54 Excellent, Low-Stakes Writing Prompts

Across school levels, interesting and innovative writing challenges help kids to explore their perspectives, reflect on experiences, and construct powerful arguments. Every student’s literacy diet should include regular, low-stakes writing. According to Rebecca Alber, a professor at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education, this kind of writing, which is ungraded and low-pressure, helps children develop their writing endurance and linguistic fluency.Students can rapidly and with few restrictions come up with ideas about an issue or concept, then “share those thoughts, and feel just as successful as everyone else in the room,” according to Alber. In order to prepare students for lengthier, more important writing assignments, the objective is to boost their writing confidence while empowering them to express ideas in a clear and compelling manner.

Thought-Provoking Writing Prompts for Students

Compiled and adapted from teacher-tested ideas curated by Todd Finley

Elementary School Prompts

Personal & Reflective

I wish my teachers knew that…
I will never forget the day…
What are examples of things you want versus things you need?
What is one thing you would do to make your school, town, or city a better place?
Which skill would you like to be good at in the future?

Imaginative & Creative

You wake up with a silly superpower that makes you famous. What is it?
You’re on a quest through a hidden underground world—what magical creatures do you find?
You’re the first person to step on Mars. What do you explore first?
If you met an alien, what three questions would you ask them?
Pretend you can trade places with someone (real or fictional). What happens?

Informative & Opinion-Based

Would a robot make a good friend? Why or why not?
Describe a routine you often do (e.g., morning, before a game).
Write about a job you think you’d like to do someday.
Describe something you saw in the news and how it made you feel.
What can we do to help people with different opinions get along?

Middle School Prompts

Reflective & Analytical

How can you tell when someone is feeling insecure?
What do the friends you hang out with most have in common?
What contributes to someone becoming a bully? What can stop it?
Should we fear failure? Why or why not?
After home and school, where do you feel the strongest sense of community?

Creative Scenarios

If your life were a TV show, what would it be called and what genre?
A locked school door has mysteriously opened—what happens next?
Write a texting conversation between two close friends.
Describe a flavor to someone who’s never tasted it.

Argument & Persuasion

You’re the principal—make five new school rules.
Should the legal driving age be changed? Argue your case.
Should governments do more to prevent smoking and vaping?
You have a programmable computer—what tasks would you assign it and why?
What would you like adults to know about being a young person today?

High School Prompts

Social Issues & Persuasive

A nonprofit gives you $20 billion to help the world—what’s your plan?
Should everyone go to college?
Is voting too hard in the U.S.?
Should politicians be on social media?
Which beliefs and values define American culture?

Creative & Experimental

Write your day as a five-act Shakespearean play.
Two book characters get into an argument—write the scene.
Which animal would judge us the most? Write that scene.
Imagine someone says, “Because that’s how we’ve always done it!” Write a dialogue or scene.

Self-Reflection & Growth

What’s the worst thing about the internet?
How much control do you have over your life?
What’s your ideal life 15 years from now? What daily habits help?
What do you do to feed your brain?
What are your three most profound learning experiences?

Wrap-Up Idea

Have students share their writing:

In pairs
In small groups
Aloud to the class
Optional: Let students mark pages as “personal” if they prefer not to share.