One of the things I love about leading creative writing circles and classes actually happens before class when I create the agenda we’ll follow to inspire reflection, truth-telling, and storytelling.

My classes always include writing prompts. These prompts, usually created around a theme, author, or genre, may emerge thanks to a poem or a specific type of writing, but more on often than not, my ideas come from Mother Nature. All I have to do is look out my window or take the dogs outside, and I am filled with inspiration.

Spring is full of writing prompts, just waiting for a pencil to find paper. It’s also a wonderful time to take writing outside. Sometimes the simple act of sitting on a blanket in the middle of the yard or walking through the woods can spark ideas. Have a kid who hates writing? These prompts might get them writing too.

Encourage your young writers (even if they would never call themselves a writer) to explore their senses, story, and the world around them with a few of these spring writing prompts.

Spring Writing Prompts

There are a number of ways to offer these prompts. Print them out (you can find them in Creative ELA or subscribe below, and I’ll send them to you)  for each child/teen, print out a copy, and cut each prompt into strips so writers can choose one at random or post a new prompt each day.

Always let the writer choose whether or not they want to use the prompt. If they’d rather write about dinosaurs or traveling to space- let them! The point is to get kids writing by choice.

• Write about the word Spring. What words or images come to mind? What memories live in the springtime?

• What is happening outside right now? Spend a few minutes watching, listening, smelling, touching, and maybe even tasting (ever tasted a redbud or wild violet). Tell a story and use the sensory experiences you just had to describe what’s going on.

• In spring, things wake up, turn from brown to green, are born- write about new beginnings, waking up, or starting over again.

• What is something that is waking up in you right now?

• What do you hope spring brings?

• Begin with the words, The creatures stirred in the forest…

• If a flower, tree, bumblebee, or butterfly spoke to you, what would it say? Create a conversation between you and something non-human.

• What do you like least about spring? What happened one spring you hope never happens again?

• What stories come to mind when you think of the words- rainbow … mud …creekbed … daffodil …

What’s Next?

Your kids did some writing. Now what?

They might like one of my creative writing classes on Outschool.

They can share their writing with other homeschoolers in my online homeschool community, Creative ELA.

They can keep writing! There are a TON of creative writing prompts in Creative ELA.

They can illustrate their writing.

They can create a zine or anthology.

What they wrote can also be enough.

For more ideas, be sure to subscribe below.