Creative writing is an important part of language arts education. Writing prompts can provide inspiration and a starting point for middle school students to develop their creative writing skills. Here are some engaging prompt examples to try in your middle school classroom or homeschool.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Prompts
Science fiction and fantasy tap into students’ imaginations, allowing them to create unique settings and scenarios.
Time Travel
- You find a time machine that can transport you anywhere in time. Where and when do you go? Why? What happens when you get there?
- A mad scientist invents a device that opens up a wormhole to another dimension. You get sucked into the wormhole and end up in a strange new world. Describe what you see and experience.
Superpowers
- One morning you wake up with an incredible superpower. What is your superpower? How do you discover you have this ability? How does this change your daily life?
- You can choose one superpower to have for a week. What power do you choose and what do you do with it? How does having this temporary superpower affect you?
Aliens
- While camping one night, a spaceship lands nearby. You meet the alien pilot. Using lots of description, explain what the alien looks like, how it communicates, and why it is visiting Earth.
- If you could take any three things into space to show an alien visitor about life on Earth, what would you bring? Why did you select those items? Describe how you would explain the items to the alien.
Realistic Fiction Prompts
Realistic fiction helps students write narratives that could happen in everyday life. These prompts help spark ideas.
Interesting Experiences
- What is the most interesting place you’ve ever explored? Why was it memorable? What did you see, hear, smell, etc.? Convey the experience through vivid sensory details.
- Describe one of the most exciting things you’ve ever done, like riding a rollercoaster, traveling somewhere new, meeting someone famous, etc. Use lots of description to portray the experience.
Challenging Situations
- Write about a time you tried to learn something new that was very difficult for you. What obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
- Imagine you wake up one morning to discover your whole family has become invisible. Describe what happens and how you try to turn them visible again.
Everyday Life
- Describe your typical morning routine from the moment you wake up to when you leave the house. Be sure to include lots of sensory details about what you see, hear, smell, etc.
- Imagine you could switch lives with your pet for a day. Describe what experiences you would have from your pet’s perspective.
Personal Narrative Prompts
Personal narrative prompts encourage students to write about meaningful life experiences. This makes writing feel more relevant.
Family
- Describe one of the most memorable family vacations you ever took. Include details about where you went, what you did, who you traveled with, and what made it meaningful.
- Write about a favorite family tradition and why it’s important to you. Be sure to use lots of description to convey why this tradition holds significance.
Friends
- Describe a time you got into an argument with a close friend. How did you resolve the conflict and repair the friendship? What did you learn?
- Explain how you met your best friend. What were your first impressions of this person? How has your friendship grown over time?
Challenges
- Write about a challenging situation you faced and overcame. This could be moving to a new town, adapting to a blended family, dealing with bullying, etc. What specific difficulties did you experience and how did you work through them?
- Describe a time you failed at an important goal and how you responded. What steps did you take to bounce back? What did you learn in the process?
Descriptive Prompts
Descriptive writing prompts encourage students to use vivid sensory details to portray people, places, objects, and events.
People
- Describe your favorite teacher from either elementary school, middle school, or high school. Use lots of descriptive details to convey why you admire this person.
- Imagine you could spend a day with any celebrity. Who would you choose and why? Describe what you would do together using lots of sensory details.
Places
- Describe your dream bedroom in great detail. Be creative and imaginative as you describe the layout, furniture, decorations, color scheme, lighting, and any special features.
- Imagine you find a doorway to a magical land. Describe the setting using lots of descriptive words and phrases to portray the sights, textures, smells, and sounds.
Objects
- Describe an important item you own using vivid sensory details related to sight, sound, smell, touch, and maybe even taste. Explain why this object holds significance.
- Imagine you find a unique box while cleaning the attic. Describe what it looks like on the outside using lots of visual details. Then describe what you find inside the box.
Poetry Prompts
Poetry offers students another creative outlet to experiment with figurative language and self-expression.
Nature Poems
- Write a poem inspired by your favorite season (spring, summer, fall, winter). Try to capture what makes that time of year special through descriptive sensory imagery.
- Imagine you could travel anywhere in nature. Describe your ideal natural setting in a poem. Use poetic devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme, repetition etc.
Emotion Poems
- Think of a specific emotion you have experienced (joy, sadness, fear, anger etc.) Write a poem focused on conveying that feeling through words.
- Write a poem about someone who has influenced you in a positive way. Try using a metaphor to describe how they have impacted you.
Free Verse
- Describe a memorable event in your life like a birthday party, family vacation, etc. Capture key moments through a free verse poem.
- Write a free verse poem from an unusual perspective like a pet, food item, inanimate object, etc. Describe what they observe and experience.
Additional Resources
Here are some useful websites with more creative writing ideas for middle school:
- 40 Easy Writing Prompts for Middle School
- 100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School
- 13 Narrative Writing Prompts for Secondary Students
- Best Middle School Writing Prompts
Citations:
[1] https://organizedhomeschool.com/writing-prompts-for-middle-school
[2] https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/creative-writing-prompts-middle-school
[3] https://chalkandapples.com/60-descriptive-writing-prompts-for-the/
[4] https://demmelearning.com/blog/poetry-writing-prompts/
[5] https://www.immerse.education/study-tips/creative-writing/middle-school-prompts/
[6] https://www.rethinkela.com/2015/09/13-narrative-writing-prompts-for-secondary-students/
[7] https://www.journalbuddies.com/journal-prompts-writing-ideas/descriptive-writing/
[8] https://www.journalbuddies.com/journal-prompts-writing-ideas/poetry-writing-prompts/
[9] https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/middle-school/
[10] https://thedaringenglishteacher.com/narrative-writing-prompts-to-assign/
[11] https://www.sylvanlearning.com/docs/default-source/writing/worksheet-descriptive-writing-prompts-middle-school.pdf
[12] https://storywritingacademy.com/100-poetry-writing-prompts-for-kids/
[13] https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1576rrw/ideas_for_firstday_creative_writing_prompt_middle/
[14] https://storywritingacademy.com/creative-writing-prompts-middle-school/
[15] https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/12-descriptive-essay-prompts-and-how-to-write-about-them/
[16] https://www.weareteachers.com/poetry-prompts/
[17] https://www.journalbuddies.com/prompts-by-grade/fun-writing-prompts-for-middle-school/
[18] https://vibrantteaching.com/20-prompts-for-narrative-writing-that-spark-creativity/
[19] https://www.creative-writing-now.com/poetry-ideas.html
[20] https://www.journalbuddies.com/journal-prompts-writing-ideas/writing-prompts-for-middle-school-kids/
[21] https://middleschoolstuff.com
[22] https://www.twinkl.com/teaching-wiki/some-poetry-prompts
[23] https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/writing-prompts-for-kids/
[24] https://topscholars.oregonstate.edu/sites/enrollmentmanagement.oregonstate.edu/files/content/500promptsnarrativeandpersonalwriting.pdf
[25] https://www.weareteachers.com/personal-narrative-ideas/