15 Fun Writing Prompts For Middle And High Schoolers

Daily writing is the best way for any school pupil to hone their writing skills. If you use days books in your teaching, prompts are the best way to help pupils start writing, and give them new ways to think about expressing themselves.

Here are 15 fun prompts you can use throughout the school year to help your students start writing, and develop those crucial writing skills.

Could you ever be vegetarian?

Ask students to think about why people become vegetarians. Would they like to do it? If not, what would stop them?

Write about a time when someone helped you.

There have been times in your life when you needed help, and someone came along and gave you a helping hand. How did that feel? Did you want their help?

What’s your favourite TV show?

What is it about the show that you like? Is it the characters, the setting, or the genre? How does it compare to other TV shows that you like?

What is your favourite way to be creative?

Everyone is creative in different ways. Some people make videos, others like to draw, others like to sing or play musical instruments. What’s your favourite way, and what does it do for you?

Write about something your parents always tell you.

Everyone’s parents have advice or rules that they pass on to their children. What do your parents say to you? What’s important to them?

What’s your least liked rule at school?

There’s a rule you don’t like following at school. Do you think it’s unfair, or does it restrict you from spending your time in the way you’d like? How would you change this rule?

What will people in the future say about now?

If someone in the future looked back to now, what would surprise them? For example, would they be shocked by what we wear?

What does your name mean?

Did your parents pick your name because it had a special meaning? Some people are given names to honour their heritage, or named after other people. What’s the story of your name?

What traditions does your family have?

Is there something that your family has always done? Write about it, telling the reader why it’s so important to you.

What’s the worst thing about the internet?

The internet is great, but there’s a lot about it that is less than ideal. What one aspect really irks you about it?

What is your best quality?

Everyone has a quality that draws others to them. Are you funny? Are you caring? Do you look out for others? Write about what you think is the best thing about you.

What three features should your future house have?

In the future, what would you like your home to have? Be as imaginative as you’d like to be.

Should we fear failure?

Everyone worries about failing at what they do. Is failure as big of a problem as we think it is though? Is there anything positive about failing?

I wish my teachers knew that…

You see your teachers every day, but they don’t know everything about you. What’s the one thing you wish your teachers knew about you?

How would you redo an event in your life?

Is there an event in your past that you wish you could change? How would you change it?

These prompts should help your pupils think laterally about problems and aspects of their life. As they write about them, they’ll be able to improve their writing and communication skills.