creative writing picture comprehension

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

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150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity (Free Google Slides)

Use a picture to write a thousand words!

Creative writing is a challenge for many students, often because they can’t come up with anything to write about. That’s why we love picture writing prompts. Each one sparks the imagination and helps young writers jump right into crafting a story to match. We rounded up a whole collection of intriguing images to help kids in grades K-12 along. Plus we designed a set of free Google Slides featuring all of the prompts so you can easily share them with students.

Tip: Start by showing students the picture (or let them choose from among several) without making any comment about what they’re seeing. For kids who still struggle to get started, suggest a potential title or opening sentence, like the examples included here.

Don’t miss our free downloadable. Grab your full set of ready-to-go Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all of the prompts below.

Elementary Picture Writing Prompts

Middle school picture writing prompts, high school picture writing prompts, art picture writing prompts.

When kids first see these picture writing prompts, they may or may not immediately feel inspired. Try asking general questions like these to get them started:

• What are the names of the people or animals in the picture?
• How do you think the people or animals in the picture are feeling?
• How would you describe the setting, including the weather, sounds, smells, etc.?
• What do you think the people or animals are saying or are about to say?
• What happened right before this picture was taken? What will happen next?

Included below are more questions for each image to boost creativity, along with potential titles and opening lines.

Opening Line Idea: When Larry fell in love, he fell hard.

Jump-Start Questions: Where did the dog get the rose? Who or what is the dog bringing the rose to? Can the dog talk like a human?

Ask for a Sign

Opening Line Idea: When the new sign appeared on Main Street, everyone in town wondered exactly what it meant. ADVERTISEMENT

Jump-Start Questions: Does the sign read “ask,” or do the letters A-S-K stand for something else instead? Who put up the sign, and why? Why is the sign lit up during the day when no other lights are on?

Snowy Footprints

Opening Line Idea: After that crazy day, all that was left to show for it was footprints in the snow.

Jump-Start Questions: How many different people made these prints? Is this snow, or could it be some other white substance? Were the people who made these prints walking or running?

Dinosaur Bones

Opening Line Idea: “Come with me if you want to live!” Ash said, reaching out a hand.

Jump-Start Questions: What creature is this the skull of? Why is the person inside the skull in the first place? Is the person in the picture asking for help or inviting someone to join them inside the skull?

Undersea Treasure

Opening Line Idea: For years, no one saw the locked treasure chest but the local fish, who wondered what it could contain.

Jump-Start Questions: Who left this treasure chest here, and when? What are three different things that could be inside? Do the bubbles mean there’s something alive inside the chest?

A Game of Fetch

Opening Line Idea: To Scout, it was a game, but to Mr. Freezy, it was much more.

Jump-Start Questions: Are the dog and snowperson friends? Who built the snowperson, and where did they get the hat? Who does the dog belong to?

Ladybug Gossip

Opening Line Idea: The ladybug’s picnic was an excellent chance to meet up with old friends and hear all the latest gossip.

Jump-Start Questions: Are these ladybugs friends or enemies? Are the leaves very small, or are the ladybugs very big? Was this picture taken in a garden, a wild meadow, or some other place?

Opening Line Idea: We met them when they peeked into our window, watching us as we watched cartoons.

Jump-Start Questions: Are these children looking into their own house or someone else’s? Do they want to come inside or would they rather stay outside? Who is looking at the children from the other side of the window?

King of the Jungle

Opening Line Idea: It wasn’t the crown that made Amari the king of all he surveyed.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this lion in the wild or in captivity like a zoo? Is the crown real, or is the lion imagining it? How does the person taking the photo feel about the lion?

The Final Pitch

Opening Line Idea: It all came down to this—the final pitch in a game that was tied 2-2.

Jump-Start Questions: Does the player hit the ball, and if so, do they make it to a base? What is the score of the game so far? How did the player get dirt on their knees?

Doggie Massage

Opening Line Idea: Every dog in the neighborhood knew that Rocky gave the best massages and was always willing to lend an ear too.

Jump-Start Questions: Do these two dogs know each other, or did they just meet? Is the dog on the right feeling happy, annoyed, or something else? Give three different reasons why the dogs are sitting like this.

Skateboard Life

Opening Line Idea: When Charli got her first skateboard, she made herself a promise.

Jump-Start Questions: What does the graffiti on the wall mean, and how did it get there? Where did this girl get her skateboard from? Who taught her how to skateboard?

Garden of the Past

Opening Line Idea: The woman walked in the garden every day, never saying a word.

Jump-Start Questions: Where and when does this garden grow? Who planted this garden and why? What will the woman do with the flowers she is picking?

Sunset Friends

Opening Line Idea: They met on the jungle gym every day at sunset, sharing everything about their days.

Jump-Start Questions: Was this photo taken in the morning or the evening? What time of year is it? Are the children playing on the jungle gym or just hanging out and talking?

Pink Umbrellas

Opening Line Idea: When the pink umbrellas first appeared, Toni thought they might be magic.

Jump-Start Questions: Where and when was this picture taken? Who hung the pink umbrellas? Who lives in the buildings along this alley?

Firefly Forest

Opening Line Idea: Olivia was surprised to discover that the fireflies didn’t just glow, they also sang.

Jump-Start Questions: Are all the lights in this picture fireflies, or is something else glowing? What does this forest sound and smell like? Would you want to be in this forest alone in the middle of the night?

Robot Spider

Opening Line Idea: When it first crawled ashore, the mechanical spider moved slowly.

Jump-Start Questions: Was this robot spider built by humans, or does it come from another planet? Does the spider run on its own, or is there a person or creature inside it? Where is the spider now, and where is it going?

Fallen House

Opening Line Idea: Staring at their house, which was now on its side, the whole family was in shock.

Jump-Start Questions: Who used to live in this house? Was anyone inside the house when it fell, and are they OK? What caused the house to fall but not be completely destroyed?

Red Riding Hood

Opening Line Idea: If only she’d been riding her faithful steed the day she’d met the Big Bad Wolf, things might have been very different.

Jump-Start Questions: Why is the girl barefoot? Why is the horse wearing a necklace? Who gave the girl her red hood and cape?

Kangaroo Fall

Opening Line Idea: “Well, this is embarrassing,” thought Bouncer, as laughter filled the air around him.

Jump-Start Questions: Did this kangaroo fall over, or is it just lying down? Where does the kangaroo live? Is there anything in the picture to explain what the kangaroo is doing?

Opening Line Idea: Daci’s big brother said her signs wouldn’t help them find their runaway cat, but he was wrong.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this sign about a real lost cat? Who drew the picture? Does anyone ever find the lost cat?

Penguin Bookshop

Opening Line Idea: A visit to Sir Pickerel’s Penguin Bookshop is always an adventure.

Jump-Start Questions: Does the penguin own the bookstore, or is he only shopping there? Where did the penguin get his hat? What kind of books does the penguin like best?

Opening Line Idea: Of all the eggs in the carton, Ella was the one who could always crack you up.

Jump-Start Questions: Who colored these eggs? Are these real bird eggs or are they made of something else? Where are these eggs, and why are they there?

Opening Line Idea: That was the year Min was finally tall enough to ride the Sky Swings, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Jump-Start Questions: How high are these swings? Would you want to ride the swings? How would you feel if you were soaring through the air?

Rubber Duck Parade

Opening Line Idea: It was truly an honor to be asked to lead the Spring Duck Parade.

Jump-Start Questions: Who put these ducks in the gutter? Are the ducks having fun, or are they being forced to be there? What would you do if you were walking along and saw these ducks?

Teddy Story Time

Opening Line Idea: Every afternoon, the three friends gathered for story time in their favorite spot in the woods.

Jump-Start Questions: What book are the bears reading? Where did the bears get the book? Are the bears all the same age?

Underwater School

Opening Line Idea: Nia thought going to school underwater would be exciting, but some days she really missed going outside for recess.

Jump-Start Questions: How does the child in the picture feel as she looks out the window? Where is the child? Why does the room look so dark?

Opening Line Idea: The day Amos started his journey down the river, the sun was shining brightly.

Jump-Start Questions: What body of water is the ball floating in? How did it get there? Who does the ball belong to?

Turtle Trouble

Opening Line Idea: “None shall pass,” growled the old sea turtle, blocking the way.

Jump-Start Questions: What body of water is the turtle swimming in? How old is the turtle? How did the person who took the picture get so close to the turtle?

Dinosaur Race

Opening Line Idea: Pia was supposed to keep Balthazar on a leash, but once they reached the forest, she set him free and they both began to run.

Jump-Start Questions: What kind of dinosaur is this? Where are the girl and the dinosaur running to (or running from)? Is the dinosaur wild or the girl’s pet?

Finally Seeing Eye to Eye

Opening Line Idea: “So, we meet at last, face-to-face,” Lord Squeakerton said to his enemy, the Count of Catnip.

Jump-Start Questions: How did the mouse get onto the cat’s nose? How does the cat feel about the mouse being there? Are the cat and mouse friends or enemies?

Opening Line Idea: It takes a lot to surprise a monkey, but you don’t see something like this every day.

Jump-Start Questions: What is the monkey looking at? How was the monkey feeling at that moment? If there was a speech bubble coming out of the monkey’s mouth, what would it say?

Not Coming Out

Opening Line Idea: The day started out normally enough, but by the end, Chris knew he was in over his head.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the child hiding, playing, or doing something else? Is the child at home or at someone else’s house? Are the child’s feet cold without socks?

Life on Other Planets

Opening Line Idea: “Hurry up,” Grnklor told his robopup. “We have to get back inside before nightfall.”

Jump-Start Questions: What planet is this? Are the creatures robots, aliens, or something else? Could you breathe the air if you were standing on this planet?

Reindeer Games

Opening Line Idea: The wind had died down, but the setting sun seemed to take all the warmth of the day with it.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the sun rising or setting? Who does the tricycle on the right belong to? Where are the child and the reindeer going, and why is the deer wearing a harness?

Something To Celebrate

Opening Line Idea: Their classmates could hear their shouts of joy from all the way down the hall.

Jump-Start Questions: What is showing on the computer screen? How do these kids know each other? Where are these kids?

Home Sweet Mushroom

Opening Line Idea: When the fairies that lived in the garden invited her to stay with them for awhile, Maria wasn’t sure what to expect.

Jump-Start Questions: Who lives in the mushroom? Is this mushroom very big, or are the creatures who live in it very small? Did the mushroom grow this way, or did someone turn it into a house?

Loch Ness Mystery

Opening Line Idea: “There it is! I told you Nessie is real!” Angus whispered to Lee.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the creature in the picture real or a statue of some kind? If it’s a statue, who put it there and why? How was the person who took this picture feeling at this moment?

Lonely Bear

Opening Line Idea: It was hard to say who was lonelier that night, Amil or his lost stuffed bear, Jasper.

Jump-Start Questions: Who does the bear belong to? Is its owner nearby, or is the bear lost? How old is the bear?

Sometimes You Lose

Opening Line Idea: When his team lost the championship, Miguel was crushed, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Jump-Start Questions: Why is the boy upset? What would the boy’s friends say to him? What would his parents say to him?   

Middle school writing prompts can be a little more complex, with pictures that have a lot of potential interpretations. You can use the same questions to kick-start creative thinking as you would with elementary students (see above), plus deeper questions like these:

• How does the picture make you feel?
• Who took the picture and why?
• What incidents led up to the moment of the image?
• What are three different things that could happen next?
• Does this picture take place in the past, present, or future?

Opening Line Idea: Morgan was incredibly proud of those shoes, paid for entirely with money from after-school jobs.

Jump-Start Questions: Who is wearing the shoes? Would you like to have shoes like this? Imagine the shoes a year from now, dirty and worn; how did they get that way?

Never Lose Hope

Opening Line Idea: With his last bit of energy, Kai scrawled his message in the wet paint.

Jump-Start Questions: Who wrote this message and why? Where is this message written? Who might see and be inspired by the message?

Opening Line Idea: The keyboard button could only be used once, and no one knew exactly what happened when you pressed it.

Jump-Start Questions: Who created this keyboard? Would you press the button? How would you keep from pressing this button accidentally?

Piano Lessons

Opening Line Idea: Before she could even speak, Arya was drawn to the black and white keys.

Jump-Start Questions: Where is this piano, and who does it belong to? Will the child touch the keys gently or bang on them loudly? What song would you play on this piano?

Opening Line Idea: There was no doubt about it, this was was indeed a very special kind of garden.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this a very tiny baby or a very large fern? Who does the baby belong to? Would you like to sleep rolled up in a plant?

Opening Line Idea: No matter how you looked at it, it had been a very rough day to be the Easter Bunny.

Jump-Start Questions: How did the bunny get so dirty? Is this a large bunny, or a person wearing a bunny suit? Where has the bunny been, and where is it going?

Empty Chairs

Opening Line Idea: By sunset, all four chairs were empty, and the only signs of life were the gulls swooping down from above.

Jump-Start Questions: Why is one chair a different color from the others? Are these chairs abandoned or just empty temporarily? Why are the seagulls so interested in the chairs?

Floating Treasure

Opening Line Idea: To the birds, it was simply a convenient place to land, but Ali and I knew it was much more than that.

Jump-Start Questions: Would you open this chest if you found it, without knowing what’s inside? What are the spiky shapes on the left side of the picture? Is the bird on the right really there, or is it just a shadow?

Shadow Question

Opening Line Idea: That was the day they discovered that just because you were invisible didn’t mean your shadow was.

Jump-Start Questions: How was this image created, and why? Who do the shoes belong to? How do optical illusions make you feel?

Letter and Key

Opening Line Idea: The day she turned 12, Vivi’s aunt handed her an envelope containing a key … and the family secret.

Jump-Start Questions: What would you hope to find in an old letter like this? How old is the key? Where has this letter been before now?

Space Target

Opening Line Idea: Onyx paused, knowing that once their arrow hit the target, there was no knowing what would happen.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this planet in our galaxy? Is the person pictured a human, a robot, or an alien? What will happen if the person hits the target or misses it?

Mermaid Mystery

Opening Line Idea: It was a mermaid—or was it?

Jump-Start Questions: Is this creature floating in water or in the air? What would you do if you woke up like this one day? How is the creature feeling at this moment?

World on a String

Opening Line Idea: Her dad had promised to give her the world, but she wasn’t expecting three more planets as well.

Jump-Start Questions: Why is the girl holding a suitcase? Who gave the girl the balloons? What does it mean to “have the world on a string”?

Bee Standoff

Opening Line Idea: “This flower ain’t big enough for the both of us!” said Bianca.

Jump-Start Questions: Are the bees from the same colony or rival colonies? Why is this flower so special to the bees? Do you think the bees are cute or scary?

Solitary Seat

Opening Line Idea: For as long as anyone could remember, Angus McGee spent his evenings in the same chair next to the woodstove.

Jump-Start Questions: How long has it been since anyone sat in this chair? What are the books on the floor? What do you think is in the bag on the left?

Best Friends

Opening Line Idea: When you decide to run away from home forever, you can’t possibly leave your best friend behind.

Jump-Start Questions: How is the girl feeling? How far do you think she has already walked? If you were running away from home, what would you take with you?

Dinosaur Demise

Opening Line Idea: In retrospect, setting the time machine to randomly choose any day and time in the past might not have been such a good idea.

Jump-Start Questions: If you were standing here watching this scene, what would you do? Do these dinosaurs survive whatever happens next? Would you stop the asteroid from killing off the dinosaurs if you could?

Magic Lamps

Opening Line Idea: “Choose wisely,” said the old shopkeeper, “for only one of these lamps is truly magic.”

Jump-Start Questions: Are these lamps brand-new or very old and well cared for? Do you think a magic genie living in a lamp would be good or evil? What wishes would you make, and what would happen if they came true?

Message in a Bottle

Opening Line Idea: The message floated at sea for more than 50 years before the day we found it on the beach.

Jump-Start Questions: If you found a bottle like this, would you open it on your own or invite others to join you? What would you do with the letter inside? How far do you think this bottle has traveled?

Barrel Boat

Opening Line Idea: Of all the ways to impress someone, Jonah thought to himself, this had to be one of the most ridiculous.

Jump-Start Questions: Why is this person in a barrel instead of a boat? Do you think this looks like fun, or would it be scary? Why is the person wearing a life jacket?

Dragon Guardian

Opening Line Idea: When your parents give you your own dragon guardian, your childhood is bound to be enchanted.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this dragon real or the child’s imaginary friend? Is the dragon young or old? How does the child feel about the dragon?

Octopus’s Garden

Opening Line Idea: Wouldn’t you like to be under the sea, in an octopus’s garden in the shade?

Jump-Start Questions: Where was this picture taken? Is the octopus attacking the person or just swimming nearby? How much oxygen does the person have left in their tank?

Around the Corner

Opening Line Idea: After finally pressing “send,” she couldn’t resist peeking around the corner to watch him read the text.

Jump-Start Questions: Do these kids know each other? Does the person in front know the other person is watching them? Who does the car in the distance belong to?

Beam Me Up!

Opening Line Idea: Milo’s earliest memory was of watching his beloved tricycle float into the sky above him, caught in a beam of light.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the tricycle going up or coming down? Where is the light coming from? How does the child in the picture feel right now?

Poison Apple

Opening Line Idea: To join the club, all Aaron had to do was creep up and snatch the apple from the skeleton’s hand without being seen.

Jump-Start Questions: Whose skeleton is this? Is the apple safe to eat? Would you eat this apple?

Giraffe Council

Opening Line Idea: “It is now 3 p.m., and I call this meeting of the Mighty Council of Giraffes to order,” announced Imari.

Jump-Start Questions: Why are these giraffes gathered together? What do giraffes like to talk about? Would you like to be a giraffe?

Mystery Creature

Opening Line Idea: At first glance, it was hard to tell whether the little creature was friend or foe.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this creature big or small? Is it alone, or are there others like it? Would you keep this creature as a pet?

Opening Line Idea: As the sky turned orange, Keisha ran faster than ever and used the last of her energy to push off and soar over the water below.

Jump-Start Questions: Why is this person running? Do they make the jump or fall into the water? Is this person jumping or floating?

The End of Days

Opening Line Idea: Despite their best efforts, they arrived too late—the battle had already begun.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the person going to the city or away from it? Who is attacking and why? What would you do if you saw this scene taking place?

Out of the Book

Opening Line Idea: “Happily ever after” was about to take on a whole new meaning.

Jump-Start Questions: Where is the light coming from in the book? Does the woman know she’s a book character? What will the mouse do when it sees the woman?

Stopped Clock

Opening Line Idea: I was sure that the time on the broken clock was the clue to solving the mystery.

Jump-Start Questions: How long has this clock been stopped at 11:17? Does the clock still work? Who does the clock belong to?

Dueling Webs

Opening Line Idea: It’s never a good idea to build your web too close to another spider’s, but this time she had no choice.

Jump-Start Questions: How do spiderwebs and spiders make you feel? Were these webs made by one spider or two? Would you knock down these webs or leave them alone?

Do Shoes Grow on Trees?

Opening Line Idea: The day I threw my own shoes into the tree was the day I really started to grow up.

Jump-Start Questions: Who threw the first pair of shoes into the tree and why? If you saw a nice pair of shoes, would you try to get them down? Would you throw your own shoes into the tree?

Abstract Art

Opening Line Idea: “So,” asked their art teacher, “what do you think this painting means?”

Jump-Start Questions: Is the paint wet or dry? Is this the whole painting or a small part of a larger one? Who chose these colors and why?

Wandering Robots

Opening Line Idea: Everything about NB-317 was made of cardboard except his heart—that was made of flesh and blood and very capable of being broken.

Jump-Start Questions: Who built this robot? Can the robot smell the flowers? Does the robot belong to someone, or is it an independent being?

Dream Come True

Opening Line Idea: It all started when Quinn watched her favorite movie the night before they assigned partners for the eighth grade science fair project.

Jump-Start Questions: What is in the balloons to allow them to lift and carry a house? Is the house coming up or going down? Would you want to be inside the house right now?

Mysterious Cave

Opening Line Idea: The cave was unlike anything we’d ever seen before, and what was more, it almost seemed like the rock was alive.

Jump-Start Questions: What made these shapes? What do the shapes look like to you? If this were a rock formation, would you want to explore it?

Storm at Sea

Opening Line Idea: As the rain lashed his face and lightning tore apart the sky, Kiran had to admit he’d always thought it would be a lot more fun being a pirate.

Jump-Start Questions: Is anyone on the ship, or is it abandoned? If you were the captain, what would you be thinking right now? What would happen if the ship capsized or was struck by lightning?

Grasshopper Close-Up

Opening Line Idea: That’s when Javed realized it wasn’t that the grasshopper was too big—it was that he was suddenly very, very small.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this grasshopper cute or scary? What is the grasshopper looking at? Would you pick up this grasshopper or shoo it away?

UFO Parking

Opening Line Idea: “Well, that’s convenient,” Javdok remarked to Qabow when they saw the sign.

Jump-Start Questions: Where is this sign located, and who hung it? Would spaceships need parking lots on land, or could you just leave them in the sky and beam down? Do you think this parking lot is free, and if not, how much does it cost to park a spaceship?   

High school writers are ready to dig deep, exploring character development and detailed plots. These pictures offer a jumping-off point to set their imaginations free. Try questions like these:

• What mood does the picture evoke?
• If your friend texted you this picture with no explanation, what would you think?
• What would you say to the person in the picture?
• Write five words for each of the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) related to the picture.
• Is this picture the beginning, the middle, or the end of the story?

Cyborg Girl

Opening Line Idea: When she was 14, Tasha’s parents finally told her the truth about what she really was.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the cyborg crying or malfunctioning? Who chose the cyborg’s clothes? Has the girl always known she is a cyborg?

BBQ Cookout

Opening Line Idea: “So, I’m guessing no one told you I’m a vegetarian?” asked Sadie with a smile.

Jump-Start Questions: What would you do if you were invited to a meal where there was nothing you could eat? Does this meal look delicious or disgusting? Would you rather be the one grilling or the one cleaning up afterward?

Opening Line Idea: The latest app was like a time machine, allowing people to look back in time, but it also had a dark side.

Jump-Start Questions: What is the man thinking about? Why is the baby picture the only part of the image that’s in color? Would you like to be able to see a picture of what you’ll look like when you’re 80 years old?

Opening Line Idea: She was surrounded by people but never felt more alone.

Jump-Start Questions: What does the woman’s sign say? Is this person homeless, or is she sitting on the street for another reason? Where will this person sleep tonight?

Hippo Troubles

Opening Line Idea: Like all parents, hippos sometimes really need a break from their kids.

Jump-Start Questions: Where do these hippos live? Does the mother hippo feel love for her baby? What would happen if a bee flew into the baby hippo’s mouth?

iPad Farmer

Opening Line Idea: Grandpa Jack never failed to surprise us.

Jump-Start Questions: What will the man do with the vegetables on his lap? Is this man a farmer or just someone who likes to garden on the weekend? Does it surprise you to see this man using technology in this setting?

Marching Band Blues

Opening Line Idea: Kaleel sat sadly on the bench, watching the rest of the band march away in jaunty time to the music.

Jump-Start Questions: Where is the rest of the marching band, and why isn’t this man with them? How long has the man owned the instrument, and who taught him to play? What kinds of music does this man like to listen to?

Never-Ending Tunnel

Opening Line Idea: The tunnel seemed to stretch to infinity, but Jayma knew what was at the end, and it terrified her.

Jump-Start Questions: Does this tunnel scare you or intrigue you? Would you rather walk, run, Rollerblade, or ride a skateboard from one end to the other? If the lights suddenly went out, what would you do?

Carving Out Love

Opening Line Idea: For years, we wondered who “WP” was, and who it was who loved them so much they carved it into a tree for all to see.

Jump-Start Questions: Would you ever carve someone’s initials in a tree? Is carving initials in a tree the same as spray-painting graffiti? Would you feel bad if you had to cut this tree down and burn it for firewood?

Glowing Globe

Opening Line Idea: Just then, the globe began to glow, and Jaxson knew he was about to leap through space and time once again—destination unknown.

Jump-Start Questions: What causes the globe to glow? Is the globe of Earth or another celestial body? What is the man pointing to?

See No Evil

Opening Line Idea: It seemed like a funny joke to pose the skeletons in front of old Mrs. Petoski’s house, but then she turned up dead, and the police said it was murder.

Jump-Start Questions: Who put these skeletons here and why? Which is worse: seeing evil, hearing evil, or speaking evil? How would you feel if you knew these were actual human skeletons, not props?

Upside Down

Opening Line Idea: It’s an odd feeling to wake up one morning and find yourself able to walk on the ceiling.

Jump-Start Questions: What would the advantages and disadvantages of defying gravity be? Can this person go outside without floating away? Why is the microwave on top of the tall refrigerator?

Face at the Fence

Opening Line Idea: So much depended on which side of the fence you were on.

Jump-Start Questions: Is this child on the outside looking in or the inside looking out? What might the fence be separating the child from? What would happen if the child tried to climb the fence?

Bicycle Race

Opening Line Idea: Finley had trained too hard for this race to come in third—it just wasn’t good enough.

Jump-Start Questions: Are these bikers competing, working as a team, or just biking for fun? What does the front biker’s arm tattoo symbolize? Is coming in second or third the same as losing?

Family Travels

Opening Line Idea: In the picture, my grandmother’s expression is hard to interpret, but she’s told me the story many times.

Jump-Start Questions: What’s in the bags? If you saw this family pulled over on the side of the road, would you stop and ask if they needed help? Who gave the girl the ring she’s wearing on her finger?

Laundromat Antics

Opening Line Idea: Dani never expected to meet her first love feet first.

Jump-Start Questions: Is it safe for this person to be inside the washing machine? What would happen if someone closed the door and walked away? Would you ever crawl inside a washing machine or dryer?

Opening Line Idea: Molly’s mom probably didn’t mean for her to be the one to find the note, but that’s how things turned out.

Jump-Start Questions: What would you do if you found this note and ring? What is the writer sorry for? Would you ever leave a note like this?

Through the Storm

Opening Line Idea: Javier knew it would have been smarter to stay put, but he had to make sure his mom was safe before the worst of the storm arrived.

Jump-Start Questions: Do you think it would be fun to be driving this truck or too dangerous? What would make you drive around in a storm like this? What will the scene look like after the storm has passed?

Lifetime Friends

Opening Line Idea: They’d been friends for as long as they could remember—even longer, in fact.

Jump-Start Questions: Who is holding the babies, and how do they know each other? What are the expressions on the babies’ faces right now? Is the baby on the right reaching for the other baby’s pacifier?

Stray Kitten

Opening Line Idea: “I am NOT taking you home with me,” Kai told the tiny mewling kitten firmly.

Jump-Start Questions: Would you pick this kitten up and take it home? Is the kitten’s mother nearby? Why is the kitten meowing at the person?

Abandoned Greenhouse

Opening Line Idea: Willow was free to leave at any time, but she couldn’t make herself go.

Jump-Start Questions: Who built this structure and when? How did the woman get inside? Would you rather knock this structure down or renovate it?

Opening Line Idea: Amani’s earliest memory was razor wire—miles and miles of it.

Jump-Start Questions: Does this fence make you feel safe or anxious? What does this fence separate? If you had to get past this fence, what would you do?

Church Graveyard

Opening Line Idea: Everyone feels differently in a graveyard, but for me, they’re very peaceful places.

Jump-Start Questions: Who wrote the epitaphs on the front two graves? Do you find this cemetery peaceful or creepy, and would you feel differently at night? Does anyone ever bring flowers to these graves?

Orb of Death

Opening Line Idea: “Do you really want to know?” Death asked. “Because once you know, you won’t be able to forget.”

Jump-Start Questions: Is the globe showing a reflection or a vision? If Death offered to reveal your future, would you accept? Who did the skull on the left belong to in life?

Missed Shot

Opening Line Idea: Steve was sure his shot would make it, but it bounced off the rim just as the buzzer rang to end the game.

Jump-Start Questions: Is the player in front happy, sad, or something else? Would you rather be playing in the game or watching the game? What is the referee thinking about?

First Contact

Opening Line Idea: This was it—the moment that would change what it meant to be human forever.

Jump-Start Questions: What is reflected in the astronaut’s mask? Will the alien and the human be able to communicate with each other? How would you feel if you were the first human to meet an alien?

One Life To Live

Opening Line Idea: His face said his life had been a hard one, but his eyes told a different tale.

Jump-Start Questions: Where and when did this man get his hat? If you could ask this man one question, what would it be? Why did this man decide to grow a mustache?

Winter Walk

Opening Line Idea: Snow fell, creating a blank canvas to record the story of that fateful walk.

Jump-Start Questions: How would you feel if you were walking in the snow in this scene? How would you find out what made the tracks? How far from civilization was this picture taken?

Train to Nowhere

Opening Line Idea: It certainly wasn’t the most luxurious way to travel, but then again, no one really wanted to make this trip in the first place.

Jump-Start Questions: What would it feel like to sleep here? Why has this place been abandoned? If you looked through the windows, what would you see outside?

Modern Mary Poppins

Opening Line Idea: She dropped into our lives on a gray day in midwinter, a hint of the spring that was to come.

Jump-Start Questions: What is in the person’s bag? What are they waiting for? Who made the tracks in this field?

All That Remains

Opening Line Idea: Dust motes filled the air of the abandoned hallway, replacing the voices once heard there.

Jump-Start Questions: Where is the light coming from? What is written on the walls? What would you hear if you were standing here?

Opening Line Idea: From the day he found the little creature, Luis refused to go anywhere without him.

Jump-Start Questions: How would you feel if you were talking to this person and the animal suddenly poked its head out? What will happen when the creature is too big to fit in the pocket? Would you like a pocket-size pet?

The Question

Opening Line Idea: Their happily ever after began quietly, with a bouquet of wildflowers.

Jump-Start Questions: What is the person in front about to say to the other person? Did they pick the flowers themselves, and do they have any special meaning? Where do the railroad tracks come from and go to?

Night Lights

Opening Line Idea: Misty rain both blurred and emphasized the lights that lit Suri’s way home that evening.

Jump-Start Questions: What is this person thinking about as they walk along? If this were you, would feel safe walking alone at night? What do you think the various signs say?

Forest of Fear

Opening Line Idea: At first, Mateo thought it was a joke, but the screams that followed told him there was nothing remotely funny about it.

Jump-Start Questions: Are there people behind the trees, or are the arms coming out of the trees themselves? Would you investigate or run away? What would you say to these people?

Opening Line Idea: At the elite level, being a spy meant serious commitments.

Jump-Start Questions: Would you like a cybernetic eye? What would you do if you woke up and found yourself with one against your will? Is this a human with an artificial eye or a very human-like cyborg?

The Yellow Door

Opening Line Idea: On their 14th birthday, every resident of Fresnia was required to stand before the Wall of Doors and make a choice.

Jump-Start Questions: Would you have painted this door yellow or chosen a different color? Do all the doors lead to the same place? Would you open the yellow door first, last, or not at all?

Graffiti Palace

Opening Line Idea: To strangers, it seemed random, but every mark on those walls had deep meaning for us.

Jump-Start Questions: Do you see this graffiti as vandalism or art? If you found a can of spray paint here, would you add your own contribution? What did this building used to be?

Fossil Fish

Opening Line Idea: Millions of years ago, the fish gave one final flop before lying still in the deep mud.

Jump-Start Questions: How did this fish die? How was it different from modern fish? What other fossils do you think might be found nearby?

On the Rails

Opening Line Idea: Aliyah stood on the tracks, uncertain of where to go next.

Jump-Start Questions: Is it safe for this person to be walking along these railroad tracks? What kind of music does the person like to play on their guitar? Is the person alone by choice?

These picture prompts are all works of art, some more well known than others. Try providing them to students without sharing the titles first, then offer up the titles if they need some help getting started. We’ve also provided some opening line ideas.

The Dance Class (Edgar Degas)

Opening Line Idea: The studio was dusty, noisy, and crowded, but it was also home.

Greek Funerary Plaque (520-510 BCE)

Opening Line Idea: With one final tap and last dab of paint, the tablet was complete at last.

Washington Crossing the Delaware (Emanuel Leutze)

Opening Line Idea: Was it bravery or sheer foolish bravado?

Kyōsai’s Pictures of One Hundred Demons

Opening Line Idea: “So this is where the wild things are,” she thought.

First Steps, After Millet (Vincent van Gogh)

Opening Line Idea: After so many years of hope and disappointment, this child made it all worthwhile.

Lady Lilith (Dante Gabriel Rossetti)

Opening Line Idea: Every night, without fail, 100 slow and steady strokes, just like her mother taught her.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat)

Opening Line Idea: At what point does afternoon become evening?

After the Hurricane, Bahamas (Winslow Homer)

Opening Line Idea: The skies were clearing, but the seas raged on.

Drawing Lots for Prizes (Kitagawa Utamaro)

Opening Line Idea: It was fun at first, but I soon grew tired of the never-ending parties, dancing, music, and false laughter.

Portions of Field Armor (Jacob Halder)

Opening Line Idea: The armor shone in the morning sun; by evening it would be scratched, worn, and covered in blood.

Sadie Pfeifer, a Cotton Mill Spinner (Lewis Wickes Hine)

Opening Line Idea: She’d never realized the factory would be so incredibly loud, the noise unrelenting and cruel.

Still Life With Monkey, Fruits, and Flowers (Jean Baptiste Oudry)

Opening Line Idea: “This is why we can’t have nice things,” she complained.

Man Leading a Giraffe, 5th Century Byzantine

Opening Line Idea: At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder: Was he leading the giraffe or was the giraffe leading him?

The Three Skulls (Paul Cézanne)

Opening Line Idea: Nothing bothered her more than the empty, vacant eyes.

The Madame B Album (Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier)

Opening Line Idea: “Definitely a new species,” confirmed the curator.

Coiled Trumpet in the Form of a Snarling Feline Face (c. 100 BCE to 500 CE)

Opening Line Idea: The trumpet called them all to attention, and the audience fell silent in an instant.

Crazy Quilt With Animals (Florence Elizabeth Marvin)

Opening Line Idea: Every stitch and scrap spun a story.

Storytime (Eugenio Zampighi)

Opening Line Idea: They could spend hours there, and they often did.

Cubist Village (Georges Gaudion)

Opening Line Idea: The Land of Oz looked very different from how Dorothy had described it.

Zig-Zag Passenger and Freight Train (Unknown)

Opening Line Idea: Frankly, I didn’t care where the train was going, or how long it would take to get there.

The Power of Music (William Sidney Mount)

Opening Line Idea: Sammy wanted to join in and lift his voice, but he knew they’d never welcome him in.

The Large Tree (Paul Gauguin)

Opening Line Idea: Outsiders saw it as paradise, and they weren’t far off.

After the Bath (Mary Cassatt)

Opening Line Idea: Motherhood was exhausting, but she found the rewards very sweet indeed.

Wedding Gown (Korea, Late 1800s)

Opening Line Idea: It was the most important gown she’d ever wear, and she begrudged every single stitch it took to make it.

The Contemplator (Eugène Carrière)

Opening Line Idea: Looking back, she seemed to see everything through a strange, dusty haze.

The Girl I Left Behind Me (Eastman Johnson)

Opening Line Idea: She was an old woman now, but when I thought of her, it was always as a brave, stoic child, standing tall atop the hillside as we trudged into the distance.

24c Curtiss Jenny Invert Single

Opening Line Idea: “Do you think anyone will notice?” asked Mr. Semple nervously.

Creeping Baby Doll Patent Model

Opening Line Idea: “Well, that’s mighty unsettling,” Pa said.

Wrecked Zeppelin (British Library)

Opening Line Idea: The wreckage drew crowds for weeks, but the great balloon’s demise made little difference in the end.

Skeleton (Tales of Terror Frontispiece)

Opening Line Idea: “Here we go again,” Cedric moaned, as the skeletons pulled him from the grave once more.

Get Your Free Picture Writing Prompt Google Slides

Just click the button below to fill out the form and get instant access to free downloadable Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all the prompts included above.

How do you use picture writing prompts in your classroom? Come share ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

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Picture Prompts

142 Picture Prompts to Inspire Student Writing

A school year’s worth of short, accessible image-driven posts that invite a variety of kinds of writing.

By The Learning Network

We’ve been publishing our Picture Prompts series four days a week since 2016. Below, we’ve rounded up all the prompts we published for the 2023-24 school year.

These short, accessible, image-driven prompts invite students to pen short stories, poems and memoirs; share experiences from their lives; analyze illustrations, graphs and charts; and tell us their opinions on hot-button issues.

You can find even more in our roundups for the 2022-23 , 2021-22 and 2020-21 school years, as well as in our collections of 125 picture prompts for creative and narrative writing and 25 spooky images for writing scary stories .

To learn how you can use Picture Prompts to build literacy skills, promote critical thinking, inspire discussion and foster creativity in your classroom, watch our three-minute tutorial video or our on-demand webinar . For dozens more ideas, see our lesson plan “ How to Teach With Our Picture Prompts (and Other Times Images) .”

If you use this feature with your students, or if you have other ideas for how to use photos, illustrations and graphics to encourage writing, let us know in the comments.

Share experiences from your own life.

Boys and Cologne Soapbox Derby Graphs Old and Young 2,000 Bags Spring Holidays Baking Spring ‘Floor Person’ Checking Your Watch ‘Wild’ Ice Skating Lunar New Year Hot Pot Distracted Walking Breakfast Wild Weather Maps Healthy Habits Holiday Classics Compliments Family Drama Thanksgiving Dinner Libraries Scary Movies Carving Pumpkins Fall Friday the 13th Our Own Language Skydiving Lazy Days Back to School

What story does this image inspire for you?

Falling Into a Hole Friends? Up, Up and Away! Pet Alligator Shadowy Figures Help Fishing in a Stream Tiny House Rats on a Dog Walking Away Public Selfies Hidden Doorway Playing Dominoes Point of No Return Sunset by the Water Valentines Biking Climbing a Ladder Reflections Happy Creatures Snowfall Blindfolded The Red Planet Dog TV Walking Through Town People and Penguins Witches on the Water Spying Show Time! A Wave Goodbye Ancient Arrow A Hand Up Darkened Library The Concert

What do you think this image, chart or cartoon is saying?

Pink Head, Green Check City Street Lapel Buttons One Seat Underwear on a Statue Justices An Elevator Filled With Robots Flying Plastic In a Box Watching Snacks and Drinks Tree Stump Behind Columns Lying in Bed Soccer and Dollars Two People Sitting Package and Globe Hot-Air Balloon Civil Conversation Raking A Shadow Parent and Child Atop a Cellphone The Super Wealthy Brick Wall Eagle and Ropes Painting Blank Space Exercise Football and Bag of Money Worm in an Apple Head in the Clouds

What’s your opinion on this issue?

‘Cowboy Carter’ New Stamp Design Prizewinning Miniature Poodle Cicadas for Dinner Met Gala Student Orchestra Tech in the Classroom Salt Movie Memorabilia 100 Years of Furniture March Madness Texting Styles Concerts Leap Day Broadway Shows Ice Cream Celebrity Feuds A.I.-Generated Faces World’s Largest Cruise Ship Your Energy Playlist Taylor Swift and the N.F.L. In-and-Out Lists Contenders Coveted Cup Your 2024 Most-Anticipated List 2023 in Pictures Style in 2023 $700 Million Deal Dream Décor Skipping School Giving Tuesday Pop-Tart Critic Time Change Pink Jersey Floating Home The Mall Breaking Police Robot Celebrity Relationships Fall Music New iPhone Tiny Homes Floods in Libya Football Season Land, Man and Sky Fall Video Games

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

70 Picture Prompts for Creative Writing (with Free Slides)

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Visual writing prompts help young writers generate new ideas and overcome writer’s block. We’ve put together 70 picture prompts for creative writing that you can use for morning work or in your writing centers or lesson plans to get your students’ creative juices flowing.

The Benefits of Using Visual Writing Prompts

Writers of all ages and experience levels can get stuck thinking about what to write. Writer’s block is not just a challenge for reluctant writers. Even professional writers have days when they feel less than inspired.

Visual prompts can result in a vast array of story ideas. A single image viewed by ten writers will result in ten completely different short stories. Even if you use verbal cues to get students thinking about the picture, each student will still write a unique response to the image.

Visual creative writing prompts are fantastic for elementary school because younger students often relate more to a pictorial prompt than a written one, but don’t shy away from using these with high school and middle school students as well. Pictures make a fun alternative to your typical writing prompts and story starters and can help shake up your regular English language arts routine.

How to Use Picture Prompts for Creative Writing

There’s no limit to the ways you can use writing prompts. Here are some of our favorite ways to incorporate image prompts into your weekly lesson plans .

• Writing Center. Print cards or writing pages with these images on them and put them in a writing center for your students to discover at their own pace.
• Specific Skills. Use story picture prompts to help kids work on specific writing skills. For example, you could work on descriptive writing by having them describe the setting of the picture in detail, character development by having them make up a history for a person (or animal) in the picture, or narrative writing by having them make up a story based on the picture.
• Warm-up Activity: Download the slides that accompany this post and project an image on a screen or whiteboard for the first fifteen minutes of class and have students work on a short story as soon as they enter. This helps jumpstart the creative process before you move into your regular writing program.
• Independent Work: If you need a fun activity for kids to do when they’ve completed their assignment and are waiting for other students’ to finish, keep a supply of these images on hand and challenge them to write flash fiction of 250 words or less while they wait.
• Sub binders: Want to have some easy, no-prep projects on hand for those days when you’re unexpectedly away? Elementary picture writing prompts are perfect for substitute teachers to do with your students in your absence.
• Distance learning: If you are working with students whom you don’t see face-to-face, picture writing prompts are a great way to inspire them. You can use them in a virtual lesson to kickstart a discussion on brainstorming story ideas or post a few of these images to your learning management system and let students select the one they want to write about.

No matter how you decide to use them—whether at home or in the classroom—photographic writing prompts are a great way to cultivate a daily writing habit and encourage kids to explore new topics.

Picture Writing Prompts for Kids

We’ve selected 70 of the most interesting pictures we could find for this exercise. When choosing photos for writing prompts, we look for high-quality photos with intriguing subject matter, but we try to go beyond that. We want to share images that suggest a story, that make the viewer ask questions and wonder why things are the way they are.

We want to feel propelled to explore questions like, What happened before the photo that led to this moment? What are we witnessing in this photo? What’s about to happen?

A photo doesn’t make much of a story starter if it doesn’t suggest that there might be a bigger picture lurking beneath the surface.

We hope you and your students love these picture prompts for creative writing as much as we do. If you love them, go ahead and fill out the form below to grab your own copy.

Sign Up for Your FREE Picture Writing Prompt Slides

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We’ve included a couple of questions with each picture that you could use to spark pre-writing conversations in your classroom, which can be helpful when working with younger students who might need a little more direction.

Bear in mind though that some kids really struggle with these types of questions that ask them to make inferences about details that they can’t possibly know the ‘answer’ to. When you ask them things like, “What was the author probably trying to do?” they have no idea and won’t dare to hazard a guess. If you are working with kids who feel paralyzed by these questions, now is not the time to push them. Ignore the questions completely and have them simply focus on the picture.

It could be a good idea to write a few short stories yourself based on a single picture to show demonstrate how there are no wrong answers in this exercise—only endless possibilities.

70 Picture for Story Writing with Guiding Questions

• Whose cat is this? What is he looking at? Where is he?

2. What is the owl thinking about? Is he alone? What does he hope to eat for dinner?

3. Who are these frogs? What is their relationship with each other? Why are they taking photos?

4. How did the dog get a phone? Why is he taking selfies? What is he doing with the pictures he takes?

5. This cat doesn’t look too happy. What’s bugging him? Did he get too many phone calls or is he waiting on an important call that’s taking too long to come?

6. What do these chicks think of the dog? What does the dog think of the chicks? Do you think they can communicate with each other? If so, what would they say?

7. Where do these lemurs live? What are they looking at? What is something unusual that might happen to them?

8. What is this fox doing? Is he yawning and stretching or is he trying to scare someone away? What kind of mischief does he like to get up to?

9. Is this wolf alone? If not, who is with him? What is he planning to do? Does he have a family to feed or protect?

10. What is this child doing on the laptop? Can he actually read and type or is he just playing? If he can read and type, how did he learn that at such a young age? What other cool things can he do?

11. Where is this woman? Is she lost? How did she get to this street? What interesting things might she discover as she explores this new city?

12. Why is the dog wearing glasses? Can he see through them? What are he and the girl doing? How does he feel about it?

13. Who are these two little boys? What is their relationship with each other? What is the teddy bear’s story?

14. Who are these children? Why are they running? Is it a race or are they playing a game? Who’s going to win?

15. Whose horse is this? Does the little boy own it or does he just visit it? Can the horse talk? How does the boy feel when he’s with the horse?

16. What is this boy reading? Does the book have a magical power? Does the boy? Do the stories in the book become real or does something else special happen?

17. Where is this man? How did he get there? What is he looking for?

18. Who is walking over the bridge? What’s on the other side? Is it worth the risk?

19. What are these people doing on the elephant? Where are they? Are they tourists or is the elephant their pet? What would life with an elephant be like?

20. Who made this map? It looks old. Has it been hidden away for a long time? Who discovered it and how? What does it lead to?

21. Whose typewriter is this? What important or secretive thing might they be working on? What could happen if the wrong person finds their work?

22. Who are these three stuffed animals? Are they living? What is their story?

23. Whose ukulele is this? Why did they leave it here? Who might find it?

24. Where is the owner of the bike? Where does this path lead? What if the bike’s not there when the owner returns?

25. Whose shoes are these? Why did they leave them here? Why are they so dirty?

26. Who was reading the newspaper? What was the most interesting thing they read? Where have they disappeared to?

27. Who put this sign on the old truck? What do you think of it? How did the truck end up in its current condition and location?

28. Who set the table? Who are they expecting? What special occasion are they celebrating? What could go wrong?

29. Whose birthday cake is this? Are they having a party? Who is there? Who did they want to have there that didn’t show up?

30. Who lives here? How do they access their home? What is their life like?

31. Who built the igloo? Where is it? How does it feel to spend the night inside it?

32. What is the history of this castle? Who lives in it now? Does it have any special or magical features?

33. Is this barn abandoned or do people live on the property? What kind of animals might live here? How do they keep themselves entertained?

34. What is it like living on a houseboat? What kind of community do you think forms among the neighbors? Imagine you live on one of these boats and think about how your daily life might change. What interesting things could you do if you lived here? What would you miss the most?

35. Where is this hut? Who lives here? What mystery might unfold if a stranger came knocking at their door?

36. What is this lighthouse called? Who runs it? How often do they leave? What is the most memorable experience they’ve had as a lighthouse operator?

37. How did this house get here? Does anyone live in it? What would life be like here?

38. Where is this festive street? Are the people there celebrating something? Where is everybody?

39. Who lives here? How did they build this house? Are they hiding from something? What does it look like inside?

40. Whose notebook is this? Why did they leave it here? What’s written in it and how might it change the life of the person who finds it?

41. What are these women doing? What are they supposed to be doing? Will they be in trouble if they get caught?

42. Who might be represented in this statue? Why is she being pulled by lions? What amazing things might she have done to deserve a statue in this prominent place?

43. Where is this? Who is riding in the hot air balloons? Where are they going and why?

44. How old is this large tree? Where is it? What are some of the most fascinating stories it could tell?

45. Where is this carousel? Who is riding it? Can you think of a special or strange story about how it came to exist in this particular place?

46. What are these people thinking about? What’s at stake for them? What happens if one of them sneezes?

47. Where are these penguins? What are they talking about? Which one of them is the leader?

48. What is this place? Was it designed to be open like this or was it once part of someone’s home or a public building? How have people’s opinions of this place changed over time?

49. Who are these kids? Is this what they’re supposed to be doing? What happens when their teacher sees them?

50. Who is supposed to ride in this boat? Where are they going? Will they make it there?

51. Is this plane special to someone? What did they have to do to get it/build it? Where will they fly to in it?

52. Who decorated this train car? Which passengers will fill it up? What will they talk about?

53. Whose skis are these? Why are they sticking out of the snow? How did their owner get down the mountain without them?

54. Where does this gondola go? Who rides it? How does it feel to ride it?

55. Who’s driving the monster truck? Why is it at the beach? What is it going to crush? Who is watching?

56. Where is the boat going? Who is on it? What is their mission?

57. What city is the helicopter flying over? Why? Is the driver looking for something specific or do they have a special delivery?

58. What’s the little boy doing in the boat? Is he alone or is someone with him? Where is he trying to go?

59. Who is in the sub? What’s it like inside? What are they doing?

60. Whose book is this? What’s it about? What’s happening to it?

61. How did that piece of land with the house on it break off from the rest of the world? Why? Where is it going? Is anyone in the house?

62. Who is this girl? Where is she? Who is she shooting at?

63. Where does this scene take place? Is the lizard/dragon good or bad? What is its relationship with the girl?

64. What do these books represent? What kind of world is this? What (or who) is inside the books?

65. What are these dinosaurs discussing? Where are they? What do they do for fun?

66. Whose cottage is this? Do they still live there? If not, where have they gone? If so, what do they do there?

67. What is the moth thinking about? Is it alone? What’s the biggest challenge it faces in this moment?

68. Who is the owl looking at? Has it read these books? What is its greatest talent?

69. Where are these trees? Why are they pink? Do they have any special powers or features?

70. What are these best friends thinking about? Do they have something to hide? What adventures do they go on together?

What do you think? Which kind of pictures do you like best for creative writing prompts ? Let us know in the comments.

Thursday 18th of July 2024

This was fun

Thursday 9th of May 2024

I love this website because I was using it with my kindergartners and it work so so so well!!!!

Monday 20th of May 2024

That's wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

Tuesday 5th of March 2024

I LOVE these! My daughter has always struggled with written story prompts and an internet search this week convinced me of the value of picture prompts for reluctant readers/writers (https://youcanjournal.com/journal-picture-prompts/ if you're interested!). I'll definitely be using these to help improve her writing skills. Thanks so much!

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

I think the idea of using picture prompts is a great idea. It initiates oral language thus building vocabulary. It allows lends itself to students working in small groups to stimulate new ideas. The prompts engage the students and gives the teacher the opportunity to focus on specific writing skills.

luke elford

Wednesday 13th of December 2023

Privacy Overview

The Fiction Collection

This collection doesn’t need much of an introduction from me… These are brilliant images to inspire brilliantly creative writing.

The questions are included because ‘reading and writing float on a sea of talk’ (Britton, 1983) – the quality ideas, language and structures come from a rich discussion of the picture and the possibilities for writing.

This sheet is a good starting point for generating ideas: See think wonder , and this one is great for collecting and developing vocabulary: Vocabulary builder .

Credit: Tim O’Brien

• What can you see? What do you think? What do you wonder? Discuss and/or record your ideas here: See think wonder .
• Who – or what – smashed the glass?
• Was the frog there before, or did it enter the frame afterwards?
• Why are there water droplets inside the frame?
• Who holds the key?
• Why is there a tag reading ‘Prince’?
• Is the frog a prince?
• Why is the title ‘ A  Prince’? Why not ‘ The  Prince’? What’s the difference? (Y3 grammar link)
• Does this remind you of any stories you know? How is it similar/different?
• Write this story – choose your perspective, style and structure. Do you want your story to feel like a fairy tale? How will you make yours stand out?

Credit: Erik Johansson

• What is happening here?
• What was the girl doing before this? How do you know?
• Why are the ants angry?
• Did she fall over or get pulled over by the ants?
• What is she saying? What is she thinking? How is she feeling?
• Does anyone know that she’s there?
• What do you think is going to happen?
• Write a short narrative of this event. Try to create tension through your sentence and language choices. Choose what you want your reader to feel and check that you have achieved this by reading your writing to someone else. [Or, better still, comment it here and I’ll respond!]
• Slow writing challenge (to support with/extend the above task): You can only write 9 sentences. You can use 2 long, 4 medium and 3 short sentences. Which order will you use them in? Experiment with the different sentence lengths and structures. Once you have written a piece that you’re proud of, explain your sentence choices and the effect you wanted them to have. Find this challenge and examples here: Angry Ants slow writing .

INVISIBLE MAN

Credit: Franco Matticchio

• What can you see?
• Who is the Invisible Man? Why is he invisible?
• Why is he carrying someone in his briefcase? Who is that? How did he get there? Is he trying to get out? Does the Invisible Man know that he’s there?
• Where is he going?
• Tell this story.

THE SUMMONER

Credit: Jakub Rozalski

• What can you see? Look closer.
• What/who is the figure in the mist?
• How did it get there?
• What does it do?
• Are there more of them?
• Who is the person standing on the cliff top?
• What are they doing?
• What is their story?
• Share the title & meaning of ‘summon’ – who is ‘The Summoner’? How do you know?
• Where do you think this could be?

KEEPER OF THE KEYS

Credit: Lena Gnedkova

• Who is the person? Are they the ‘keeper of the keys’? Give evidence to support your opinions. Have they always been the keeper of the keys? How did they become this? Do you need to have certain qualities or qualifications to be the keeper? Is it a good thing? How does this person feel about being keeper of the keys?
• Why is this person wearing one key around their neck?
• Why are there keys hanging from this branch? Why is the branch connecting two trees? How?
• Why are the keys glowing? What do the white lines on the branches and the ground represent?
• Where is this place? Is it special? Do the keys  have  to be kept here? Why?
• Does anyone else come here?
• How does the ‘keeper of the keys’ get these keys? Why do the keys need to be ‘kept’?
• What is each key for? Choose a key and tell its story.

POST-APOCALYPTIC NYC

Credit: Henrik Evensen

• Describe this setting. Try to use new and adventurous vocabulary e.g. decay, desolation, vacant, shrouded in fine dust, smog, splintered metal, deafening silence…
• An apocalypse is a great disaster; an event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale. What happened here? What caused the destruction of New York City? When did it happen?
• Is it only NYC, or does it go further? (Locate NYC on a map, discuss the cause and how far it would spread.)
• Who is the person? Are they riding a horse? Where did they come from? How did they survive? Is that the only survivor?

THE STORY OF THE GIANTS

© Shaun Tan ‘The Arrival’ Lothian Books/Hachette Australia

• Who are the giants?
• Where did they come from?
• What are they doing? Why?
• Why are the people running away?
• Why do the giants need lights in their helmets? Why are they wearing helmets and overalls?
• How do you feel towards them? Why do you think this is?
• Tell ‘The Story of The Giants’. What kind of story will it be? How will it end?

YOU’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT

Credit: Tyler Carter

• Who are the people?
• Where is this?
• Where did the T-Rex come from?
• What are the characters thinking?
• What do you think will happen next?

• What do the tentacles belong to?
• How do the man and the dog feel about it? How do you know?
• Was the man expecting to see this behind the door?
• Who opened the door?
• What will happen next?
• Tell this story. What form will your story take? (Could you wr

CAPTAIN NEMO

Credit: Burda

• Who is onboard the ship?
• Who is Captain Nemo?
• Where did the robot come from?
• What is it doing?
• Why is it in the water? Will the water damage it?
• How would you feel if you were on the ship?

OLD MAN OF THE WOODS

Credit: Matt Dixon

• What is the ogre doing? Why?
• Why is there a glowing light over the flower? Where is it coming from?
• What do you think is in the pouches on the ogre’s bag strap?
• Why were the children in the woods?
• Does he know that they are watching him?
• Do the children want him to know that they’re there?
• Does this remind you of any other stories you know? Why? What’s similar and what’s different?
• Write this story in the style of a fairytale. Who will be your main character/protagonist(s)?
• Are ogres normally good or bad characters? Find as many examples as possible before you draw any conclusions.

MOON GARDEN

Credit: Jen Betton

• What is the boy doing?
• Who are the other people in the background?
• Where are they?
• What time of day is it? How do you know?
• Why are the people all here so late?
• Why does one man have his arm in the air? Why does a woman have her hand to her face? What might they be saying?
• Can you tell anything about how the boy is feeling?
• What is he going to do with the flower?
• Why is the picture called ‘Moon Garden’?
• After discussing and exploring the picture, share the following two and use them to tell the story.

AFTERNOON STROLL

Credit: Matt Dixon

• Who is the person?
• Where are they going?
• What are they carrying?
• Do they know what’s behind them?
• Describe the creature behind them. [Look at the eyes, the fangs, the scales…] What is it? Where did it come from? Was it there all along?
• What is it going to do?
• Describe the moment when the person realises that there is something behind them – try to build the atmosphere and make the reader feel tense. How do they find out? [rumbling? growling? a single rock bouncing across their path?] How will they react?
• Tell this story. What structure will your story take? When does this scene happen?

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE THE NIGHT

Credit: Borda

• Describe the trees. Can you use a simile/metaphor/personification?
• What animals might you find here?
• Who do you think took this photograph?  Why are the trees all around and above them?
• Why isn’t there any colour in this photograph?
• How does this image make you feel?
• What kind of story would this setting suit? Why?
• Write a spooky story using this setting; use the title of the image as the title for your story.
• Write a fairy tale using this setting.
• Write from the perspective of one of the trees.

DRAGON HUNTER

Credit: Ryan Lang

• Who is this?
• Why do they have a sword?
• Where did the dragon come from?
• What kind of dragon is it?
• Why are there skeletons on the ground?
• How is the person feeling?
• Write your own myth or legend inspired by this picture.

Credit: Jungho Le

• Who is the old lady?
• What is she doing?
• What is the shadow? Why isn’t it the same silhouette as her?
• How does she feel as she’s looking at this shadow? What might she be remembering?
• Why is it in a book?
• Why did Jungho Le call this picture ‘Fall’?
• What world events has she lived through?
• What changes has she seen?
• What was her childhood like?
• Is she alone now? Has she always been alone? Was she ever married? Did she have children?
• What are her favourite memories?
• What’s her personality like? How will you show this through the writing?
• How might you structure your story?

LIGHTHOUSE TOWN

• What happened here?
• Why are the buildings under water?
• Why are the lights still on in the buildings?
• Who is the person on the street below? What are they doing there?
• Why did they build a lighthouse in the middle of a town?
• Why is the girl standing on top of the lighthouse?
• What is the ‘break’ in the sky?
• Tell the story of the Lighthouse Town.

20 Picture-Based Writing Prompts and Ideas for Kids

A picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s certainly the case with visual writing prompts! 

Be it a simple object or a fantastical scene, a picture is all it takes to spark a child’s imagination. 

That’s why I love picture writing prompts for kids who are learning how to write. 

They help alleviate the burden of not knowing where to start while providing creative flexibility for students to pen their own stories.

I especially like to use picture prompts for teaching descriptive writing . They encourage children to focus, study, and evaluate an image with all its colors and scenery, which naturally sparks more descriptive text .  

get this picture prompt printable for free!

What is picture prompt writing.

If you’re unfamiliar with picture prompts, they are a type of writing prompt that uses an image to start a story. 

Students then create a story, using the picture as either the setting or simply a jumping off point. 

The benefit of visual writing prompts is that it gives students a place to start. Not only that, it encourages them to use more adjectives and write in more detailed sentences.

Most students need some guidance beyond “write about this.” The again, too many details can be overwhelming. 

Picture prompts give kids just enough information to act as a stress-free starting point, and from there, they can tell their own stories.

They aren’t necessary for every writing activity, but they’re a fun and simple way to spark creativity—and they often prompt students to think (and write!) outside the box.  

How to Use Picture Writing Prompts

Students who struggle to write may naturally gravitate towards picture prompts. 

In fact, picture writing for kids is particularly helpful for reluctant writers who struggle with expressing themselves in words.

The prompts can be paired with any number of writing activities, from freewriting to journal writing to creative writing.

Choosing pictures for kids to write about will largely depend on the skill level and age of your student.

As a general rule of thumb, you want to use the most interesting pictures for writing prompts you can find.

As kids get older, their writing world expands, so their prompts can be more in-depth and structured.

You can even try using two unrelated prompts and have your students develop a story that incorporates both perspectives.

Here are a few more specific ways to use visual writing prompts:

1. Choose pictures that aren’t so clear-cut. Ambiguous images lead to more brainstorming, providing plenty of room for interpretation and creativity.

2. Give students ample time to look at and study the image. 

3. Give them 5-10 minutes to write everything they can think about when they look at the picture. 

4. Use the 5 Ws to start the conversation. This encourages young writers to look closely for clues about a possible storyline.

• What? What’s going on in the image?
• Where? Where is it taking place?
• Who? Who or what is the subject of the scene?
• Why? What caused the scene in the image? Why did it happen?
• When? What happened before the picture? What happens after?

5. You can also give them a series of pictures for story writing . This is a great option for older elementary up to middle school students. 

As you can see, picture prompts are pretty open-ended. You can tweak and use them whichever way works best for your student. 

Want to try using picture prompts?

We’ve provided 20 creative, engaging visual prompts below.

Have fun! 

For more writing fun, try these fall-themed prompts , winter writing prompts , or one-sentence story starters .

20 Picture Writing Prompts for Kids

The icebreaker.

• Something mysterious caused the cracking.…
• What do you think is underneath this sheet of ice?
• How far will the cracks spread? What will happen?

The Gardener and the Magical Plant 

• It’s not an ordinary seed sprouting…
• What do you think will grow?
• Who is planting the seedling?

Adventures Of The Dive Club

• Did they find treasure under the sea?
• What did they capture on camera?
• Where in the world are they? 

The Lion and the Lost Lambs

• It was an unlikely friendship…
• Do the lambs feel safe with the lion?
• What is the lion thinking?

Runaway Cow

• Why is the cow so far away from the rest of the herd?
• What is the cow looking at?
• What’s going through her mind?

Sunset at the Meadow

• The tire swing was still swaying as they left…
• Who was playing here?
• Where are the birds going?

A Kitty of a Different Kind

• Why does the cat have different eye colors?
• It’s not just his eyes that made him different…
• What is the cat’s name?

The Missing Plane

• Where is the plane going?
• How did it get lost? 
• What happens next?

Best Friends in a Snowstorm

• What are their names?
• How did they become friends?
• What are they talking about?

The Icky Sticky Ice Cream Cone

• The person who dropped this ice cream was startled…
• What made them drop their ice cream?
• Describe the scene, the emotions, etc.

A Bug’s Life

• What is the bug doing?
• What is his name?
• His friends made fun of him because he was green…

The Secret Spy Frog

• What or who is the frog watching?
• Why is the frog hiding?
• What is his secret mission?

The Surprise of a Lifetime

• What is this little boy’s story?
• What or who surprised him?

The Hidden House in the Woods

• There is something very special about this house…
• Could this be the house everyone in the village spoke of?
• Who lives there?

Beneath the Waves

• Who took this photo?
• Where are all the fish going?
• Are they running away from someone/something?

The Boy and the Giant Roly-Poly Pumpkin

• It was no ordinary pumpkin…
• What’s inside the pumpkin?
• What is the boy going to do with it?

The “Cat-tastrophe” Shower

• The cat made such a mess…what happened?
• What is the cat thinking?
• What does he do after getting bathed?

World-Famous PupStar

• What is the dog’s name?
• What made this dog famous?
• Why is he taking the photo?

The Sinking House

• What do you think caused the house to sink?
• Where are the people who lived in the house? Are they still there?
• Use your imagination!

The Dinosaurs and the Broccoli Forest

• Why are these dinos eating broccoli? 
• Where are all the other dinosaurs?
• Are there other animals in the forest?

Download and Print FREE Picture Prompts (PDF)

No matter what grade your kids are in, they will love these fun (and often funny!) elementary picture writing prompts.  

The concepts are suitable for a wide age range and can be used by first graders all the way up to middle school students.

Now when you hear the dreaded, “ I have nothing to write about! ” just pull out these picture prompts, provide pencil and paper, and let your young writers create!

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Jordan Mitchell

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36 Engaging Picture Writing Prompts For Classroom Creativity

June 1, 2023 //  by  Lauren Du Plessis

Ever wondered how to spark your student’s imagination and make writing an adventure for them? Picture writing prompts are the key as they invite students to embark on a journey filled with extraordinary characters and whimsical settings. From magical maps and friendly monsters to enchanted forests and time-traveling cars, each of the images in our collection provides an exciting springboard for creative writing. Let’s delve right in to unlock a wealth of creative pursuits! 

1. Alien Visitor

Imagine a visitor from a galaxy far, far away landing on Earth for the first time. Which of our planet’s peculiarities might intrigue this intergalactic traveler?

2. Magic Map

You’re handed a time-worn map that depicts a cryptic guide to help you uncover a hidden treasure. Detail the exciting yet mind-boggling obstacles you confront as you decode the secret messages it carries.

3. Underwater City

Dive deep into the ocean’s abyss, where a forgotten city lies submerged. Describe the exotic underwater dwellers and the captivating customs they’ve developed in their aquatic sanctuary.

4. Star Catcher

You possess a machine that can pluck stars right from the night sky. Detail the cosmos journey you plan to embark on. 

5. Lost in the Jungle

Meandering through a lush jungle, you cross paths with a chatty chimpanzee. What unexpected wisdom or survival tips does the creature share with you?

6. Invisible City

Imagine a city that greets the dawn by vanishing. Explore the innovative adaptations its residents have made to thrive in their on-and-off existence.

7. Giant’s Playground

Step into a playground of towering slides and mammoth swings- all of which have been built for giants. How do you turn a day in this colossal playfield into a delightful romp?

8. Invisible Friend

You form a bond with an invisible companion. How do you make your family and friends believe in the unseen entity’s existence so that you can share details of your unique friendship?

9. Cloud Maker

Conjure up a wondrous machine that puffs out clouds in whimsical shapes. What imaginative cloud creations will you bring to life – a towering castle, a prancing unicorn, or perhaps a sprawling dragon?

10. Haunted House

An ancient, creaky mansion at the street’s end is home to a cohort of ghosts. What captivating tales do these spectral inhabitants have to offer?

11. Mystical Mirror

You stand in front of a mirror that reflects not appearances but desires. What secret dreams does it unveil when you peek into its magical depths?

12. Robot Companion

Imagine a young prodigy who constructs a robot pal. How does this metallic helper aid in daily chores, and school projects, or even stand as the child’s fearless protector?

13. Fountain of Youth

Envision a woman sipping from an enchanted fountain of youth. What youthful transformations unfold, and what does her life become after regaining her lost youth?

14. Moon Colony

Imagine that you’re living on the moon! How does this lifestyle transform daily routines, and what breathtaking experiences does a day on the moon hold?

15. Magical Paintbrush

With a simple paintbrush and an artistic stroke, you can bring your masterpiece to life! What will you choose to animate if you had a magical paintbrush – a friendly monster, a magical landscape, or a character from your favorite story?

16. Pirate Ship

Let’s hoist the sails and set course for an adventurous treasure hunt aboard a pirate ship! What perils, storms, or rival pirates thwart your journey, and how do you navigate the challenges?

17. Enchanted Forest

Step into a mystical forest teeming with magical beings. Who do you encounter there- a talking tree, a mischievous sprite, or a wild unicorn?

18. Superhero

What if one morning, you awaken to find yourself imbued with superpowers? How does life transform, and how do you use your powers to make the world a better place?

19. Mysterious Island

An island appears out of nowhere. What secrets does it shroud- a lost civilization, an exotic creature, or an ancient treasure perhaps?

20. Sorcerer’s Hat

You acquire a magical hat that endows its wearer with sorcery. How do you utilize these magical gifts- for creating whimsical fun, for personal benefit, or for conducting discreet heroics?

21. Castle in the Sky

Venture to a castle perched among the clouds. Who resides there, and what’s life like amidst the celestial breezes and heavenly views?

22. Edible School

This is either a gastronomic dream or a scholar’s nightmare! Imagine a school where everything is edible. Jot down the sweet, and not-so-sweet, aspects of studying in a place where the line between lunch and learning is blurred. 

23. Magical Book

Picture a book that pulls readers into its plot- turning them into active characters. What grand adventures and epic challenges await between the pages?

24. Giant Snail Ride

Fancy taking a leisurely journey atop a giant snail? What marvels will you discover, and what slow-paced experiences will you enjoy?

25. Museum at Night

After dark, the museum’s exhibits come to life! What tales do the animated exhibits narrate, and what unexpected events unfurl during the nocturnal revelry?

26. Dinosaur Park

Ready for a Jurassic adventure? Picture a thrill-packed stroll in a park where dinosaurs aren’t just exhibits, but lively residents. Describe the breathtaking tour through this land of ancient giants.

27. Secret Diary

You acquired a diary that doesn’t record the past but reveals the future. What startling prophecies does it inscribe, and how do these glimpses of tomorrow affect the present?

28. Volcano Eruption

A volcanic eruption reveals an inner world. What treasures, secret civilizations, or remarkable ecosystems come to light in the aftermath of the fiery spectacle?

29. World of Shadows

Enter a world where shadows lead distinct lives. Paint a picture of a day in a shadow’s life- detailing its uncanny similarities and stark differences from our own.

30. Time-Traveling Car

Hop into a car that zips across time. Where and when do you choose to go, and what fascinating periods of history or the future will you explore?

31. Monster Picnic

Monsters host a picnic with their menu being just as strange as they are! What wacky or oddly delightful dishes do they serve, and how does the party unfold in monstrously fun ways?

32. Candyland

Welcome to a land where landscapes are sugar-coated, and the air tastes of vanilla. What sweet delights become popular tourist destinations in this confectionery paradise?

33. Fairy Pet

You befriend a wish-granting fairy. How do you use these wishes, and what delightful or unexpected outcomes do they bring?

34. Time Capsule

You stumble upon a time capsule that contains a link to the past. What items do you uncover, and what tale of yesteryears is narrated?

35. Antique Shop

Each item in the magical antique shop carries a tale from the past. Choose one object and narrate its enchanting tale.

36. Dragons in the City

Can you see the dragons amid the skyscrapers? How do these majestic beasts disguise themselves in the urban setting, and how does their presence transform the city’s dynamics?

20 Free Picture Writing Prompts for kids with Vocabulary

Is your child struggling with their writing? We have made these fun and engaging picture writing prompts along with word bank to give them push with their writing skills. These writing prompts focus on building kids writing, spelling and vocabulary skills. 

Writing is such an important task for children. To make writing fun for children we have made this amazing writing prompts to support child story writing and narrative skills. Each page contains a picture along with vocabulary that will help children to write about the picture. Once children finish writing they can colour the picture to make their work more attractive.

The pages are full of different fun and creative ideas to let children imagination run wild. From dragons, dark forest or being at a spooky Halloween spot! These writing prompts have it all.

Related: 21 Creative writing story starters for children!

20 Free Picture Writing Prompts with Vocabulary:

Let your child imagination flow smoothly with these fantastic picture writing prompts. These prompts will provide them with plenty of new ideas that they never have thought about.

The prompts also come with writers checklist. Let children take ownership of their writing and self-assess what they have written.

To save the free sheets just click on the image and save a PDF file.

Let us know your favourite writing prompts by commenting below. For more amazing free resources, like and share our Facebook page and also follow us on Pinterest .

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Picture writing prompts

Pictures can inspire words.

Students are prompted to write short texts by various pictures; kids should be encouraged to use their imagination to create a narrative around the picture.

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Writing Prompt Pictures for Kids: Visualize Stories

My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Why Using Writing Prompt Pictures for Kids is Beneficial

Creating a strong connection between visuals and storytelling, how to choose engaging and age-appropriate writing prompt pictures, enhancing imagination and critical thinking skills through visuals, encouraging creativity and originality in kids’ storytelling, tips for using writing prompt pictures to spark story ideas, employing writing prompt pictures for kids as a fun learning tool, inspiring reluctant writers with visual story starters, frequently asked questions.

Using writing prompt pictures for kids is not only a fun and engaging way to encourage their creativity, but it also offers numerous benefits to their overall development. By leveraging visual stimuli, children are prompted to think critically, develop their writing skills, and expand their vocabulary.

Firstly, writing prompt pictures provide children with a visual context that helps spark their imagination. Rather than starting with a blank page, kids can draw inspiration from the picture and use it to create a story or describe what they see. This process encourages them to think creatively and develop their storytelling abilities. Additionally, as they engage with different pictures, they develop their observation skills, as they identify objects, people, or elements within the image, and describe them using detailed and descriptive language.

• Using pictures as writing prompts stimulates imaginative thinking.
• Visual stimuli encourage children to think critically and problem solve.
• Writing about pictures enhances observation skills and attention to detail.
• By providing a context, pictures help children develop storytelling abilities.
• Prompted writing expands children’s vocabulary.

Moreover, writing about pictures allows children to think critically and problem solve. They may be asked to explain the actions or events in the picture, analyze cause and effect relationships, or invent creative solutions to problems depicted in the image. These exercises foster critical thinking skills and encourage children to consider multiple perspectives.

Overall, incorporating writing prompt pictures into children’s learning experiences offers a multitude of benefits. Through visual stimuli, they can enhance their creative thinking, storytelling abilities, observation skills, and critical thinking capabilities. Moreover, the use of pictures as writing prompts expands their vocabulary and encourages them to express their thoughts and ideas more effectively.

Visuals and storytelling have an intrinsic relationship, working in harmony to create unforgettable experiences. When visuals are paired with a captivating narrative, the impact on the audience can be truly remarkable. By effectively blending these two elements, you can create a strong connection that enhances the overall message and engages viewers on a deep emotional level.

So, how can you create this powerful bond between visuals and storytelling? Here are a couple of techniques to consider:

• Choose the right imagery: Select visuals that complement your story and evoke the desired response. Whether it’s through photographs, illustrations, or videos, ensure the imagery aligns with the tone, emotions, and themes of your narrative.
• Use visual metaphors: Incorporate symbolic visuals that reinforce the underlying message of your story. A well-placed metaphor can elicit a powerful reaction, making your story more memorable and deepening the connection.
• Employ storytelling techniques in visual design: Elements such as composition, color, and typography can be used to convey the story’s mood, setting, and character. Experiment with different design approaches to strengthen the narrative impact and immerse your audience further into the story.

By implementing these strategies and understanding the interplay between visuals and storytelling, you can create a cohesive and impactful experience that captivates your audience’s imagination and resonates long after the story ends.

When it comes to writing, using pictures as prompts can be an excellent way to spark creativity and engage students of all ages. However, finding the right pictures that are both captivating and suitable for a specific age group can be a challenge. Here are some tips on how to choose the perfect writing prompt pictures that will captivate your students’ imaginations:

• Consider the age and interests of your audience: Pay attention to the age group of your students and their individual interests. Choose images that align with their hobbies, favorite books, or current trends to make the writing prompts more relatable and engaging.
• Ensure diversity and inclusivity: It is crucial to select images that represent a diverse range of individuals and experiences. This will encourage students to explore different perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds, fostering empathy and understanding.
• Balance simplicity and complexity: Depending on the writing skills of your students, select images that offer a balance between simplicity and complexity. For younger children, simpler images with clear visuals will encourage descriptive writing, while older students can be challenged with more intricate visuals that require critical thinking and analysis.

Remember that the chosen pictures should act as a springboard for writing, inspiring creativity and imagination. By considering your students’ age, interests, and providing a diverse selection of images, you can ensure that the writing prompts are not only engaging but also age-appropriate, empowering students to express their thoughts and ideas through the written word.

Visuals play a crucial role in enhancing imagination and critical thinking skills in individuals of all ages. Through the power of visuals, our minds are stimulated, and we are able to explore new ideas and perspectives. Whether it’s through artwork, photographs, or even videos, visual stimuli can ignite our creativity and spark our curiosity.

Here are a few ways in which visuals can help enhance imagination and critical thinking skills:

• Visual representation: Visuals provide a tangible representation of concepts, making it easier to understand complex ideas. They allow us to visualize abstract concepts, making them more concrete and thus aiding in critical analysis and problem-solving.
• Perspective shifting: Visuals help us see things from different perspectives, expanding our worldview. By exposing ourselves to diverse visuals, we are able to challenge our preconceived notions and think critically about different cultures, values, and ideas.
• Storytelling and narrative building: Visuals have the power to tell stories and create narratives. By analyzing visuals, we can observe the elements, symbolism, and techniques used, fostering our imagination and encouraging us to think critically about the intended message or story being conveyed.
• Prompting creativity: Whether it’s a beautiful painting or a captivating photograph, visuals can inspire us creatively. They encourage us to think outside the box, come up with innovative solutions, and explore creative approaches to problem-solving.

By incorporating visuals into educational curricula, we can engage learners of all ages, fuel their imagination, and sharpen their critical thinking skills. Visuals have a unique ability to transcend language barriers and communicate ideas in a compelling and universally understandable way. So, let’s embrace the power of visuals and unlock the full potential of our imagination and critical thinking abilities.

When it comes to nurturing creativity and originality in kids’ storytelling, there are several effective strategies and techniques that can make the process both enjoyable and educational. Here are some ideas to inspire your little storyteller:

• Encourage imagination: Set aside dedicated time for imaginative play and encourage your child to think outside the box. Provide them with props, costumes, or toys that can be used to create their own stories and characters.
• Read together: Make reading a regular part of your child’s routine and explore a variety of genres and styles. Expose them to different authors and writing styles to broaden their understanding of storytelling techniques.
• Ask open-ended questions: Engage your child in conversations about the stories they create. Ask questions like “What do you think will happen next?” or “How would the story change if the main character had a different personality?” This fosters critical thinking and helps them develop their own unique narrative.
• Provide a creative space: Dedicate an area in your home where your child can freely express their creativity. Fill it with art supplies, writing materials, and inspiration boards to encourage them to explore their imagination through writing, drawing, or any creative medium they prefer.

Remember, the key to is to provide them with the tools and freedom to express themselves. By fostering their imagination, exposing them to different storytelling techniques, and providing a space for creative exploration, you can help your child develop their own unique voice and storytelling skills.

Writing prompt pictures can be a great source of inspiration for writers looking to dive into a new story. These captivating images have the power to ignite our creativity and set our imagination in motion. If you’re ready to explore the world of storytelling using writing prompt pictures, here are some tips to help you unleash your narrative genius:

• Observe and analyze the picture: Take a close look at the image and observe every detail. Notice the colors, the characters, the background, and any other elements that catch your attention. Analyze the emotions, actions, and relationships portrayed in the picture. This will help you to build the foundation of your story and create a solid connection with the visual narrative.
• Ask yourself questions: To truly grasp the potential of a writing prompt picture, ask yourself thought-provoking questions. What led the characters to this point? What emotions are they experiencing? What conflicts or challenges might they be facing? Use these questions as a starting point to develop a deeper understanding of the picture and uncover potential storylines.
• Embrace inspiration from multiple angles: Don’t limit yourself to the obvious interpretation of the writing prompt picture. Challenge yourself to think outside the box and explore alternative perspectives. Consider the backstory of the characters, the world they inhabit, and the events that may have led to the captured moment. By exploring different angles, you’ll find unique story ideas that stand out from the crowd.

With these tips in mind, you’re ready to embark on a storytelling adventure using writing prompt pictures. Let your creativity flow and let the visual narratives guide you as you unleash your imagination onto the page.

Writing prompt pictures for kids can be an incredible tool to engage young learners and make the learning process enjoyable. By using captivating and visually stimulating images, children are encouraged to use their imaginations and express their thoughts effectively.

One of the benefits of employing writing prompt pictures is that they inspire creativity and inspire children to think outside the box. The colorful and vibrant visuals invite kids to construct their own narratives, develop characters, and create vibrant settings. By using these images as prompts, children are prompted to brainstorm ideas, enhance their vocabulary, and expand their storytelling skills.

Additionally, writing prompt pictures provide a wealth of opportunities for language development and communication skills. As kids put their thoughts into words, they refine their grammar and sentence structure. Through describing and discussing the various elements in the images, children learn the importance of using descriptive language and develop their ability to articulate ideas clearly.

Here are a few ideas on how to effectively incorporate writing prompt pictures into your learning activities:

• Ask children to choose a picture that captures their attention and creates a story using the image as a starting point. Encourage them to be as imaginative as possible, creating unique characters, settings, and conflicts.
• Use the images as a prompt for descriptive writing exercises. Challenge children to write detailed descriptions of the people, objects, or places they see in the picture, helping them to expand their vocabulary by using adjectives and sensory language.
• Organize group activities where children collaborate to create a story based on a picture. This promotes teamwork, communication, and the ability to adapt ideas.

By utilizing writing prompt pictures for kids in a fun and educational way, you’ll not only cultivate their writing skills but also ignite their imagination and enthusiasm for storytelling.

When it comes to inspiring reluctant writers, visual story starters can be a game-changer. These powerful tools ignite students’ imagination and provide a creative springboard for their writing. By using visually stimulating images or artwork as prompts, educators can engage even the most hesitant writers and make the writing process more enjoyable.

With visual story starters, students are encouraged to observe and analyze the details within the image, sparking their curiosity and inspiring their storytelling abilities. The power of visual prompts lies in their ability to transport students to different worlds, cultures, and time periods, allowing them to explore new perspectives and expand their creativity. By leveraging visual story starters, teachers can help students overcome writer’s block, enhance their descriptive writing skills, and build confidence.

Q: What are writing prompt pictures for kids? A: Writing prompt pictures for kids are visual stimuli designed to inspire and enhance their storytelling skills. These pictures serve as a starting point for children to create imaginative stories and engage in the process of storytelling.

Q: Why are writing prompt pictures beneficial for kids? A: Writing prompt pictures provide a tangible and relatable reference point for children to visualize and articulate their ideas. This visual stimulus stimulates their imagination, making the storytelling process more exciting and enjoyable. Additionally, these pictures help develop essential writing skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and descriptive writing.

Q: How can kids use writing prompt pictures? A: Kids can use writing prompt pictures by analyzing the image in detail and deriving a story from it. They can observe the characters, setting, objects, and emotions depicted in the picture and use these elements as building blocks for their narrative. The picture can spark their creativity and serve as a starting point to develop characters, conflicts, and plots.

Q: How do writing prompt pictures enhance storytelling skills? A: Writing prompt pictures encourage children to think critically and develop their narrative skills. By engaging with the visual details, kids can describe characters’ appearances, emotions, and actions, as well as elaborate on the setting or even create dialogue. This process allows them to expand their vocabulary, practice sequencing events, and structure sentences, thus enhancing their storytelling abilities.

Q: Can writing prompt pictures be used in group settings? A: Absolutely! Writing prompt pictures are versatile and can be effectively utilized in group settings. In a classroom or workshop environment, teachers or facilitators can display a picture and encourage children to brainstorm and share their stories aloud. This collaborative approach fosters teamwork , boosts confidence, and enhances communication skills amongst children.

Q: Where can one find writing prompt pictures for kids? A: Writing prompt pictures are easily accessible online through various websites and resources dedicated to children’s education. These platforms offer a vast array of age-appropriate and engaging images that can be downloaded and printed for immediate use. Libraries or educational institutions may also have books featuring curated collections of writing prompt pictures.

Q: Are there any exercises or activities to accompany writing prompts? A: Absolutely! To further enhance the writing experience, educators or parents can create accompanying activities such as brainstorming sessions, character development exercises, or even acting out scenes from the stories inspired by the writing prompt pictures. These additional activities provide a more comprehensive learning experience and further nurture children’s creativity.

Q: How do writing prompt pictures promote a love for writing? A: Writing prompt pictures create a fun and enjoyable writing experience for children. By immersing themselves in the visual world presented by these pictures, kids often develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about their own storytelling abilities. This positive association with writing can inspire a love for the craft and encourage children to explore their imagination through written expression.

Q: Can writing prompt pictures be adapted for different age groups? A: Absolutely! Writing prompt pictures can be adapted to suit various age groups. Younger children might require simpler, more straightforward visuals, while older children can handle more complex or abstract images. Teachers, parents, or facilitators can choose pictures that align with the age and skill level of the children, ensuring an appropriate and engaging writing prompt experience.

In conclusion, using visual writing prompts can greatly enhance children’s storytelling abilities. The pictures spark imagination and creativity, enabling young writers to visualize their stories and develop their written communication skills.

Short Film Writing Prompts: Craft Script Ideas

Kindergarten Writing Prompts with Pictures: Nurture Imagination

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11+ creative writing guide with 50 example topics and prompts

by Hayley | Nov 17, 2022 | Exams , Writing | 0 comments

The 11+ exam is a school entrance exam taken in the academic year that a child in the UK turns eleven.

These exams are highly competitive, with multiple students battling for each school place awarded.

The 11 plus exam isn’t ‘one thing’, it varies in its structure and composition across the country. A creative writing task is included in nearly all of the 11 plus exams, and parents are often confused about what’s being tested.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the plot of your child’s writing task is important. It is not.

The real aim of the 11+ creative writing task is to showcase your child’s writing skills and techniques.

And that’s why preparation is so important.

This guide begins by answering all the FAQs that parents have about the 11+ creative writing task.

At the end of the article I give my best tips & strategies for preparing your child for the 11+ creative writing task , along with 50 fiction and non-fiction creative writing prompts from past papers you can use to help your child prepare. You’ll also want to check out my 11+ reading list , because great readers turn into great writers.

Do all 11+ exams include a writing task?

Not every 11+ exam includes a short story component, but many do. Usually 3 to 5 different prompts are given for the child to choose between and they are not always ‘creative’ (fiction) pieces. One or more non-fiction options might be given for children who prefer writing non-fiction to fiction.

Timings and marking vary from test to test. For example, the Kent 11+ Test gives students 10 minutes for planning followed by 30 minutes for writing. The Medway 11+ Test gives 60 minutes for writing with ‘space allowed’ on the answer booklet for planning.

Tasks vary too. In the Kent Test a handful of stimuli are given, whereas 11+ students in Essex are asked to produce two individually set paragraphs. The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CCSE) includes 2 creative writing paragraphs inside a 60-minute English exam.

Throughout the UK each 11+ exam has a different set of timings and papers based around the same themes. Before launching into any exam preparation it is essential to know the content and timing of your child’s particular writing task.

However varied and different these writing tasks might seem, there is one key element that binds them.

The mark scheme.

Although we can lean on previous examples to assess how likely a short story or a non-fiction tasks will be set, it would be naïve to rely completely on the content of past papers. Contemporary 11+ exams are designed to be ‘tutor-proof’ – meaning that the exam boards like to be unpredictable.

In my online writing club for kids , we teach a different task each week (following a spiral learning structure based on 10 set tasks). One task per week is perfected as the student moves through the programme of content, and one-to-one expert feedback ensures progression. This equips our writing club members to ‘write effectively for a range of purposes’ as stated in the English schools’ teacher assessment framework.

This approach ensures that students approaching a highly competitive entrance exam will be confident of the mark scheme (and able to meet its demands) for any task set.

Will my child have a choice of prompts to write from or do they have to respond to a single prompt, without a choice?

This varies. In the Kent Test there are usually 5 options given. The purpose is to gather a writing sample from each child in case of a headteacher appeal. A range of options should allow every child to showcase what they can do.

In Essex, two prescriptive paragraphs are set as part of an hour-long English paper that includes comprehension and vocabulary work. In Essex, there is no option to choose the subject matter.

The Medway Test just offers a single prompt for a whole hour of writing. Sometimes it is a creative piece. Recently it was a marketing leaflet.

The framework for teaching writing in English schools demands that in order to ‘exceed expectations’ or better, achieve ‘greater depth’, students need to be confident writing for a multitude of different purposes.

In what circumstances is a child’s creative writing task assessed?

In Essex (east of the UK) the two prescriptive writing tasks are found inside the English exam paper. They are integral to the exam and are assessed as part of this.

In Medway (east Kent in the South East) the writing task is marked and given a raw score. This is then adjusted for age and double counted. Thus, the paper is crucial to a pass.

In the west of the county of Kent there is a different system. The Kent Test has a writing task that is only marked in appeal cases. If a child dips below the passmark their school is allowed to put together a ‘headteacher’s appeal’. At this point – before the score is communicated to the parent (and probably under cover of darkness) the writing sample is pulled out of a drawer and assessed.

I’ve been running 11+ tutor clubs for years. Usually about 1% of my students passed at headteacher’s appeal.

Since starting the writing club, however, the number of students passing at appeal has gone up considerably. In recent years it’s been more like 5% of students passing on the strength of their writing sample.

What are the examiners looking for when they’re marking a student’s creative writing?

In England, the government has set out a framework for marking creative writing. There are specific ‘pupil can’ statements to assess whether a student is ‘working towards the expected standard,’ ‘working at the expected standard’ or ‘working at greater depth’.

Members of the headteacher panel assessing the writing task are given a considerable number of samples to assess at one time. These expert teachers have a clear understanding of the framework for marking, but will not be considering or discussing every detail of the writing sample as you might expect.

Schools are provided with a report after the samples have been assessed. This is very brief indeed. Often it will simply say ‘lack of precise vocabulary’ or ‘confused paragraphing.’

So there is no mark scheme as such. They won’t be totting up your child’s score to see if they have reached a given target. They are on the panel because of their experience, and they have a short time to make an instant judgement.

Does handwriting matter?

Handwriting is assessed in primary schools. Thus it is an element of the assessment framework the panel uses as a basis for their decision.

If the exam is very soon, then don’t worry if your child is not producing immaculate, cursive handwriting. The focus should simply be on making it well-formed and legible. Every element of the assessment framework does not need to be met and legible writing will allow the panel to read the content with ease.

Improve presentation quickly by offering a smooth rollerball pen instead of a pencil. Focus on fixing individual letters and praising your child for any hint of effort. The two samples below are from the same boy a few months apart. Small changes have transformed the look and feel:

Sample 1: First piece of work when joining the writing club

Sample 2: This is the same boy’s improved presentation and content

How long should the short story be.

First, it is not a short story as such—it is a writing sample. Your child needs to showcase their skills but there are no extra marks for finishing (or marks deducted for a half-finished piece).

For a half hour task, you should prepare your child to produce up to 4 paragraphs of beautifully crafted work. Correct spelling and proper English grammar is just the beginning. Each paragraph should have a different purpose to showcase the breadth and depth of their ability. A longer – 60 minute – task might have 5 paragraphs but rushing is to be discouraged. Considered and interesting paragraphs are so valuable, a shorter piece would be scored more highly than a rushed and dull longer piece.

I speak from experience. A while ago now I was a marker for Key Stage 2 English SATs Papers (taken in Year 6 at 11 years old). Hundreds of scripts were deposited on my doorstep each morning by DHL. There was so much work for me to get through that I came to dread long, rambling creative pieces. Some children can write pages and pages of repetitive nothingness. Ever since then, I have looked for crafted quality and am wary of children judging their own success by the number of lines competed.

Take a look at the piece of writing below. It’s an excellent example of a well-crafted piece.

Each paragraph is short, but the writer is skilful.

He used rich and precisely chosen vocabulary, he’s broken the text into natural paragraphs, and in the second paragraph he is beginning to vary his sentence openings. There is a sense of control to the sentences – the sentence structure varies with shorter and longer examples to manage tension. It is exciting to read, with a clear awareness of his audience. Punctuation is accurate and appropriate.

11+ creative writing example story

How important is it to revise for a creative writing task.

It is important.

Every student should go into their 11+ writing task with a clear paragraph plan secured. As each paragraph has a separate purpose – to showcase a specific skill – the plan should reflect this. Built into the plan is a means of flexing it, to alter the order of the paragraphs if the task demands it. There’s no point having a Beginning – Middle – End approach, as there’s nothing useful there to guide the student to the mark scheme.

Beyond this, my own students have created 3 – 5 stories that fit the same tight plan. However, the setting, mood and action are all completely different. This way a bank of rich vocabulary has already been explored and a technique or two of their own that fits the piece beautifully. These can be drawn upon on the day to boost confidence and give a greater sense of depth and consideration to their timed sample.

Preparation, rather than revision in its classic form, is the best approach. Over time, even weeks or months before the exam itself, contrasting stories are written, improved upon, typed up and then tweaked further as better ideas come to mind. Each of these meets the demands of the mark scheme (paragraphing, varied sentence openings, rich vocabulary choices, considered imagery, punctuation to enhance meaning, development of mood etc).

To ensure your child can write confidently at and above the level expected of them, drop them into my weekly weekly online writing club for the 11+ age group . The club marking will transform their writing, and quickly.

What is the relationship between the English paper and the creative writing task?

Writing is usually marked separately from any comprehension or grammar exercises in your child’s particular 11+ exam. Each exam board (by area/school) adapts the arrangement to suit their needs. Some have a separate writing test, others build it in as an element of their English paper (usually alongside a comprehension, punctuation and spelling exercise).

Although there is no creative writing task in the ISEB Common Pre-test, those who are not offered an immediate place at their chosen English public school are often invited back to complete a writing task at a later date. Our ISEB Common Pre-test students join the writing club in the months before the exam, first to tidy up the detail and second to extend the content.

What if my child has a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, ASD)?

Most exam boards pride themselves on their inclusivity. They will expect you to have a formal report from a qualified professional at the point of registration for the test. This needs to be in place and the recommendations will be considered by a panel. If your child needs extra arrangements on the day they may be offered (it isn’t always the case). More importantly, if they drop below a pass on one or more papers you will have a strong case for appeal.

Children with a specific learning difficulty often struggle with low confidence in their work and low self-esteem. The preparations set out above, and a kids writing club membership will allow them to go into the exam feeling positive and empowered. If they don’t achieve a pass at first, the writing sample will add weight to their appeal.

Tips and strategies for writing a high-scoring creative writing paper

• Read widely for pleasure. Read aloud to your child if they are reluctant.
• Create a strong paragraph plan where each paragraph has a distinct purpose.
• Using the list of example questions below, discuss how each could be written in the form of your paragraph plan.
• Write 3-5 stories with contrasting settings and action – each one must follow your paragraph plan. Try to include examples of literary devices and figurative language (metaphor, simile) but avoid clichés.
• Tidy up your presentation. Write with a good rollerball pen on A4 lined paper with a printed margin. Cross out with a single horizontal line and banish doodling or scribbles.
• Join the writing club for a 20-minute Zoom task per week with no finishing off or homework. An expert English teacher will mark the work personally on video every Friday and your child’s writing will be quickly transformed.

Pressed for time? Here’s a paragraph plan to follow.

At Griffin Teaching we have an online writing club for students preparing for the 11 plus creative writing task . We’ve seen first-hand what a difference just one or two months of weekly practice can make.

That said, we know that a lot of people reading this page are up against a hard deadline with an 11+ exam date fast approaching.

If that’s you (or your child), what you need is a paragraph plan.

Here’s one tried-and-true paragraph plan that we teach in our clubs. Use this as you work your way through some of the example prompts below.

11+ creative writing paragraph plan

Paragraph 1—description.

Imagine standing in the location and describe what is above the main character, what is below their feet, what is to their left and right, and what is in the distance. Try to integrate frontend adverbials into this paragraph (frontend adverbials are words or phrases used at the beginning of a sentence to describe what follows—e.g. When the fog lifted, he saw… )

Paragraph 2—Conversation

Create two characters who have different roles (e.g. site manager and student, dog walker and lost man) and write a short dialogue between them. Use what we call the “sandwich layout,” where the first person says something and you describe what they are doing while they are saying it. Add in further descriptions (perhaps of the person’s clothing or expression) before starting a new line where the second character gives a simple answer and you provide details about what the second character is doing as they speak.

Paragraph 3—Change the mood

Write three to four sentences that change the mood of the writing sample from light to gloomy or foreboding. You could write about a change in the weather or a change in the lighting of the scene. Another approach is to mention how a character reacts to the change in mood, for example by pulling their coat collar up to their ears.

Paragraph 4—Shock your reader

A classic approach is to have your character die unexpectedly in the final sentence. Or maybe the ceiling falls?

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—fictional prompts

• The day the storm came
• The day the weather changed
• The snowstorm
• The rainy day
• A sunny day out
• A foggy (or misty) day
• A day trip to remember
• The first day
• The day everything changed
• The mountain
• The hillside
• The old house
• The balloon
• The old man
• The accident
• The unfamiliar sound
• A weekend away
• Moving house
• A family celebration
• An event you remember from when you were young
• An animal attack
• The school playground at night
• The lift pinged and the door opened. I could not believe what was inside…
• “Run!” he shouted as he thundered across the sand…
• It was getting late as I dug in my pocket for the key to the door. “Hurry up!” she shouted from inside.
• I know our back garden very well, but I was surprised how different it looked at midnight…
• The red button on the wall has a sign on it saying, ‘DO NOT TOUCH.’ My little sister leant forward and hit it hard with her hand. What happened next?
• Digging down into the soft earth, the spade hit something metal…
• Write a story which features the stopping of time.
• Write a story which features an unusual method of transport.
• The cry in the woods
• Write a story which features an escape

11+ creative writing questions from real papers—non-fiction prompts

• Write a thank you letter for a present you didn’t want.
• You are about to interview someone for a job. Write a list of questions you would like to ask the applicant.
• Write a letter to complain about the uniform at your school.
• Write a leaflet to advertise your home town.
• Write a thank you letter for a holiday you didn’t enjoy.
• Write a letter of complaint to the vet after an unfortunate incident in the waiting room.
• Write a set of instructions explaining how to make toast.
• Describe the room you are in.
• Describe a person who is important to you.
• Describe your pet or an animal you know well.

CreativEdge Learning

5 steps to write a picture composition for primary 1.

Introduction to picture composition writing for Primary 1

For picture composition for Primary 1, there are 4 connected pictures which come together to form a complete incident.

With the 4-pictures format, pupils are to write a complete story by sequentially detailing the incident as shown in the 4 pictures.

How to plan and write a composition

The first step is to know the story structure – what are the important story elements that each composition must include.

With Primary 1 pupils, the SPACE planning strategy is a simple yet effective planning tool for pupils to understand the planning of story structure.

1) S for Setting

Using the ‘W’s , the setting tells the reader the the time (When), place (Where) and main character (Who) of the story.

To identify the setting elements, we generally look at Picture 1 of the given topic.

For Question 1, the answer for the place is definitely according to Picture 1 .

There is more than one right answer for the day and time in Question 2. In this case, it can be any day from Monday to Friday during school hours.

To answer Question 3a, pupils must select the main character who should play a major role in the story. They must give the main character a sensible name.

For Question 3b, the main character’s action should be written according to what the main character was doing in Picture 1.

Now, we can use the answers to start the composition.

How to write the composition – Introduction Paragraph

2) P for Purpose

Next, we will identify the purpose of the story. Pupils can look at Picture 2 for the purpose.

It is important that pupils understand that composition writing goes beyond picture description.

This is the part that pupils need to tap on their imagination and see beyond the pictures to form a story.

In this case, think of a possible reason that the main character was queuing up.

3) A for Action

A purpose leads to an action.

This means that when the main character wanted to do something, it will lead to an action happening,

In this case, Picture 3 shows the action.

The main character was going to place her order when it was her turn. However, two boys shoved her aside.

How to write the composition (Introduction + Body Paragraphs)

The answers for the Purpose and Action can then be added on to continue forming the composition

4) C for Conclusion

A complete story requires a conclusion which tells the reader what happened at the end of the story as well as the lesson learnt.

For the conclusion, pupils should see beyond the pictures and think about what the main character did that led to Picture 4.

In this case, she should have informed a teacher who then scolded the boys.

How to write the composition (Introduction + Body + Conclusion Paragraphs)

We can add the conclusion to form the last part of the story.

5) E for Emotions

Now that the entire story is complete. The emotions (feelings) of the main character can be inserted to complete the story.

As highlighted in our earlier post , do focus on specific adjectives to build the vocabulary word bank.

With SPACE Planning, Primary 1 pupils can learn connect the 4 pictures, see a story using the 4 pictures and to write a story using a proper story structure.

Our Primary 1 English enrichment classes teach pupils the essential writing skills , sentence structures and descriptive vocabulary, setting pupils on the path of being confident writers. Call us today to find out more.

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Thanks very much for the helping me. This really helped me alot.

But l was expecting a grade six one. But its ok because this also helped me.

This was very helpful

This was very helpful. Can I get some more samples like this?

Thanks a lot. This helped in giving me a clue.

hi..i am so grateful for your help. it help me a lot

Very helpful

Thank you.That was very informative.

It really minimise my problem how I teach my daughter

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105 Creative Writing Exercises To Get You Writing Again

You know that feeling when you just don’t feel like writing? Sometimes you can’t even get a word down on paper. It’s the most frustrating thing ever to a writer, especially when you’re working towards a deadline. The good news is that we have a list of 105 creative writing exercises to help you get motivated and start writing again!

What are creative writing exercises?

Creative writing exercises are short writing activities (normally around 10 minutes) designed to get you writing. The goal of these exercises is to give you the motivation to put words onto a blank paper. These words don’t need to be logical or meaningful, neither do they need to be grammatically correct or spelt correctly. The whole idea is to just get you writing something, anything. The end result of these quick creative writing exercises is normally a series of notes, bullet points or ramblings that you can, later on, use as inspiration for a bigger piece of writing such as a story or a poem. 

Good creative writing exercises are short, quick and easy to complete. You shouldn’t need to think too much about your style of writing or how imaginative your notes are. Just write anything that comes to mind, and you’ll be on the road to improving your creative writing skills and beating writer’s block . 

Use the generator below to get a random creative writing exercise idea:

List of 105+ Creative Writing Exercises

Here are over 105 creative writing exercises to give your brain a workout and help those creative juices flow again:

• Set a timer for 60 seconds. Now write down as many words or phrases that come to mind at that moment.
• Pick any colour you like. Now start your sentence with this colour. For example, Orange, the colour of my favourite top. 
• Open a book or dictionary on a random page. Pick a random word. You can close your eyes and slowly move your finger across the page. Now, write a paragraph with this random word in it. You can even use an online dictionary to get random words:

• Create your own alphabet picture book or list. It can be A to Z of animals, food, monsters or anything else you like!
• Using only the sense of smell, describe where you are right now.
• Take a snack break. While eating your snack write down the exact taste of that food. The goal of this creative writing exercise is to make your readers savour this food as well.
• Pick a random object in your room and write a short paragraph from its point of view. For example, how does your pencil feel? What if your lamp had feelings?
• Describe your dream house. Where would you live one day? Is it huge or tiny? 
• Pick two different TV shows, movies or books that you like. Now swap the main character. What if Supergirl was in Twilight? What if SpongeBob SquarePants was in The Flash? Write a short scene using this character swap as inspiration.
• What’s your favourite video game? Write at least 10 tips for playing this game.
• Pick your favourite hobby or sport. Now pretend an alien has just landed on Earth and you need to teach it this hobby or sport. Write at least ten tips on how you would teach this alien.
• Use a random image generator and write a paragraph about the first picture you see.

• Write a letter to your favourite celebrity or character. What inspires you most about them? Can you think of a memorable moment where this person’s life affected yours? We have this helpful guide on writing a letter to your best friend for extra inspiration.
• Write down at least 10 benefits of writing. This can help motivate you and beat writer’s block.
• Complete this sentence in 10 different ways: Patrick waited for the school bus and…
• Pick up a random book from your bookshelf and go to page 9. Find the ninth sentence on that page. Use this sentence as a story starter.
• Create a character profile based on all the traits that you hate. It might help to list down all the traits first and then work on describing the character.
• What is the scariest or most dangerous situation you have ever been in? Why was this situation scary? How did you cope at that moment?
• Pretend that you’re a chat show host and you’re interviewing your favourite celebrity. Write down the script for this conversation.
• Using extreme detail, write down what you have been doing for the past one hour today. Think about your thoughts, feelings and actions during this time.
• Make a list of potential character names for your next story. You can use a fantasy name generator to help you.
• Describe a futuristic setting. What do you think the world would look like in 100 years time?
• Think about a recent argument you had with someone. Would you change anything about it? How would you resolve an argument in the future?
• Describe a fantasy world. What kind of creatures live in this world? What is the climate like? What everyday challenges would a typical citizen of this world face? You can use this fantasy world name generator for inspiration.
• At the flip of a switch, you turn into a dragon. What kind of dragon would you be? Describe your appearance, special abilities, likes and dislikes. You can use a dragon name generator to give yourself a cool dragon name.
• Pick your favourite book or a famous story. Now change the point of view. For example, you could rewrite the fairytale , Cinderella. This time around, Prince Charming could be the main character. What do you think Prince Charming was doing, while Cinderella was cleaning the floors and getting ready for the ball?
• Pick a random writing prompt and use it to write a short story. Check out this collection of over 300 writing prompts for kids to inspire you. 
• Write a shopping list for a famous character in history. Imagine if you were Albert Einstein’s assistant, what kind of things would he shop for on a weekly basis?
• Create a fake advertisement poster for a random object that is near you right now. Your goal is to convince the reader to buy this object from you.
• What is the worst (or most annoying) sound that you can imagine? Describe this sound in great detail, so your reader can understand the pain you feel when hearing this sound.
• What is your favourite song at the moment? Pick one line from this song and describe a moment in your life that relates to this line.
•  You’re hosting an imaginary dinner party at your house. Create a list of people you would invite, and some party invites. Think about the theme of the dinner party, the food you will serve and entertainment for the evening. 
• You are waiting to see your dentist in the waiting room. Write down every thought you are having at this moment in time. 
• Make a list of your greatest fears. Try to think of at least three fears. Now write a short story about a character who is forced to confront one of these fears. 
• Create a ‘Wanted’ poster for a famous villain of your choice. Think about the crimes they have committed, and the reward you will give for having them caught. 
• Imagine you are a journalist for the ‘Imagine Forest Times’ newspaper. Your task is to get an exclusive interview with the most famous villain of all time. Pick a villain of your choice and interview them for your newspaper article. What questions would you ask them, and what would their responses be?
•  In a school playground, you see the school bully hurting a new kid. Write three short stories, one from each perspective in this scenario (The bully, the witness and the kid getting bullied).
• You just won $10 million dollars. What would you spend this money on?
• Pick a random animal, and research at least five interesting facts about this animal. Write a short story centred around one of these interesting facts. 
• Pick a global issue that you are passionate about. This could be climate change, black lives matters, women’s rights etc. Now create a campaign poster for this global issue. 
• Write an acrostic poem about an object near you right now (or even your own name). You could use a poetry idea generator to inspire you.
• Imagine you are the head chef of a 5-star restaurant. Recently the business has slowed down. Your task is to come up with a brand-new menu to excite customers. Watch this video prompt on YouTube to inspire you.
• What is your favourite food of all time? Imagine if this piece of food was alive, what would it say to you?
• If life was one big musical, what would you be singing about right now? Write the lyrics of your song. 
• Create and describe the most ultimate villain of all time. What would their traits be? What would their past look like? Will they have any positive traits?
• Complete this sentence in at least 10 different ways: Every time I look out of the window, I…
• You have just made it into the local newspaper, but what for? Write down at least five potential newspaper headlines . Here’s an example, Local Boy Survives a Deadly Illness.
• If you were a witch or a wizard, what would your specialist area be and why? You might want to use a Harry Potter name generator or a witch name generator for inspiration.
• What is your favourite thing to do on a Saturday night? Write a short story centred around this activity. 
• Your main character has just received the following items: A highlighter, a red cap, a teddy bear and a fork. What would your character do with these items? Can you write a story using these items? 
• Create a timeline of your own life, from birth to this current moment. Think about the key events in your life, such as birthdays, graduations, weddings and so on. After you have done this, you can pick one key event from your life to write a story about. 
• Think of a famous book or movie you like. Rewrite a scene from this book or movie, where the main character is an outsider. They watch the key events play out, but have no role in the story. What would their actions be? How would they react?
• Three very different characters have just won the lottery. Write a script for each character, as they reveal the big news to their best friend.  
• Write a day in the life story of three different characters. How does each character start their day? What do they do throughout the day? And how does their day end?
•  Write about the worst experience in your life so far. Think about a time when you were most upset or angry and describe it. 
• Imagine you’ve found a time machine in your house. What year would you travel to and why?
• Describe your own superhero. Think about their appearance, special abilities and their superhero name. Will they have a secret identity? Who is their number one enemy?
• What is your favourite country in the world? Research five fun facts about this country and use one to write a short story. 
• Set yourself at least three writing goals. This could be a good way to motivate yourself to write every day. For example, one goal might be to write at least 150 words a day. 
• Create a character description based on the one fact, three fiction rule. Think about one fact or truth about yourself. And then add in three fictional or fantasy elements. For example, your character could be the same age as you in real life, this is your one fact. And the three fictional elements could be they have the ability to fly, talk in over 100 different languages and have green skin. 
• Describe the perfect person. What traits would they have? Think about their appearance, their interests and their dislikes. 
• Keep a daily journal or diary. This is a great way to keep writing every day. There are lots of things you can write about in your journal, such as you can write about the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of your day. Think about anything that inspired you or anything that upset you, or just write anything that comes to mind at the moment. 
• Write a book review or a movie review. If you’re lost for inspiration, just watch a random movie or read any book that you can find. Then write a critical review on it. Think about the best parts of the book/movie and the worst parts. How would you improve the book or movie?
• Write down a conversation between yourself. You can imagine talking to your younger self or future self (i.e. in 10 years’ time). What would you tell them? Are there any lessons you learned or warnings you need to give? Maybe you could talk about what your life is like now and compare it to their life?
• Try writing some quick flash fiction stories . Flash fiction is normally around 500 words long, so try to stay within this limit.
• Write a six-word story about something that happened to you today or yesterday. A six-word story is basically an entire story told in just six words. Take for example: “Another football game ruined by me.” or “A dog’s painting sold for millions.” – Six-word stories are similar to writing newspaper headlines. The goal is to summarise your story in just six words. 
• The most common monsters or creatures used in stories include vampires, werewolves , dragons, the bigfoot, sirens and the loch-ness monster. In a battle of intelligence, who do you think will win and why?
• Think about an important event in your life that has happened so far, such as a birthday or the birth of a new sibling. Now using the 5 W’s and 1 H technique describe this event in great detail. The 5 W’s include: What, Who, Where, Why, When and the 1 H is: How. Ask yourself questions about the event, such as what exactly happened on that day? Who was there? Why was this event important? When and where did it happen? And finally, how did it make you feel?
• Pretend to be someone else. Think about someone important in your life. Now put yourself into their shoes, and write a day in the life story about being them. What do you think they do on a daily basis? What situations would they encounter? How would they feel?
• Complete this sentence in at least 10 different ways: I remember…
• Write about your dream holiday. Where would you go? Who would you go with? And what kind of activities would you do?
• Which one item in your house do you use the most? Is it the television, computer, mobile phone, the sofa or the microwave? Now write a story of how this item was invented. You might want to do some research online and use these ideas to build up your story. 
• In exactly 100 words, describe your bedroom. Try not to go over or under this word limit.
• Make a top ten list of your favourite animals. Based on this list create your own animal fact file, where you provide fun facts about each animal in your list.
• What is your favourite scene from a book or a movie? Write down this scene. Now rewrite the scene in a different genre, such as horror, comedy, drama etc.
•  Change the main character of a story you recently read into a villain. For example, you could take a popular fairytale such as Jack and the Beanstalk, but this time re-write the story to make Jack the villain of the tale.
• Complete the following sentence in at least 10 different ways: Do you ever wonder…
• What does your name mean? Research the meaning of your own name, or a name that interests you. Then use this as inspiration for your next story. For example, the name ‘Marty’ means “Servant Of Mars, God Of War”. This could make a good concept for a sci-fi story.
• Make a list of three different types of heroes (or main characters) for potential future stories.
• If someone gave you $10 dollars, what would you spend it on and why?
• Describe the world’s most boring character in at least 100 words. 
• What is the biggest problem in the world today, and how can you help fix this issue?
• Create your own travel brochure for your hometown. Think about why tourists might want to visit your hometown. What is your town’s history? What kind of activities can you do? You could even research some interesting facts. 
• Make a list of all your favourite moments or memories in your life. Now pick one to write a short story about.
• Describe the scariest and ugliest monster you can imagine. You could even draw a picture of this monster with your description.
• Write seven haikus, one for each colour of the rainbow. That’s red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. 
• Imagine you are at the supermarket. Write down at least three funny scenarios that could happen to you at the supermarket. Use one for your next short story. 
• Imagine your main character is at home staring at a photograph. Write the saddest scene possible. Your goal is to make your reader cry when reading this scene. 
• What is happiness? In at least 150 words describe the feeling of happiness. You could use examples from your own life of when you felt happy.
• Think of a recent nightmare you had and write down everything you can remember. Use this nightmare as inspiration for your next story.
• Keep a dream journal. Every time you wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning you can quickly jot down things that you remember from your dreams. These notes can then be used as inspiration for a short story. 
• Your main character is having a really bad day. Describe this bad day and the series of events they experience. What’s the worst thing that could happen to your character?
• You find a box on your doorstep. You open this box and see the most amazing thing ever. Describe this amazing thing to your readers.
• Make a list of at least five possible settings or locations for future stories. Remember to describe each setting in detail.
• Think of something new you recently learned. Write this down. Now write a short story where your main character also learns the same thing.
• Describe the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your whole life. Your goal is to amaze your readers with its beauty. 
• Make a list of things that make you happy or cheer you up. Try to think of at least five ideas. Now imagine living in a world where all these things were banned or against the law. Use this as inspiration for your next story.
• Would you rather be rich and alone or poor and very popular? Write a story based on the lives of these two characters. 
• Imagine your main character is a Librarian. Write down at least three dark secrets they might have. Remember, the best secrets are always unexpected.
• There’s a history behind everything. Describe the history of your house. How and when was your house built? Think about the land it was built on and the people that may have lived here long before you.
• Imagine that you are the king or queen of a beautiful kingdom. Describe your kingdom in great detail. What kind of rules would you have? Would you be a kind ruler or an evil ruler of the kingdom?
• Make a wish list of at least three objects you wish you owned right now. Now use these three items in your next story. At least one of them must be the main prop in the story.
• Using nothing but the sense of taste, describe a nice Sunday afternoon at your house. Remember you can’t use your other senses (i.e see, hear, smell or touch) in this description. 
• What’s the worst pain you felt in your life? Describe this pain in great detail, so your readers can also feel it.
• If you were lost on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere, what three must-have things would you pack and why?
• Particpate in online writing challenges or contests. Here at Imagine Forest, we offer daily writing challenges with a new prompt added every day to inspire you. Check out our challenges section in the menu.

Do you have any more fun creative writing exercises to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Grade 1 English Creative Writing Worksheets : Picture Composition with Pointers Paperback – 1 January 2015

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