If your child is in year 5 of primary school, then chances are they may be sitting their 11+ exams soon.
In many of the 11 Plus exams will be an English paper that includes a creative essay, in which your child will be expected to demonstrate their literacy skills creatively by using extensive language, grammar and punctuation.
In order to put their best foot forward, your child will need to prepare adequately – there is no such thing as too much practice when it comes to writing. That’s why we have created some free creative writing resources, including the following 15 creative writing prompts to help your child exercise their creativity
Don’t forget – we have lots of writing prompts books and booklets, too! See below:
15 Creative Writing Prompts
- Let’s say you could create your own animal, what would it look like? How would you describe it in terms of size, colour and height? What would it sound like? What does it eat?
- Write a story about a day in your life from the viewpoint of a mouse.
- Imagine you are 10 years older. Write about what the 21-year-old version of you would be like.
- Imagine that you were chosen as one of the first people to visit Mars. What would you take with you and what do you think the planet would be like?
- If you switched places with your parents for a day, how would you run the house? What rules would you introduce and which rules would you change?
- Write a speech about which season you think is best and explain your reasons why.
- If you were told that you could make three wishes, what would you wish for? Rule: you can not ask for “more wishes”!
- Write about a story of what you would do if you found yourself in a completely different country and you didn’t understand the language being spoken. What would you do first?
- Choose one of the following superpowers: being invisible, hearing people’s thoughts or flying. Write a story about what a day in your life looks like.
- Write a letter to your five-year-old self, giving advice about the life you now know.
- Write about the things you don’t understand about adults and write out a conversation about the things you’d want to say to them about them.
- You know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. This time, imagine that it was you climbing the stalk. Write your own version of events, and describe what you saw once you reached the top.
- Let’s say you were on a deserted island and you could take one person and four items of your choice with you. What and who would you choose? What are your reasons?
- Describe the day you had in 20 words or less.
- Imagine you were a snowman and you had snowman friends. Write about the life of a snowman and how you all spend your days.
Of course, whether or not your child is completing the 11+ or not, sharpening their writing skills is an activity that can only benefit them in the long run. In fact, getting into the habit of writing regularly (and reading often) has only added benefits to your child’s academic progress and development.
Today we shared 15 writing prompts, but there are plenty more resources to help.