Ultimate Guide to Creative Writing for Elementary Kids

Although I recognize that perhaps none of my five children will grow up to be the next C.S. Lewis or Beatrix Potter, I know that they all have a story to tell. And if given the proper direction…if that story is cultivated and nurtured…each of them can develop a delight for words and learn to creativity piece them together with purpose. 

Here are a few of my GO TO resources (and others that I'd highly recommend) for igniting a passion for creative writing.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

Creative Writing Prompts & Story Starters

As with all creative endeavors, sometimes the hardest part is the START. By providing a starter sentence or an inspirational prompt, you can help to spark an entire story. Follow these links to hundreds of "first lines" and story starters.

500+ FREE Writing Prompts for Kids from 123 Homeschool 4 Me- printable themed writing pages that contain a story prompt and a picture

Lego Writing Prompts from Homegrown Learners- This post provides numerous links on Lego themed learning including many Lego inspired writing prompts.

Creative Writing Prompts for Kids- a lovely list of 37 writing prompts

25 Christmas Writing Prompts- countdown to Christmas with a story a day

30 Fun Writing Prompts for Kids from Squarehead Teachers

25 Winter Writing Prompts from The Teacher Next Door

80 Simple Writing Prompts from Grasping for Objectivity

22 Writing Ideas for Kids from The Write Shop

50 Creative Writing Topics for Kids from Kids Play and Create

Inspirational Activities 

Consider incorporating a visual aid or a hands-on activity into your lesson for a multi-sensory creative writing project.

Summer Unschooling: Creative Writing- This post is jam-packed with some out-of-the-box creative writing activities.

Picture Prompts for Writing by Our Journey Westward- a great way to use up the pictures in old discarded magazines

"Add On" Stories- All you need is a wordless book and some brothers and sisters to create a fun family-written story.

Creative Writing Prompt Bag- Toss several items into a bag for story inspiration.

Roll a Story- Use this FREE printable or THIS ONE and a set of dice to generate unique sentences.

Story Sticks from Sarcasm 101- Create writing prompts using popsicle sticks and the story lines and character of well-known children's books

5 Creative Writing Activities to do With Young Writers from Imagination Soup

5 Story Stone Ideas from The Artful Parent

Creative Writing Activities for Kids from Homeschooling Ideas- a post filled with about a dozen ideas for story writing with a twist

Sneaky Learning Resources 

A love for creative writing can be nurtured in the most unconventional ways. Here are a few resources for sneaking writing in undetected.

Lego Education Story Starter from Homegrown Learners

Writing Box for Kids from What We Do All Day- While the "box" mentioned in this post could be used for all forms of writing, the same concept can be used to create a box with a creative writing emphasis. 

Printable Comic Book Pages from Sweet Hot Mess- Sometimes writing is less intimidating when it is done within the small margin of a thought bubble.

Create a Word Collection Jar from Imagination Soup- Cut out vivid words from magazines and place them in a jar. Allow your kids to refer to the jar for inspiration whenever they need a colorful word.

Online Resources

Your kids can receive creative writing inspiration at the click of a button with any one of these FREE online writing prompt generators. They are all easy-to-use and completely kid-friendly.

Wacky Headliner- Use a wacky news headline to create an over-the-top story.

Scholastic Story Starter Generator- a "slot machine" style story starter generator which divides writing prompts into different writing genres

Writing Exercise for Children- Randomly generate inspiration for every aspect of a story.

The Story Starter for Kids- Provides the first line of a story. 

The Write Shop Blog- a blog dedicated to providing writing prompts each month as well as lots of helpful tips for teaching and encourage writing

Tips for Encouraging Writers

Creative writing combines passion AND skill. You can't have one without the other. Here are a few tips and links to help you grow the skill while not squelching the passion.

How to Inspire Your Child With Poetry from Harrington Harmonies

Teach Your Kids the Craft of Writing in Five, Fun Short Videos from Steam Powered Classroom- five delightful videos put together by Eva Ridenhour, 8-year-old homeschooler and published author

The Value of Published Books from Our Journey Westward- Over the years, we have self-published many books. It's been a fantastic way to put value to our words. Here's some tips on how to do it. 

How to Get Kids to Love Writing from The Measured Mom

Teaching Creative Writing in Your Homeschool Google+ Hangout from iHomeschool Network

Don't forget to check out my Creative Writing Pinterest Board for more ideas for wordsmithing.

Follow The Unlikely's board Creative Writing on Pinterest.

For more Ultimate Guides on all-things-homeschooling, be sure to visit iHomeschool Network.