you all talk about? What type of food does your family eat, and who cooked it? Who speaks the most around the table? Who eats the most food?
Write about your family as you imagine it when you grow up? Are you married? Do you have children? Do you live in a big luxurious mansion or a small cozy cottage? How many people are in your family? Where is your house?
Other than your birthday, whose birthday is your favorite? Think about a time when one of your family members, perhaps your brother or sister, had a fantastic birthday party. Why was it so much fun? Did your family have a party at home, or did you take a trip?
Stories about a holiday
Write a story about your favorite holiday memory. What holiday was it? Was it Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July? Who was there? What did you do?
You and your best friends win a trip to anywhere in the world. Who’s coming with you, and where will you go? Think about the place you’re going – what do you need? Will you need shorts or a jacket? Tell the story of the trip from start to finish.
Write a story where the main character gets lost on holiday with their family. Write from the main character’s perspective – when did they realize they were lost? What did they see when they were alone? Who did they meet, and where did they go? And how were they eventually found again?
Santa Clause is running late on Christmas Eve. Write a story about why he is late.
On Halloween, a real witch casts a spell that turns all the tricks or treats into the costumes they’re wearing. Write about you and your friends as you transform into real werewolves, vampires, and ghosts!
Stories about school
Writing about school events can be good for you to practice wordsmithing. There are several plot points to choose from.
One day, your regular teacher must stay home because they feel sick. A substitute teacher takes their place, but they have something mysterious. Write a story from the perspective of a student who follows the mysterious substitute teacher around the school.
You have to write a letter to the principal explaining why they should change some things about the school. Talk about homework, lunch breaks, detention, and more.
Write a story about the best day you’ve ever had in school. Why was it so good? Was it a great day for everyone or just for you?
Write a story about when you did an exam but forgot that it was the opposite day – a day where yes means no and no means yes.
You fall asleep in history class. In a dream, you enter the world of the class topic. It could be ancient Egypt, a hundred years ago, or the time of the dinosaurs. What is the world like in this dream? How do you relate to the characters and environment around you? What happens when you wake up back in the classroom?
Your class is going on a field trip. Before deciding where you will go, each student must think of an idea. Choose somewhere you would love to go on a field trip and write a letter to your teacher explaining why they should choose your option. What will you do there? Is it safe for the whole class to go? What will each student need to bring?
One day, you forget to bring your lunch box to school. Three friends in your class notice that you don’t have any food, so each offers you a piece of theirs. What does each of them give you? Are you happy about this alternative lunch, or would you prefer the lunch you left home?
Stories about space
If you’re a sci-fi fan, the following ideas about out-of-this-world experiences will inspire you.
You’re an astronaut on a spaceship. Write about what life is like on the spacecraft. What do you do every day? What are the other astronauts like? Does it ever get boring?
You received an incredible gift for your birthday – a powerful telescope! That night, you set it up by your window and look out into the night sky. After some time, you notice a strange colorful rock very far away, a new planet! Write a story about your life after you discovered the new planet.
One morning when you wake up, you look out your window and see huge chunks of metal in your garden. You investigate and realize it’s a broken spaceship. There’s nobody inside, only a note that reads ‘Sorry for the mess!’
You must educate the world about a new alien race. Draw a picture of a typical member of this alien race, then describe what they’re like. What kind of life do they live? Are they similar to humans or very different? Are they frightening or cute? Will they ever come to Earth?
You are an interviewer. Write a story about an interview you held with the captain of a pirate spaceship. How did they become a space pirate? What adventures have they been on? Think about why you get to talk to them now. Were they caught? Or have they got something important to tell the world?
You are the ruler of your planet. What is life like on your planet? Are people happy? What is there to do for fun? Are there different countries, or is it all one country? What is the planet called? Did anyone live on the planet before you got there?
Conclusion
Hopefully, the story starter prompts and ideas above will help your kids craft a great story! These prompts are entertaining to play with, so if your kid wants to write, don’t be afraid to open a blank page and start writing along with them.
If your kid needs more help getting started, here is a story writing website for kids where they can create scenes for a movie or even make comic books.
Writing stories is a fun way for parents and teachers to bond with their kids and encourage them to write.
