My six-year-old loves to hear a good story. And he loves to tell one too.

Being a writer, I’m tickled he loves stories. So recently, I created some writing and storytelling activities for him with the hope of sparking his creativity and strengthening his literacy skills.

To my delight, he enjoys these activities and learns about phonics, writing, and the art of telling a good story.

Each activity begins with a writing prompt. Until recently, I made up prompts on the spot. This worked fine, but wanting to stretch his creativity and interest, I decided to fill a jar with writing prompts.

Below, I’ve included a list of 20 fun prompts to get you started. Jot them down on pieces of paper or craft sticks. Ask your child to pull one from the jar, give him a piece of paper (or several depending on his age and eagerness to write), and let the storytelling adventure begin.

20 Writing Prompts for Kids

1. A dog who has lost his bark

2. A tickle monster who is always grumpy

3. A scarecrow who loves to snowboard

4. A monkey who is scared of heights

5. A jester who wants to be a knight

6. A spider who tap dances

7. A giraffe who wishes she wasn’t tall

8. A kid who fall into a pothole and finds a new world

9. A dragon who doesn’t know how to fly

10. A pirate who loses his treasure map

11. A dinosaur who travels through time

12. A bat who is scared of the dark

13. A kid who is chased by an alligator around the world

14. An elephant who leaves home to join the circus

15. A cowboy who doesn’t know how to ride a horse

16. A kid who finds a ladder leading up to the clouds

17. A lion who wants to be a clown

18. A rabbit who goes on a journey in a hot air balloon

19. A rooster who has a sore throat

20. A sea turtle who competes in a surfing contest

Need more writing prompts? Brainstorm with your child on ideas. Search the internet for writing prompt lists for kids. Buy books with writing prompts for kids, such as Write-Abouts Silly Starters (for Grades 1-3).

Three More Fun Ways to Using Writing Prompts

Activity #1: A Story on a Window

Using Crayola’s Window Markers (a brilliant creation!), give your child a writing prompt and ask him to write a story on the window. We used our sliding glass door, which provided a large surface for the storyboard. If there’s room, your child can draw a picture to illustrate the story. My son loved the special markers and created a masterpiece on the sliding glass door.

Activity #2: An Illustrated Story

Select a writing prompt and give your child a sketchpad. Ask her to create a story using illustrations only. When she is finished, ask her to tell you the story based on each of the illustrations.

Activity #3: Storytelling Game

Ask your child to tell the first couple sentences of a story using a prompt. Take turns telling a sentence or two of the story until the story ends. This is a fun game to play in the car. When I’ve played it with my son, he almost always resolves any conflict I create in a story.