Teaching Writing Prompts in Kindergarten

Teaching writing to kindergarten students is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. It's amazing to see how quickly kids can develop their writing skills... In my classroom, writing prompts play a big role in helping my students express their thoughts and creativity. I’ve developed a few techniques to make writing feel fun and natural for my kindergartners, and happy to share them with you all!

Getting Started with Labelling

At the beginning of the school year, my students are just starting to grasp the idea of writing, so we start simple. One of our first activities is labelling. I’ll show a picture of something familiar to them, like an apple or a cat, and ask them to write the name of the object. To make this more intersting for them, I’ll sometimes add hints, like a letter at the beginning of the word, to help them feel more confident. I’ve also found that this is a great way to ease them into writing without overwhelming them. It's a great way to help them connect words to real objects.

Writing About Their Thoughts

As the year progresses, I introduce prompts that encourage my students to share their thoughts. I love using "All About" prompts, where they can write and draw about something they know well, like a pet or a favorite toy..These prompts are simple but effective because they let my students explore their own ideas and practice putting them down on paper.

For example, I’ll ask them to write about their favorite animal. Some of my students might write “dog,” while others might choose “dinosaur.” What matters is that they are starting to use writing as a way to communicate their (own) ideas.

Moving to Opinion Writing

By mid-year, many of my students are ready to move on to writing their opinions. I introduce prompts like “What is your favorite food?” or “Do you like to play inside or outside more?” At first, they may only write one or two words, like “pizza” or “outside,” but soon enough, they start adding simple sentences, such as “I like pizza” or “I like to play outside.”

One thing that helps is that we always draw pictures to go along with our writing. their drawings tell the story of their opinions in a way that words alone can’t. These types of writing prompts help them practice expressing their thoughts and connecting words with their feelings.

Narrative Writing (telling a story)

What follows then are narrative writing prompts. I encourage my students to write short stories about their own experiences. For instance, I’ll ask them to write about a fun trip they went on or a day at the park. Many of them love to tell stories about their families, friends, and adventures. I make sure to keep these prompts simple so that they can write in a way that feels comfortable for them.

Making Writing Fun and Personal

For me, the key to teaching writing in kindergarten is making it feel personal and fun. Writing is a way to tell their own stories and share their ideas with the world. By the end of the year, my students are usually no longer intimidated by writing :)