Journal Writing Prompts Will Encourage Kids to Develop Their Composition Skills
Notes on Journal Promptsjournal journal writing promptswriting prompts
Based on the assumption that an academic year, in most cases, consists of 180 days divided into 4 quarters, I have grouped these prompts accordingly.
You, of course, may choose to use any of these at whatever time you like.
There are eight graphics on this page to serve as general visual bookmarks.
Additionally, please consider using the following text links to jump to specific points on this page:
1st Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
What follows below is a simple listing of prompts.
If you'd like to make these really POP (and save yourself some effort at the same time), you may be interested in , which contains prompts 1-20 listed below.
Write about going back to school after summer vacation.
journal writing prompts
Write a thank you note to a friend who gave you onion and garlic-flavored chewing gum.
journal writing prompts
Draw an imaginary constellation.
Write a story such as
ancient people might have told about it.
Describe a real made-up dream or nightmare.
journal writing prompts
Write about your favorite childhood toy.
journal writing prompts
Write out the best or the worst day of your life.
Finish this thought: if I could change one thing about myself (if you can't think of anything, you might want to consider telling how you got to be perfect!)
If and when I raise children, I'll never...
I have never been more frightened than when...
Persuade a friend to give up drugs.
Five years from now, I will be...
Write about a day you'd like to forget.
Invent and describe a new food.
journal writing prompts
Describe an event that changed your life forever, or make up and describe an event that would change your life forever.
15.  Describe
someone who is a hero to you and explain why.
16.  Write about a
time in your life when you struggled with a choice and made the right one.
17.  Imagine
yourself in a different century and describe an average day in your life.
18.  Which
character from a book would you most like to meet and why?
19.  Three goals I
have set for myself are...
20.  What would you
do if 300 mice had just gotten out of their cages in a pet shop where you
Just like the above 20 prompts, prompts 21-40 listed below have not been "dressed up" much.
To see them in their finest clothing, you may want to download .
What would you do if you were locked inside your favorite department store overnight?
22.  What would you
do if you woke up one morning to find yourself invisible?
23.  What would you
do if you were able to communicate with animals?
24.  What would you
do if you could travel into the future?
25.  What would you
do if you could travel into the past?
26.  What would you
do if someone just gave you $1 million?
27.  What would you
do it all the electricity in the world just stopped?
28.  What would you
do if you could travel free anyplace in the world?
29.  What would you
do if the dinner served to you in a fancy restaurant came with a fly in the
mashed potatoes?
30.  Write a list
of at least 50 things that make you feel good.
31.  Describe the
perfect day.  Put in as many details as
you can.  Make it a possible day, not a
"dream day."
32.  Who is the
person from history that you would most like to meet and talk to?  Why? 
What would you like to ask?
33.  Who is the
person from literature that you would most like to meet and talk to?  Why? 
What would you like to ask?
34.  Compile a list
of words that describe you as a child. 
Compile a second list that describes you as you are now.  How are these lists the same?  How are they different?
35.  Compile a list
of inanimate or animate objects to which you might compare yourself
metaphorically.  (I am a windmill.  I change direction or my thoughts whenever
someone talks to me...)
36.  Tell about
what triggers anger in you or someone else.
37.  Invent a
monster and describe it.  Tell where it
lives, what it eats, and what it does.
38.  What is your
favorite kind of weather?  Why?
39.  What is the
best book you have ever read?  Why did
you like it?  Did reading the book change
you in any way?  What way?
40.  Write about
what you didn't do this weekend.
Prompts 41-60 (listed below) are included in .
Just display the prompt of the day via your digital projector, SMART Board, or classroom TV and take a break from your whiteboard for awhile!
Think about an incident that happened to you and exaggerate in the telling.
Make it into a tall tale.
42.  If you were
ruler of the world, what things would you banish absolutely for all time (rain
on weekends, eggplant, and so forth)? 
Make a list.  Use your
imagination.
43.  If you could
go back in time anywhere and "anywhen," where/when would you go and
44.  What law would
you like to see enacted which would help people?  How would it help?
45.  What
commercial on TV do you dislike beyond all others?  What about it is particularly annoying to
2nd Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
Design some gadget, machine, building, or other creation that might enrich the future.
What does it look like? What does it do?
How does it function?
In what ways might it benefit people?journal writing prompts
What current fashion in clothing do you particularly like or dislike?
journal writing prompts
48.  Convince
someone why music or art or computers are important in your life.  Make them appreciate your viewpoint.
49.  If you had
$100,000, how would you spend it?
50.  Be a building
you know well.  Talk about your life and
51.  You are to
tell a person from a distant planet or from another era what pollution is.  Make that person understand what causes it
and why it is bad.
52.  If you could
do something that you never have done before, what would it be?  Why would you want to do it?
53.  Begin a list
of questions that you'd like to have answered. 
They may be about the future or the past.
54.  What do you
consider your greatest accomplishment to date and why?
55.  Write one
characteristic or habit about yourself that you like and describe it.  Or write about one thing you don't like about
56.  What is your
hobby?  Why do you enjoy it?
57.  If you could
go somewhere where you've never gone before, where would you go and why?
58.  What's, if
anything, would you be willing to fight or even die for?  Explain your answer.
59.  If you could
change one thing about the world, what would it be?  Why would you make this change?
60.  Is there a
machine you feel you could not live without? 
The following prompts (61-80) are included in .
Just like all of the volumes in the Journal Jumpstarts series, Volume 4 features 21 high-quality animations that add “punch” to the prompts.
Use these animations in your own Powerpoints wherever you choose to do so.
Write about what you think you will be like and what you will be doing 10 years or 20 years from now.
62.  Did you ever
stick up for someone?
63.  Describe your
neighborhood bully.
64.  Write about a
baby-sitting experience.
65.  Describe a
great fort you built for a great game you played as a child.
66.  Write about an
enemy who eventually became your friend.
67.  Write about a
time you cheated and got caught.
68.  Write about a
privilege you earned.
69.  Write about
the stray animal you brought home.
70.  Did you ever
send away for something that turned out to be a disappointment?  (Or order something over the Internet)
71.  What is it
like to go shopping with your mother?
72.  Write about a
time you performed in front of an audience.
73.  Write about a
difficult decision you had to make.
74.  Write about
learning to skate, to ride a bike, to climb a tree, or to turn a cart wheel.
75.  Did you ever
get lost in a strange town?
76.  Were you ever locked
in or out?  What did you do?
77.  What was it
like to spend your first night away from home?
78.  What was it
like to come back home after a long vacation?
79.  Write about a
disappointment.
80.  Write about
something minor that turned into a big deal.
The following prompts (81-100) are included in .
All of the prompts in the Journal Jumpstarts series are titled and listed in a clickable table of contents, making it easier to determine where to resume.
Did you ever win or lose a contest?
Tell the story about what happened.
82.  Write about
something you desperately wanted when you were younger.
83.  Did you ever
know someone who had "everything"?
84.  Right about
the time as a child played in one of the following: treehouse, a cornfield, a
construction site, a junkyard, an abandoned house or barn, a stream, a
cemetery, a swamp, a pasture, railroad tracks.
85.  Did your mom
or dad ever make you wear something you hated?
86.  Write about a
time you were talked into something and you regretted it.
87.  Were you ever
in a helicopter, limousine, racecar, hot-air balloon, submarine, or
horse-drawn  carriage?
88.  Did you ever
forget something really important?  What
happened as a result?
89.  Write about an
experience in a hospital.
90.  Were you ever
accused of something that you didn't do?
3rd Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
Write about a disastrous trip or vacation.
92.  Were you ever
given a responsibility that you couldn't handle? journal writing prompts
93.  Were you ever
in a fire, flood, tornado, or hurricane?
94.  Describe the
best concert you ever attended.
95.  Write about a
window you broke or something valuable you lost.
96.  Did you ever
catch fireflies?  Crickets?  Frogs? 
97.  Write about a
time you tried to help and ended up making things worse.
98.  Did you ever
break an important promise?
99.  Write about
moving to another city or neighborhood.
100.  Describe an
outdoor game you used to play in the summer time.
101.  Write about
building sand castles or mud pies.
102.  Did you ever
meet a famous person?
103.  Write about
mowing the lawn, burning leaves, or weeding the garden.
104.  Describe the
club you organized as a kid.
105.  Describe a
car or bicycle accident you were in.
106.  Write about
being a misfit.
107.  Write about a
day spent in another country.
108.  Write about a
time you out-smarted someone.
109.  Write about
going shopping for new clothes.
110.  Did you ever
turn someone in or tell on someone and feel bad about it later?
111.  Imagine that
you are an animal in the zoo.  What type
of animal are you?  How do you feel about
being caged?  How do you feel about
people that visit and watch you?
112.  Write about a
time your parents embarrassed you.
113.  Describe
learning something from a friend.
114.  Write about a
time you gave someone good advice.
115.  Write about
the funniest thing that ever happened to you.
116.  If you had to
escort a visitor from outer space for a 30-minute tour of your community, where
would you begin and end?
117.  Be a grape
that becomes a raisin: describe how it feels to shrink, to shrivel, to become
dry and wrinkled.
118.  Be an icicle
that becomes water.  Describe how it
feels to be cold and firm and full of beautiful crystals but only to melt and
lose your shape.
119.  You go to the
store with your parents and baby brother. 
Your parents go into a store and tell you to watch your brother.  You take your eyes off your brother for just
a minute and you can't find him.  You...
120.  I really hate
it when my mother/father/sibling...
121.  What if the
use of robots in school becomes a workable reality?
122.  What would
you pack in your suitcase if you could not go home again?
123.  You have just
met an alien from another planet.  He
wishes to take a student back to his planet. 
Convince him you would be the perfect specimen for him to take.
124.  If you could
change one law, what law would it be and how would you change it?
125.  How forgiving
are you when a friend lets you down? 
Explain.  Give an example.
126.  What if you
were named principal for the week?  What
would you do?
127.  If you could
only speak twenty words for the rest of your life, what words would head your
list and why?
128.  It started
out as an unusual Monday morning, when I...
129.  As I
approached the deserted house at the end of the road, I saw...
130.  Do you think
girls are raised differently from boys? 
If so, in what ways?
131.  Do you think
you are treated differently because you are a boy or girl?
132.  Do you think
men and women are equal in today's society? 
Why or why not?
133.  Do you think
a woman will be President of the United States in the near future?
134.  Two men or
women have it easier in our culture?  If
so, why do you think so?
135.  Have you ever
wished you were either older or younger? 
What would you consider to be the benefits?  The problems?
4th Quarter Journal Writing Prompts
journal writing prompts
Describe what you think of as the typical mother.
journal writing prompts
Describe what you think of as the typical father.
journal writing prompts
Do you think women should take men's last names when they marry?
Why or why not?
journal writing prompts
Would you rather have a brother or sister?
140.  Describe a
fight you had with your mother.  Now tell
it from her point of view. journal
writing prompts
141.  Write a short
biography of your mother.
142.  Write a short
biography of your father.143.  Visualize a
time when your mother was laughing. 
Recall a time when you two shared a good laugh over something.
144.  Write a
physical description of your mother. 
Write as if you were looking at a movie rather than a photograph.
145.  Concentrate
on a particular habit that your mother has and write about it.
146.  If you had
three wishes, what would they be?  (Do
not ask for three more wishes)
147.  What is
something special and/or different about you? 
Why do you think it is special or different?
148.  Write about
two things that your family has taught you.
149.  Write about
some of the things that you worry about.
150.  Describe a
happy memory of your family.
151.  How do you
know someone loves you, even if he or she doesn't say it?
152.  Name one
thing you like about yourself and why you like it.
153.  Imagine
yourself as a teacher.  What type of
student would you like to teach and why?
154.  Name and
describe a teacher who made a difference in your life.  What did that teacher do that was so special?
155.  What makes
you proud to be an American?
156.  Describe the
one thing that gives you the most comfort.
157.  If you could
be a character in any book, TV show, or movie, who would you be and why?
158.  If you had to
work in any store at your favorite mall, 
which store would it be and why?
159.  Describe the
most difficult thing about being your age.
Describe one possession that means the most to you.
161.  Who is the
most important role model in your life?
162.  Describe your
best personality trait.
163.  If you could
study one subject in school that wasn't offered, what would it be and why?
164.  If you had a
chance to live anywhere you could, where would it be and why?
165.  Write about
the pros/cons of year-round school or a four-day school week.
166.  Write about
your favorite sport.
167.  Is the school
year too long?  Too short?  Why?
168.  What does
your summer usually consist of?
169.  Who should be
paid more, professional athletes or teachers? 
Why or why not?
170.  What class do
you enjoy the most and why?
171.  Write about
the worst fight you ever had with a friend.
172.  If you had
only one month to live, what would you do?
173.  Describe your
dream house.
174.  Who is your
favorite person to be with?  Why?
175.  What would be
your ideal job when you grow up? 
176.  If you could
guest star on any TV show, what would it be and why?
177.  What do you
think your life will be like in 10 years? 
178.  Describe how
you would manage your own radio or TV station.
179.  What is your
definition of success?
180.  The saying
goes, "Money cannot buy happiness." 
Do you agree or disagree?  Why? journal writing prompts
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