For middle school teachers, coming up with creative writing prompts, or middle school writing prompts in general, can be an extra pile of work on top of an already unsteady tower.
Curriculum
30 Writing Prompts for Middle School
For middle school teachers, coming up with creative writing prompts, or middle school writing prompts in general, can be an extra pile of work on top of an already unsteady tower.
With journal prompts, essay prompts, and essay topics more important than ever when it comes to getting middle schoolers to think for themselves, a little inspiration is key to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. If you’re feeling stuck on the next batch of meaningful writing prompts, these 30 writing prompts for middle school students might be precisely what you’re looking for.
Education resources
Check out these 30 writing prompts for middle school students
Read on for some creative, thought-provoking, and engaging writing prompts that are sure to have your students keen to get pen to paper:
- If you could travel 1,000 years into the future, what would be the first thing you would do?
- What is one thing that makes you angry, and why?
- If you were the President of the United States, what is the one thing you would change in the country, and why would you change it?
- Dressing for success is a phrase we have all heard before, but it can mean something completely different for each person. What does this mean to you when you hear ‘dress for success?
- Honesty is the most important part of friendship. Write an essay about whether or not you agree with this statement.
- How have you changed since the first day you started middle school? Write an essay explaining three ways you’ve changed.
- Imagine you could give one piece of advice to anyone, whether it is a family member, friend, or even a famous person. Write an essay that explains why you chose that person and what advice you would like to give them. It’s important to elaborate on why you could give them that advice.
- Think about the most recent dream you can remember. Describe all the details you can remember about that dream, including if it was in color and if there were people you know in it.
- Do you need to finish high school to be successful? Explain your argument either way.
- Do you think younger children should be allowed on social media? Explain why you think they should or shouldn’t be in your essay.
- Write about a big argument you’ve had with a friend or family member. Explain the argument, including who apologized first and whether you felt wrong.
- Explain in an essay why it’s just as important to feel sad sometimes as it is to feel happy.
- A millionaire would like to donate money to build an amazing new facility in your area. This could be a pool, a theatre, an art school, or anything else that would benefit young people. Write which facility you think the millionaire should build, using persuasive language to explain why this would be the best option. Make sure to use reasoning and evidence to support your claim.
- Write about how to make something out of Lego. This could be a boat, a house, an animal, or anything else. Describe clearly what is needed to do the final project, with individual steps someone could follow.
- Think about your favorite past-time outside of school. For example, playing soccer or drawing. Write a persuasive argument to explain to a friend why they should participate in your hobby, including all the activity’s details.
- What is your favorite place to go at the weekend? Write about why you enjoy going there, including what you do there in detail.
- Write about the funniest thing that you’ve ever seen in real life.
- What is your greatest accomplishment in life so far? What makes it the greatest accomplishment to you?
- If you could age as many years as you like, how many years older would you be? Explain your answer in detail and what you would like to do if you were that age.
- Write the biography of one of your best friends, your parents, or even a character on your favorite TV show.
- Write about something that scared you when you were younger. Does it still scare you now?
- If you could go for ice cream sundaes with any celebrity, which celebrity would you pick? Include reasoning and important details about why you’d choose them and the flavor of ice cream you think they would like.
- Think about your favorite toy. Use sensory details, such as taste, smell, feel, and sounds, to describe that object so a classmate can easily picture it.
- Write an essay that finishes this thought: If I could have one superpower for a single day, it would be…
- Write a detailed essay explaining why your friend should stop drugs.
- If you could meet one character from your favorite book, who would it be? And why?
- Imagine that you work in a pet shop. What animals would you sell, and how would you look after them properly?
- Write an essay about what you’d do if you traveled back 50 years.
- Imagine that your school is thinking about making all students wear a uniform. Do you think this is a good idea? Write a letter to the school explaining why you’re for and against uniforms.
- What team sport do you not enjoy? Write an essay about what could be changed in the rules of this sport so you would enjoy it more and want to play.
These writing templates, from the letter, and prompts to essay ideas, are an excellent way to engage your middle schoolers in insightful questions and complex thoughts. You could even ask your students to write their own for classmates, adding an extra layer of interaction to the writing process. For more inspiration, look at these long-form writing prompts for starters. What kind of middle school writing prompts do you like to use for your students? Let us know in the comments below.
