Customer Reviews

500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade

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Now, i'll admit here that what he provides in his book could easily be accessed by a google search for writing prompts - o yeah, trust me i've done that before... But here, in one tidy little package, he provides 500 thoughtful questions complete with the natural follow up included, "... *why do you think that*? and *how did that make you feel*?" (that little ones like mine might have neglected to answer in their hurriedly scrawled four word response to the original writing prompt), giving them further inspiration to get their ideas down. He makes it easy to sift through to find what we're looking for by dividing the 500 prompts into categories like: Memorable Events, Relationships, Technology, Life Lessons and even a 'Grab Bag' section. He also includes a small appendix giving suggestions for ways to use the prompts.
His book is a neat little tool that might fill a need in a homeschool where mama is tired of hearing, "But i don't know *what* to write about...."

The book contains 500 writing prompts divided into various categories such as Life Lessons, Memorable Events, Technology, and the Seasons. Additionally, inside each of these categories, the reader can find a wide diversity of writing prompts divided into various sub-categories. Most of the writing prompts are specific enough to give children a direction in writing. Yet Cohen does a great job of keeping the prompts open-ended enough to encourage critical free thinking in children.

I also like the fact that the author not only encourages children to write---he also encourages parents to write with their children. In households where children can view their parents writing for pleasure, they are more likely to seek out that activity for themselves. (And updating your facebook status doesn't count!)

Perhaps my favorite section of the book is the appendix at the back of the book. There Cohen provides a list of great ways to his writing prompts in the classroom or at home. I loved this list! It can really give parents and teachers some ideas on making writing an everyday pleasurable experience.

500 Writing Prompts for Kids covers grades first through fifth so parents could potentially use this book for years. I have also found that even very young children could can use some of these prompts verbally to parents. (One important pre-writing skill is the ability to verbally narrate. So this book could potentially build that skill too.)

Bottom Line:
The book is available either in an electronic format or as a paperback. Additionally, the book is listed at a very affordable price point which makes it realistically obtainable for most families. I think that parents who wish to encourage writing at home would do well to have a copy of this book on their shelves. I think that the book is a great reference book that I could see myself referring to often.

I used this book with my 11 year old son and it's great! Fun topics and encourages them to write.

I have been using the prompts in this book to increase my 3.5 year old's creativity in storytelling. There are so many categories of prompts. I can't ever imagine running out and this book will last us even still into middle school. As was said in the previous review, it is a great resource.

I am a homeschooling mother of six, and was very pleased with this product. You will find great prompts that are fun and engaging for a wide range of ages. It is very easy to pick a prompt and let the creativity flow. It would be excellent for homeschool or public school, as there are prompts about the classroom setting.

Written specifically for kids in the first through fifth grade age range, 500 Writing Prompts for Kids by Brian Cohen replaces the dread and drama of getting kids to write with fun and imaginative prompts to get those pencils moving. The prompts are open-ended and designed for kids to use as a journal entry or even perhaps as a research project.

Here are a few examples:

73. What is your favorite time of the day and why? Is it right when you get up in the morning? It is lunchtime? What do you do during that time that makes you enjoy it so much?

178. Some of the best writers in the world are song writers. They come up with the lyrics that your favorite singers turn into #1 hits or that they use in popular musicals. Write a short song on whatever subject you choose. Don't worry about the music behind it, just write the song and see how it turns out.

266. What are five things that you like about the Internet? What are five things that you dislike about the Internet? If you had the choice, what would you change to make the five things you dislike about the Internet much better?


I liked 500 Writing Prompts for Kids for the wide variety of topics. The book is broken down into 10 different sections with varying titles such as Imagination, Activities and The Outside World.

As a homeschooling mom, one big drawback I did find was that this book is heavily rooted in questions that pertain to kids that attend school and that would not be applicable to homeschoolers.

For example:

3. Do you remember your first day of school ever? What was the school like and what did you feel like when you walked in? Were you scared? Were you confident? Talk about your whole first day from beginning to end.

41. What is the most memorable assembly you've ever had at school and why? What did you and your friends say about it after it was over?


The book also contains questions that might make parents uncomfortable such as:

96. You have a big crush on someone but they don't like you back. While searching around on the Internet you find a recipe for a love potion. You make it for your crush and he or she drinks it. Does it work? How do things change between the two of you after using the potion?


Overall though, for the low e-book price of $2.99, this book is really a helpful resource. And with 500 writing prompts, no family would use all of the prompts anyway, so editing out prompts for your family would still leave you with plenty of writing prompts for your kids.

I received this item complimentary in exchange for an honest review. The opinion in this review is all mine.

I am happy to see a guide that is well thought out for prompting young writers. As a homeschooling parent this will be one book that will be added to our curriculum.

My daughter LOVES to write and can usually just sit right down and think of a topic on her own. There are times, however, that she needs a little help to get started.

If you have a reluctant writer or a writer who may just need a little nudge, you should take a look at this new kids ebook.

Bryan Cohen, author, blogger, playwright, and producer, is the author of 500 Writing Prompts for Kids First Grade through Fifth Grade. This book is bursting with ideas to get your child's imagination going.

His book starts with an introduction on why kids need to write. It's then divided into 10 sections with topics like: The Seasons, Memorable Events, Life Lessons, Relationships, and more. And it ends with ways to use prompts.

All the prompts have been created for grades first to fifth but can be adapted for older or younger children. You can try using the book for the following:

* Writing tests
* Journal prompts
* Story, poem and essay exercises
* "Get to know your classmates" activities
* Spelling and grammar assignments
* Extra credit projects
* Writing songs, creating art and adding to bulletin boards

My Thoughts: This book really does have some great writing ideas for children. They are not only creative ideas for writing, but also some wonderful topics for discussion.

I am a homeschooling mom and I really enjoyed this book! My kids are seven and eight and they had fun choosing and writing from the prompts. I loved that there was a variety of topics and that there are more prompts than we will use in years! :) I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs to motivate their kids to write.

500 Writing Prompts for Kids is chock full of open-ended questions that will stimulate kids' imaginations in no time. They'll be having so much fun that they won't even notice they're writing paragraphs. The prompts, in 10 different categories, can be used for journal exercises, classroom activities, extra credit projects, writing tests, poems, songs, adding to art, or just about anything else.

What a fabulous tool for homeschool teachers or classroom teachers (grades 1-5)! "They" (you know, those unnamed experts) say that the more kids write--about anything--the better their writing skills become. Cohen's e-book takes away the "But I don't know what to write about!" issue. 500 prompts go a looong way. I love the fact that he also provides a creative ideas for using the writing prompts.

This e-book was provided to me by the author, Bryan Cohen, for free in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed are my own.