Free Back to School Writing Prompts for Kids (Printable)
There is a specific look a kid gives you when you say the words “writing time” in the first week back. If you have seen it, you know it. Half groan, half deer in headlights, one hundred percent “do we have to?”
I get it every year in my house. My tween would happily talk my ear off about a video game for forty-five minutes, but ask for three sentences on paper and suddenly the pencil weighs nine hundred pounds. My teen has plenty to say too, just not always on command.
That is exactly why I made these Back to School Writing Prompts, and why I am giving them away for free. Because getting kids to write does not have to start with a fight. It can start with a magic notebook, a talking desk, or a backpack that packs itself.
What’s Inside the Free Printable
This is a ready-to-print packet you can hand over with zero prep. Inside you will find:
- A colorful cover page
- A simple, kid-friendly instructions page
- 10 imaginative writing prompts, each with its own catchy title and a scenario built to spark ideas
- Plenty of lined writing space, plus a continuation page for the kids who get on a roll
Every prompt is designed to pull out descriptive, sensory, imaginative writing. Instead of “what did you do this summer,” your kids get to describe the sounds of a living room that turned into a rainforest, or chase Math around the house after it escapes its textbook. It is silly on purpose, because silly is what gets pencils moving.
Who These Prompts Are For
These work beautifully for elementary and middle school, roughly ages 6 to 13. The scenarios are open-ended enough that a younger writer can draw and dictate a few sentences while an older writer can spin a full short story or poem.
That flexibility is my favorite part. If you are teaching more than one age at once (raises hand), you can hand the same prompt to everyone and let each kid meet it where they are. No separate lesson planning required.
They are also a gentle win for reluctant writers. When the assignment feels like a game instead of a test, a lot of that first day resistance quietly disappears.
How to Use Them in Your Homeschool
A few easy ways to fold these into your week:
- Morning basket warm-up. One prompt to ease into the day before the heavier subjects.
- Independent work time. Print a few, keep them in a folder, and pull one out when you need ten quiet minutes.
- Copywork alternative. Swap in an original prompt when your writer needs a break from copying.
- A back-to-homeschool icebreaker. Use the first prompt on day one to set a fun, low-pressure tone for the year.
- Reluctant writer scaffold. Let them tell you the story out loud first, then write it. Talking counts as prewriting.
Creative Hands-On Extensions
Because a good prompt should not have to end on the page, here are a few ways to stretch each one into a full activity:
- Draw it first. Have your child sketch the scene before writing. The picture becomes an outline.
- Story theater. Act out the prompt as a mini skit before or after writing. Great for kids who think best on their feet.
- Build a story box. Fill a shoebox with objects from the story (the self-packing backpack is perfect for this).
- Turn it into a comic. Let a resistant writer tell the story in panels with speech bubbles instead of paragraphs.
- Read aloud circle. End the week by having everyone share one story out loud. Celebrate the wild ideas.
Grab Your Free Writing Prompts
Ready to make the first week back a little more fun and a lot less groan-y? Enter your email below and the printable lands right in your inbox, ready to print.
Free Download
Back to School Writing Prompts
Print it, hand it over, and watch what your kids come up with. I would love to see their stories, so tag me or send me a note if you use them.
