Journal Prompts for Young Creative Writers

•What is your favorite season? Describe how you feel during different times of the year.
•What is your favorite game? Think about indoor games, outdoor games, board games, car games, and more!
•Write about your favorite subject in school. What is your least favorite subject?
•What do you want to be when you grow up? Choose and describe at least three jobs that you think you would enjoy.
•What is your favorite holiday and why? What traditions do you and your family share?
•What qualities do you look for in a friend? How do you try to be a good friend to others?
•Have you ever had to apologize for something you did? How did you feel before and after the apology?
•Describe a typical day in your life. Use sensory detail (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) to make your daily experience come to life.
•Describe a "fantasy" day in your life. If you could design a whole day to do anything and everything you wanted, what would you choose to do?
•If you could choose one superpower to have for a day, which would you select? Describe in detail your activities as a superhero.
•Should children have strict bedtimes? What do you think is a fair bedtime for children your age and why?
•Write about your brothers and sisters. If you don't have any, do you wish you did?
•What is more important in life: presents or people?
•What do you think is the "perfect" age to be? If you could choose one age and stay that age forever, what would you choose?
•Do you have any nicknames? Describe where the nicknames came from and what they mean to you.
•Write about what you do on the weekends. How do your weekends differ from your weekdays?
•What are your favorite foods? What are your least favorite foods? Describe how it feels to eat each of the foods.
•What is your favorite type of weather? Write about how your activities change with different types of weather.

via: http://k6educators.about.com/od/languageart1/qt/jpromptsx.htm

Creative Journal Topics Involving Different Perspectives

1.What one non-living item would you take from your house if it caught on fire?
2.Which five of these things (make a list) would you take from your house if it caught fire?
3.Pretend you met an alien and explain school to him/her/it.
4.Set your clocks ahead twenty years. Where are you and what are you be doing?
5.What would you do with a million dollars? List five things you would buy.
6.You've landed on another planet. Tell the inhabitants all about earth.
7.You've gone back in time and met a tribe of Indians. Explain plubing, electricity, cars, windows, air conditioning and other convenieces to them.
8.What animal would you be? Why?
9.If you were your teacher, how would you treat you?
10.Describe a day in the life of ___________(choose an animal).
11.Describe how you feel at the dentist's office.
12.The way I am like _______________ is _________________
13.A perfect place for me is...
14.What if your teacher fell asleep in class?
15.I am my locker.
16.I am my shoe.
17.If I could live anywhere...
18.If I were invisible I would...
19.Describe your life fifteen years from now.
20.How would do you think your parents views would change if they walked in your shoes for a week?
21.Describe your desk in complete detail. Focus on all sides and angles.
22.List twenty-five uses for a toothbrush.
23.Describe a toaster from the inside.
24.Assume you are the last person on earth and have been granted one wish. What would it be?
25.Imagine a world that contained no written language. What would be different?
26.If you could step back in time to re-live one day, what would you do differently?
27.You discover you have only six weeks to live. What would you do and why?
28.Imagine you are 25 years old. How will you describe yourself as you are today?
29.Describe how you would feel if you were YOUR parent. What would you do differently?
30.Describe how you would feel if you were YOUR teacher. What would you do differently?

via: http://712educators.about.com/od/Journal-Writing/a/Creative-Journal-Topics-Involving-Different-Perspectives.htm

Journal Topics Concerning Interpersonal Relationships

1.Best friends...
2.Teenagers...
3.The things I look for in a friend are...
4.Friends are...
5.The thing that mes me a good friend is...
6.I make friends by...
7.If my best friend were on drugs...
8.My best friend...
9.How gangs affect my life
10.I wish my friends would...
11.People like me because...
12.When someone tells me they like me, I...
13.Someone I'd like to know better is
14.I like it when somebody says to me
15.I wish I had told...
16.People make me mad when...
17.I feel sad when someone tells me...
18.I resent __________ for __________
19.I love it when..
20.I expect...
21.I'd like to spend the day with
22.Lying to parents
23.My parents...
24.My brother(s)/sister(s)...
25.When I become a parent I won't...
26.Something I do for my mother is...
27.Something I do for my father is...
28.I like people who...
29.I don't like people who...
30.I wish people would...
31.I wish my teacher would...
32.The other people in this class...

via: http://712educators.about.com/od/Journal-Writing/a/Journal-Topics-Concerning-Interpersonal-Relationships.htm

Journal Topics for Clarifying Personal Positions

1.TV Commercials
2.Divorce
3.Surviving Divorce
4.The Death Penalty
5.Prejudice and Racism
6.Movie Review
7.The Spread of Aids
8.Teen Suicide
9.Shoplifting
10.Getting Drunk
11.How important are sports in schools?
12.Smoking
13.How Our School Could Be Improved
14.A Cool Hobby or Sport
15.The Best Entertainer
16.Death
17.Date Rape
18.Prearranged Marriages
19.Competition
20.Peer Pressure
21.Gang Violence
22.Food
23.Should teens be sexually active?
24.Part-Time Jobs
25.How a Car Changes a Teen's Life
26.Homework
27.Honesty
28.Curfews

via: http://712educators.about.com/od/Journal-Writing/a/Journal-Topics-For-Clarifying-Personal-Positions.htm

Journal Topics for Self Understanding

1.When I need time for myself...
2.If I could live anywhere
3.I really miss...
4.I never expected...
5.An unusual day in my life
6.For my birthday I'd like...
7.The worst gift I ever got...
8.I daydream most about...
9.I really wish....
10.Something few people realize about me
11.I wish I weren't so...
12.One of my best points is...
13.One of my most important goals is...
14.I dream that one day...
15.My hardest class is
16.What makes me feel proud is
17.I'm glad I'm alive when
18.Some little things I often forget to enjoy

via: http://712educators.about.com/od/Journal-Writing/a/Journal-Topics-For-Self-Understanding.htm

Double Entry Journaling

The Double Entry Journal allows students to record their responses to text as they read. In the left-hand page or column, the student copies or summarizes text which is intriguing, puzzling, or moving, or which connects to a previous entry or situation. In the right-hand page or column, the student reacts to the quotation or summary. The entry may include a comment, a question, a connection made, an analysis. Entries are made whenever a natural pause in the reading occurs, so that the flow is not interrupted constantly.

via: http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/tdentry.htm

Topics and Prompts

My craziest experience in a restaurant or shopping mall
The hardest thing I’ve ever done
My first encounter with a bully
Let’s hear it for my favorite senior citizen.
The toys I’ll never give up
A friend who moved away
I couldn’t believe that my mother volunteered me for that job.
Putting my foot in my mouth
What if school sports were dropped?
Who knows me best?
What do I worry about?
My muscles were so sore after . . .
What do we Americans do well?
“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”
I admit it; I enjoy professional wrestling.
An unforgettable dream
My worst vacation
A “visit” to a hospital, doctor’s office, or dentist’s office
Coping with brothers and sisters
A typical evening at home
Morning madness
When I was a discipline problem
A meaningful gift I’ve given or received
We all make mistakes.
Why do I deserve the job?
My brother (or sister) made me so mad!
Hanging out
Something this school really needs is . . .
Why are soap operas so popular?
I take some things too seriously.
What do I do to break routine?
The next wave of personal communication
Greed
Alone on a desert island
Let’s push alternative sources of energy.
______ is like a boomerang.
How it would feel to walk in space
ItÂ’s a rule, so it’s right . . . right?
What invention would you like to see in your lifetime?
Why appearance is not so important
How I express myself artistically
Is pollution a necessary evil?
What different colors mean to me
Why are soap operas so popular?
I take some things too seriously.
How do people who are in constant pain cope?
Is this love?
Foods I love, foods I hate
Tools I’ll need in my intended profession
Why are some people so cruel?
What animals can teach humans
Self-esteem
Sometimes, adults seem . . .
My dream car
The idea hit me like a tornado.
My Web site
If I were a superhero, I’d be . . .
Something this school really needs is . . .
What do I do to break routine?

via: http://thewritesource.com/writing_topics/more_topics/#inc

Writing Prompts

•If I were the teacher, I would...
•If I could give one piece of advice to any person in history, that advice would be...
•Describe a dream that you had recently. Provide as many details as possible.
•The best lesson my grandparent (or parent or any relative) ever taught me was...
•[on the day after the Grammy Awards are announced.] Do you think the right artists won? Why or why not?
•Tell five things you'd like to do on your next birthday.
•Imagine a friend of yours is considering whether to take steroids. What would you tell that friend to persuade him or her not to do that?
•In 20 years, I will be...
•Tell about an event in your life that has caused a change in you.
•I was most angry when...
•If you could design one room in a house to suit only your needs, what would it look like? (Challenge kids to be as fanciful as they like. For example, would someone have a desk made of chocolate?)
•Describe your perfect vacation.
•My worst mistake was...
•[for high-school students.] Do you believe in love at first sight?
•If you and your best friend could have a free limo for 24 hours, where would you go and what would you do?
•You have the freedom to travel to any city or country in the world. Where would you go and why?
•What would you do if you were president of the United States?
•You have an extra $100,000 to give away; you cannot spend it on yourself. What would you do with the money?
•The qualities that make a best friend are...
•If you were an insect, what kind would you be and why?
•Describe your room at home in detail. What are you proudest of and why?
•[using a current local controversy] Do you agree with the decision? Why? Would you change if anything? What?

via: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr144.shtml

258 Journal Topics

1. If you won the Texas lottery, what would you do?
2. Why do you think some people don't exercise their right to vote?
3. What is your favorite Disney character or movie and why is it your favorite?
4. My full name and how it was decided on
5. My dream house
6. I am the one who....
7. First Grade Memories
8. In the left corner, behind the filing cabinet.....
9. The Holiday I Wish We Had
10. The day I went to the circus.....
11. Yesterday I....
12. Games I like to play
13. I believe....
14. I can.....
15. Sunshine makes me feel...
16. The cartoon I like the most on Saturday mornings....
17. The most amazing thing I've ever seen is...
18. Hospitals
19. Summer Memories
20. My Dad
21. My Mom
22. My Grandma
23. My Grandpa
24. If I could be doing anything right now, I'd be...
25. What if...
26. My shoe
27. Well, Doctor, it's like this....
28. Colors
29. My most embarrassing moment
30. Inside the box with the big red bow is...
31. The Midnight Visitor
32. Television
33. Money
34. Pizza
35. Everything I remember about this morning
36. What I would like to receive at Christmas
37. Snow
38. Eyes
39. If I was President of the United States...
40. Mysteries
41. Bugs
42. Rainbows
43. Dreams
44. Babies
45. Friendship
46. Violence
47. In 20 Years I'd Like to Be....
48. Favorite memories
49. My family
50. dogs
51. cats
52. It makes me blush when...
53. Cowboys
54. It was so funny when...
55. What my mom must have been like as a baby...
56. Good things about me
57. It would be funny if....
58. Mother Goose
59. When I get to high school, I will....
60. The knight lifted his sword amidst the dragon's flaming breath...
61. My talents
62. The best book I ever read...
63. The book someone should write is....
64. What confuses me about math
65. The Conversation between Mr. Triangle and Ms. Circle
66. Secrets
67. What I'd like to give people for Christmas
67. My responsibilities
68. Cars
69. How It Feels to Win/Lose
70. I'm thankful for...
71. The valentine I'd like to send/receive
72. kindness
73. mirrors
74. The first thing I remember....
75. The door was locked and I couldn't find the key....
76. Inside the cave
77. My hero
78. No one would believe me when....
79. I wish I was there when....
80. What My Best Friend and I Have in Common
81. Something people usually don't notice about me is...
82. If I was a crayon....
83. My Life as a Pencil
84. What Do You Mean the Next Stop Is Hell?
85. Who Filled the Pool with strawberry Jello?
86. How to eat an apple
87. How to dribble a basketball
88. How to do a somersault
89. How to drink with a straw
90. How to snap your fingers
91. How to jump rope
92. How to make a paper airplane
93. How to whistle
94. You are a small animal at a historical event. Tell what is happening.
95. What an alphabet journal entry 26 sentences long with each sentence starting with the alphabet letter as it appears in sequence.
96. Make a list of all the words that are related to or describe heat. Write a story about Texas in the summer using these words.
97. Places you like
98. Places you dislike
99. TV shows you like
100. TV shows you dislike
101. sports events you enjoy
102. sports events you don't enjoy
103. automobiles you like
104. things you have never owned, but like.
105. things you would never own and never want
106. foods you like to eat
107. food you strongly dislike to eat
108. restaurants you like and dislike
109. sounds you like and dislike
110. smells you like and dislike
111. places you have never been to, but want to go to
112. people you don't know, but would like to know
113. things you have never done, but would like to do (conduct an orchestra, etc.)
114. What if school was in session 6 days a week?
115. What if teachers were paid as much as professional baseball players?
116. What if our school classess only went until noon each day?
117. What are all the things you can think of that come in pairs?
118. List things that give protection, such as a turtle's shell, seat belt, etc.
119. Describe a friend who is NOT in the room.
120. I Did Something Really Nice
121. Observe at least 5 things you see happen on your way home from school. Write about them.
122. Write the directions to a favorite place (home, restaurant, ice cream shop, etc.) from the school parking lot.
123. Imagine that a close friend has lost something very valuable. It might be a ring, a pet, a key--something that must be found. How would you help him/her find it? What would you do? Would you be able to find it?
124. Write about a time when you were "sweating it", a time when you were very nervous.
125. How a classroom sounds
126. how a puppy feels
127. how a flower smells
128. how a sunset looks
129. the baby was sad because.....
130. how an ice cube tastes
131. What might a curb and a car tire talk about?
132. What might a shoe and a sock talk about?
133. What might a cup and saucer talk about?
134. What might thunder and lightning talk about?
135. What might a cloud and the wind talk about?
136. A typical day in the school cafeteria
137. Things to Do When You Are Bored
138. What are the "in" places in town?
139. Write about an "ideal day".
140. A Time I Was in Trouble
141. The Saddest Day of My Life
142. What I Would Change About My School
143. What I Would Change About My World
144. The Perfect Pet
145. What Makes a Person Nice
146. My Biggest Gripe
147. What I Like About Being a Kid
148. Where Would I Go in a Time Machine
149. What Courage Means to Me
150. A Special Gift in My Life
151. My Relationship with God
152. How to tie a shoe
153. How to eat an apple
154. How to do a somersault
155. How to whistle
156. How I would like to have changed this school year
157. Tell about a time when someone has been kind to you
158. Tell about your favorite childhood book and explain what you like about it
159. Explain how to make your favorite sandwich
160. Why do some Christians seem ashamed to share the gospel with others?
161. Describe dinner time at your house
162. Give advice to a new student who will start school at Lexington next year
163. I'll never forget the day ______(teacher's name) did __________
164. Your mom desires your respect and attention. Are there places you can take her for an evening to show her your appreciation?
165. Some of the richest times in your life can come from your quiet thinking and/or praying alone time. Discuss these times in your life.
166. How do you think a person finds out God's plan for his/her life?
167. Review the last movie you saw.
168. Describe the BEST ice cream and tell why you feel that way
169. What is an experience you would hate to repeat?
170. What is the ideal age to be? Why?
171. Do you accept yourself as you are, or would you like to be someone else?
172. Answer this question," Have I in any way done something that has hurt my parents?"
173. What chores at home do your parents expect you to do?
174. What part of the newspaper do you read first, and why?
175. "A wise person learns from the mistakes of others." Do you agree?
176. "How I think will determine how I live." Do you agree or disagree? Explain
177. "If I'm not as close to God as I used to be, who moved?"
178. What are your plans for the summer?
179. Describe a typical day for you in the summer
180. Describe a summer thunderstorm
181. Describe the plight of an animal caught in a forest fire.
182. Tell abut a ride on the most exciting amusement park ride you have ever ridden.
183. Write about an Old West shoot-out in the streets of a western town
184. How might an astronaut feel who discovers that he/she will have to return to earth early because of a rocket malfunction?
185. Describe the actions of a person who has just hit his or her thumb with a hammer
186. Describe the feeling of being chased in a dream
187. Tell about the moment when a person realizes that he or she has forgotten to do a major assignment that is due today.
188. Describe the actions of an athlete in the final moments of a close contest when he or she makes a winning (or losing) shot, play, move, or effort.
189. Describe the action between a predator and its prey at the moment of attack
190. Describe the motions of a ballet dancer.
191. Describe a headache to someone who has never had one.
192. What is a rainbow?
193. Why are leaves green?
194. When and how did Israel become a country?
195. What classes should you take in high school?
196. How are the professional sports teams doing in this city?
197. Has a parent ever told you that you waste your time? How could you manage time better?
198. What is the best place to get pizza in your town? What makes it so good?
199. What do fuchsia and mignonette have in common?
200. How is a skiff like a lugger?
201. What is the same about a coracle and a raft?
202. How many ways can you serve a potato?
203. What are some uses for peach pits?
204. How can your town or church honor senior citizens?
205. Are you planning to go on any missions trips with your church youth group?
206. What games can you play with 3 people?
207. Name as many uses for ice cubes as you can.
208. What can you do to recycle old calendars?
209. What does this mean: "I was furious but I held my tongue."
210. Explain this idiom: "After the accident, things were touch and go."
211. How do you think this idiom got started: "Will you lend me a hand?"
212. Choose a fairy tale. Imagine how it might read as a news article in today's newspaper.
213. You are doing morning announcements. Write an announcement about a surprise party for your coach.
214. It isn't fair....
215. Secrets
216. Write a note to a teacher
217. Write about some compliments people have given you
218. Write about some compliments you have given others RECENTLY !
219. Write about the taste of peanut butter, how it smells, and how it looks
220. Create a menu from a fictitious restaurant and describe the entrees.
221. It was as clear as a bell
222. He (or she) was as stubborn as a mule.
223. He (or she) is as quiet as a mouse.
224. What would you do with a polyglot?
225. What would you do with a bairn?
226. What would you do with a dirigible?
227. How could a vector be harmful to a rector?
228. Could a lapidary play leapfrog in a lyceum?
229. Could you keep ice cream in a calabash?
230. "A good name is more desirable than great riches." Prov.22:1
231. "There is a time to plant and a time to uproot." Eccles. 3:2
232. The day of the Lord is close at hand
233. The dispute over comic books. Are they good or bad?
234. Should grocery stores continue to throw away good food each day?
235. How would you feel as a passenger in a space ship on the way to the Moon?
236. How can you make friends?
237. What farm machines have you ever seen? Describe them.
238. How should we raise money to support a middle school newspaper?
239. How do you like frozen food? Tell about some you have tried.
240. Everyone feels rejected biy family or friends at some point. Tell about one such time.
241. Do you ever have trouble doing your history homework? Tell about it.
242. Tell how you could have avoided some accident, bump, or bruise.
243. Pick out any appliance in your home and write about how it works
244. I remember the stiffness in my jaw from my last dentist's appointment when he....
245. Why I use my particular brand of toothpaste every morning
246. Are horses obsolete?
247. Dating on a dime
248. How do scientists and police now work together?
249. How do "clothes make the man" or "clothes make the woman" ?
250. Catching those "few extra winks" in the mornings
251. Do you ever "eat on the run"? Explain.
252. How to pack efficiently for a trip
253. The struggle to eat neatly while in the car or on a plane
254. The art of babysitting
255. The faces in the subway (train, plane, bus) are stamped by the heel of life
256. Could your dad have been a pirate? What characteristics does he have that would fit one?
257. How do you keep your teachers happy?
258. Describe Sundays at your house.

via: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/freshenglish/250journaltopics.html