pictures for creative writing ks1

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150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity (Free Google Slides)

Use a picture to write a thousand words!

Creative writing is a challenge for many students, often because they can’t come up with anything to write about. That’s why we love picture writing prompts. Each one sparks the imagination and helps young writers jump right into crafting a story to match. We rounded up a whole collection of intriguing images for use with kids in grades K-12 along. Plus we designed a set of free Google Slides featuring all of the prompts so you can easily share them with students.

Tip: Start by showing students the picture (or let them choose from among several) without making any comment about what they’re seeing. For kids who still struggle to get started, suggest a potential title or opening sentence, like the examples included here.

Don’t miss our free downloadable. Grab your full set of ready-to-go Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all of the prompts below.

Elementary Picture Writing Prompts

Middle school picture writing prompts, high school picture writing prompts, art picture writing prompts.

When kids first see these picture writing prompts, they may or may not immediately feel inspired. If they need some help, ask them questions like “What led up to this moment?” or “What’s going to happen next?”

When Larry fell in love, he fell hard.

When the new sign appeared on Main Street, everyone in town wondered exactly what it meant.

Snowy Footprints

After that crazy day, all that was left to show for it was footprints in the snow.

Dinosaur Bones

“Come with me if you want to live!” Ash said, reaching out a hand.

Undersea Treasure

For years, no one saw the locked treasure chest but the local fish, who wondered what it could contain.

A Game of Fetch

To Scout, it was a game, but to Mr. Freezy, it was much more.

Ladybug Gossip

The ladybug’s picnic was an excellent chance to meet up with old friends and hear all the latest gossip.

We met them when they peeked into our window, watching us as we ate lunch and watched cartoons.

King of the Jungle

It wasn’t the crown that made Amari the king of all he surveyed.

The Final Pitch

It all came down to this—the final pitch in a game that was tied 2-2.

Doggie Massage

Every dog in the neighborhood knew that Rocky gave the best massages and was always willing to lend an ear too.

Skateboard Life

When Charli got her first skateboard, she made herself a promise.

Garden of the Past

The woman walked in the garden every day, never saying a word.

Sunset Friends

They met on the jungle gym every day at sunset, sharing everything about their days.

Pink Umbrellas

When the pink umbrellas first appeared, Toni thought they might be magic.

Firefly Forest

Olivia was surprised to discover that the fireflies didn’t just glow, they also sang.

Robot Spider

When it first crawled ashore, the mechanical spider moved slowly.

Fallen House

Staring at their house, which was now on its side, the whole family was in shock.

Red Riding Hood

If only she’d been riding her faithful steed the day she’d met the Big Bad Wolf, things might have been very different.

Kangaroo Fall

“Well, this is embarrassing,” thought Bouncer, as laughter filled the air around him.

Daci’s big brother said her signs wouldn’t help them find their runaway cat, but he was wrong.

Penguin Bookshop

A visit to Mr. Pickerel’s Penguin Bookshop is always an adventure.

Of all the eggs in the carton, Ella was the one who could always crack you up.

That was the year Min was finally tall enough to ride the Sky Swings, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Rubber Duck Parade

It was truly an honor to be asked to lead the Spring Duck Parade.

Teddy Story Time

Every afternoon, the three friends gathered for story time in their favorite spot in the woods.

Underwater School

Nia thought going to school underwater would be exciting, but some days she really missed going outside for recess.

The day Amos started his journey down the river, the sun was shining brightly.

Turtle Trouble

“None shall pass,” growled the old sea turtle, blocking the way.

Dinosaur Race

Pia was supposed to keep Balthazar on a leash, but once they reached the forest, she set him free and they both began to run.

Finally Seeing Eye to Eye

“So, we meet at last, face to face,” Lord Squeakerton said to his enemy, the Count of Catnip.

It takes a lot to surprise a monkey, but you don’t see something like this every day.

Not Coming Out

The day started out normally enough, but by the end, Chris knew he was in over his head.

Life on Other Planets

“Hurry up,” Grnklor told his robopup. “We have to get back inside before nightfall.”

Reindeer Games

The wind had died down, but the setting sun seemed to take all the warmth of the day with it.

Something to Celebrate

Their classmates could hear their shouts of joy from all the way down the hall.

Home Sweet Mushroom

When the fairies that lived in the garden invited her to stay with them for awhile, Maria wasn’t sure what to expect.

Loch Ness Mystery

“There it is! I told you Nessie is real!” Angus whispered to Lee.

Lonely Bear

It was hard to say who was lonelier that night, Amil or his lost stuffed bear, Jasper.

Sometimes You Lose

When his team lost the championship, Miguel was crushed, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.   

Middle school writing prompts can be a little more complex, with pictures that have a lot of potential interpretations. Encourage students to delve deeper into the story by describing how the characters feel and why they behave the way they do.

Morgan was incredibly proud of those shoes, paid for entirely with money from after-school jobs.

Never Lose Hope

With his last bit of energy, Kai scrawled his message in the wet paint.

The keyboard button could only be used once, and no one knew exactly what happened when you pressed it.

Piano Lessons

Before she could even speak, Arya was drawn to the black and white keys.

There was no doubt about it, this was was indeed a very special kind of garden.

No matter how you looked at it, it had been a very rough day to be the Easter Bunny.

Empty Chairs

By sunset, all four chairs were empty, and the only signs of life were the gulls swooping down from above.

Floating Treasure

To the birds, it was simply a convenient place to land, but Ali and I knew it was much more than that.

Shadow Question

That was the day they discovered that just because you were invisible didn’t mean your shadow was.

Letter and Key

The day she turned 12, Vivi’s aunt handed her an envelope containing the family secret.

Space Target

Onyx paused, knowing that once their arrow hit the target, there was no knowing what would happen.

Mermaid Mystery

It was a mermaid—or was it?

World on a String

Her dad had promised to give her the world, but she wasn’t expecting three more planets as well.

Bee Standoff

“This flower ain’t big enough for the both of us!” said Bianca.

Solitary Seat

For as long as anyone could remember, Angus McGee spent his evenings in the same chair next to the woodstove.

Best Friends

When you decide to run away from home forever, you can’t possibly leave your best friend behind.

Dinosaur Demise

In retrospect, setting the time machine to randomly choose a day and time in the past might not have been such a good idea.

Magic Lamps

“Choose wisely,” said the old shopkeeper, “for only one of these lamps is truly magic.”

Message in a Bottle

The message floated at sea for more than 50 years before the day we found it on the beach.

Barrel Boat

Of all the ways to impress someone, Jonah thought to himself, this had to be one of the most ridiculous.

Dragon Guardian

When your parents give you your own dragon guardian, your childhood is bound to be enchanted.

Octopus’s Garden

Wouldn’t you like to be under the sea, in an octopus’s garden in the shade?

Around the Corner

After finally pressing “send,” she couldn’t resist peeking around the corner to watch him read the text.

Beam Me Up!

Milo’s earliest memory was of watching his beloved tricycle float into the sky above him, caught in a beam of light.

Poison Apple

To join the club, all Aaron had to do was creep up and snatch the apple from the skeleton’s hand without being seen.

Giraffe Council

“It is now 3 p.m., and I call this meeting of the Mighty Council of Giraffes to order,” announced Imari.

Mystery Creature

At first glance, it was hard to tell whether the little creature was friend or foe.

As the sky turned orange, Keisha ran faster than ever and used the last of her energy to push off and soar over the water below.

The End of Days

Despite their best efforts, they arrived too late—the battle had already begun.

Out of the Book

“Happily ever after” was about to take on a whole new meaning.

Stopped Clock

I was sure that the time on the broken clock was the clue to solving the mystery.

Dueling Webs

It’s never a good idea to build your web too close to another spider’s, but this time I had no choice.

Do Shoes Grow on Trees?

The day I threw my own shoes into the tree was the day I really started to grow up.

Abstract Art

“So,” asked their art teacher, “what do you think this painting means?”

Wandering Robots

Everything about NB-317 was made of cardboard except his heart—that was made of flesh and blood and very capable of being broken.

Dream Come True

It all started when Quinn watched her favorite movie the night before they assigned partners for the eighth grade science fair project.

Mysterious Cave

The cave was unlike anything we’d ever seen before, and what was more, it almost seemed like the rock was alive.

Storm at Sea

As the rain lashed his face and lightning tore apart the sky, Kiran had to admit he’d always thought it would be a lot more fun being a pirate.

Grasshopper Close-Up

That’s when Javed realized it wasn’t that the grasshopper was too big—it was that he was suddenly very, very small.

UFO Parking

“Well, that’s convenient,” Javdok remarked to Qabow when they saw the sign.   

High school writers are ready to dig deep, exploring character development and detailed plots. These pictures offer a jumping-off point to set their imaginations free.

Cyborg Girl

When she was 14, Tasha’s parents finally told her the truth about what she really was.

BBQ Cookout

“So, I’m guessing no one told you I’m a vegetarian?” asked Sadie with a smile.

The latest app was like a time machine, allowing people to look back in time, but it also had a dark side.

She was surrounded by people but never felt more alone.

Hippo Troubles

Like all parents, hippos sometimes really need a break from their kids.

iPad Farmer

Grandpa Jack never failed to surprise us.

Marching Band Blues

Kaleel sat sadly on the bench, watching the rest of the band march away in jaunty time to the music.

Never-Ending Tunnel

The tunnel seemed to stretch to infinity, but Jayma knew what was at the end, and it terrified her.

Carving Out Love

For years, we wondered who “WP” was, and who it was who loved them so much they carved it into a tree for all to see.

Glowing Globe

Just then, the globe began to glow, and Jaxson knew he was about to leap through space and time once again—destination unknown.

See No Evil

It seemed like a funny joke to pose the skeletons in front of old Mrs. Petoski’s house, but then she turned up dead, and the police said it was murder.

Upside Down

It’s an odd feeling to wake up one morning and find yourself able to walk on the ceiling.

Face at the Fence

So much depended on which side of the fence you were on.

Bicycle Race

Finley had trained too hard for this race to come in third—it just wasn’t good enough.

Family Travels

In the picture, my grandmother’s expression is hard to interpret, but she’s told me the story many times.

Laundromat Antics

Dani never expected to meet her first love feet first.

Molly’s mom probably didn’t mean for her to be the one to find the note, but that’s how things turned out.

Through the Storm

Javier knew it would have been smarter to stay put, but he had to make sure his mom was safe before the worst of the storm arrived.

Lifetime Friends

They’d been friends for as long as they could remember—even longer, in fact.

Stray Kitten

“I am NOT taking you home with me,” Kai told the tiny mewling kitten firmly.

Abandoned Greenhouse

Willow was free to leave at any time, but she couldn’t make herself go.

Amani’s earliest memory was razor wire—miles and miles of it.

Church Graveyard

Everyone feels differently in a graveyard, but for me, they’re very peaceful places.

Orb of Death

“Do you really want to know?” Death asked. “Because once you know, you won’t be able to forget.”

Missed Shot

Steve was sure his shot would make it, but it bounced off the rim just as the buzzer rang to end the game.

First Contact

This was it—the moment that would change what it meant to be human forever.

One Life To Live

His face said his life had been a hard one, but his eyes told a different tale.

Winter Walk

Snow fell, creating a blank canvas to record the story of that fateful walk.

Train to Nowhere

It certainly wasn’t the most luxurious way to travel, but then again, no one really wanted to make this trip in the first place.

Modern Mary Poppins

She dropped into our lives on a gray day in midwinter, a hint of the spring that was to come.

All That Remains

Dust motes filled the air of the abandoned hallway, replacing the voices once heard there.

From the day he found the little creature, Luis refused to go anywhere without him.

The Question

Their happily ever after began quietly, with a bouquet of wildflowers.

Night Lights

Misty rain both blurred and emphasized the lights that lit Suri’s way home that evening.

Forest of Fear

At first, Mateo thought it was a joke, but the screams that followed told him there was nothing remotely funny about it.

At the elite level, being a spy meant serious commitments.

The Yellow Door

On their 14th birthday, every resident of Fresnia was required to stand before the Wall of Doors and make a choice.

Graffiti Palace

To strangers, it seemed random, but every mark on those walls had deep meaning for us.

Fossil Fish

Millions of years ago, the fish gave one final flop before lying still in the deep mud.

On the Rails

Aliyah stood on the tracks, uncertain of where to go next.

These picture prompts are all works of art, some more well known than others. Try providing them to students without sharing the titles first, then offer up the titles if they need some help getting started.

The Dance Class (Edgar Degas)

Greek Funerary Plaque (520-510 BCE)

Washington Crossing the Delaware (Emanuel Leutze)

Kyōsai’s Pictures of One Hundred Demons

First Steps, After Millet (Vincent van Gogh)

Lady Lilith (Dante Gabriel Rossetti)

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (Georges Seurat)

After the Hurricane, Bahamas (Winslow Homer)

Drawing Lots for Prizes (Kitagawa Utamaro)

Portions of Field Armor (Jacob Halder)

Sadie Pfeifer, a Cotton Mill Spinner (Lewis Wickes Hine)

Still Life With Monkey, Fruits, and Flowers (Jean Baptiste Oudry)

Man Leading a Giraffe, 5th Century Byzantine

The Three Skulls (Paul Cézanne)

The Madame B Album (Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier)

Coiled Trumpet in the Form of a Snarling Feline Face (c. 100 BCE to 500 CE)

Crazy Quilt With Animals (Florence Elizabeth Marvin)

Storytime (Eugenio Zampighi)

Cubist Village (Georges Gaudion)

Zig-Zag Passenger and Freight Train (Unknown)

The Power of Music (William Sidney Mount)

The Large Tree (Paul Gauguin)

After the Bath (Mary Cassatt)

Wedding Gown (Korea, Late 1800s)

The Contemplator (Eugène Carrière)

The Girl I Left Behind Me (Eastman Johnson)

24c Curtiss Jenny Invert Single

Creeping Baby Doll Patent Model

Wrecked Zeppelin (British Library)

Skeleton (Tales of Terror Frontispiece)

Get Your Free Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides

Just click the button below to fill out the form and get instant access to free downloadable Picture Writing Prompts Google Slides with all the prompts included above.

How do you use picture writing prompts in your classroom? Come share ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

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Creative Writing Tasks for KS1 Students

Subject: Creative writing

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

7 March 2016

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The Fiction Collection

This collection doesn’t need much of an introduction from me… These are brilliant images to inspire brilliantly creative writing.

The questions are included because ‘reading and writing float on a sea of talk’ (Britton, 1983) – the quality ideas, language and structures come from a rich discussion of the picture and the possibilities for writing.

This sheet is a good starting point for generating ideas: See think wonder , and this one is great for collecting and developing vocabulary: Vocabulary builder .

Credit: Tim O’Brien

• What can you see? What do you think? What do you wonder? Discuss and/or record your ideas here: See think wonder .
• Who – or what – smashed the glass?
• Was the frog there before, or did it enter the frame afterwards?
• Why are there water droplets inside the frame?
• Who holds the key?
• Why is there a tag reading ‘Prince’?
• Is the frog a prince?
• Why is the title ‘ A  Prince’? Why not ‘ The  Prince’? What’s the difference? (Y3 grammar link)
• Does this remind you of any stories you know? How is it similar/different?
• Write this story – choose your perspective, style and structure. Do you want your story to feel like a fairy tale? How will you make yours stand out?

Credit: Erik Johansson

• What is happening here?
• What was the girl doing before this? How do you know?
• Why are the ants angry?
• Did she fall over or get pulled over by the ants?
• What is she saying? What is she thinking? How is she feeling?
• Does anyone know that she’s there?
• What do you think is going to happen?
• Write a short narrative of this event. Try to create tension through your sentence and language choices. Choose what you want your reader to feel and check that you have achieved this by reading your writing to someone else. [Or, better still, comment it here and I’ll respond!]
• Slow writing challenge (to support with/extend the above task): You can only write 9 sentences. You can use 2 long, 4 medium and 3 short sentences. Which order will you use them in? Experiment with the different sentence lengths and structures. Once you have written a piece that you’re proud of, explain your sentence choices and the effect you wanted them to have. Find this challenge and examples here: Angry Ants slow writing .

INVISIBLE MAN

Credit: Franco Matticchio

• What can you see?
• Who is the Invisible Man? Why is he invisible?
• Why is he carrying someone in his briefcase? Who is that? How did he get there? Is he trying to get out? Does the Invisible Man know that he’s there?
• Where is he going?
• Tell this story.

THE SUMMONER

Credit: Jakub Rozalski

• What can you see? Look closer.
• What/who is the figure in the mist?
• How did it get there?
• What does it do?
• Are there more of them?
• Who is the person standing on the cliff top?
• What are they doing?
• What is their story?
• Share the title & meaning of ‘summon’ – who is ‘The Summoner’? How do you know?
• Where do you think this could be?

KEEPER OF THE KEYS

Credit: Lena Gnedkova

• Who is the person? Are they the ‘keeper of the keys’? Give evidence to support your opinions. Have they always been the keeper of the keys? How did they become this? Do you need to have certain qualities or qualifications to be the keeper? Is it a good thing? How does this person feel about being keeper of the keys?
• Why is this person wearing one key around their neck?
• Why are there keys hanging from this branch? Why is the branch connecting two trees? How?
• Why are the keys glowing? What do the white lines on the branches and the ground represent?
• Where is this place? Is it special? Do the keys  have  to be kept here? Why?
• Does anyone else come here?
• How does the ‘keeper of the keys’ get these keys? Why do the keys need to be ‘kept’?
• What is each key for? Choose a key and tell its story.

POST-APOCALYPTIC NYC

Credit: Henrik Evensen

• Describe this setting. Try to use new and adventurous vocabulary e.g. decay, desolation, vacant, shrouded in fine dust, smog, splintered metal, deafening silence…
• An apocalypse is a great disaster; an event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale. What happened here? What caused the destruction of New York City? When did it happen?
• Is it only NYC, or does it go further? (Locate NYC on a map, discuss the cause and how far it would spread.)
• Who is the person? Are they riding a horse? Where did they come from? How did they survive? Is that the only survivor?

THE STORY OF THE GIANTS

© Shaun Tan ‘The Arrival’ Lothian Books/Hachette Australia

• Who are the giants?
• Where did they come from?
• What are they doing? Why?
• Why are the people running away?
• Why do the giants need lights in their helmets? Why are they wearing helmets and overalls?
• How do you feel towards them? Why do you think this is?
• Tell ‘The Story of The Giants’. What kind of story will it be? How will it end?

YOU’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT

Credit: Tyler Carter

• Who are the people?
• Where is this?
• Where did the T-Rex come from?
• What are the characters thinking?
• What do you think will happen next?

• What do the tentacles belong to?
• How do the man and the dog feel about it? How do you know?
• Was the man expecting to see this behind the door?
• Who opened the door?
• What will happen next?
• Tell this story. What form will your story take? (Could you wr

CAPTAIN NEMO

Credit: Burda

• Who is onboard the ship?
• Who is Captain Nemo?
• Where did the robot come from?
• What is it doing?
• Why is it in the water? Will the water damage it?
• How would you feel if you were on the ship?

OLD MAN OF THE WOODS

Credit: Matt Dixon

• What is the ogre doing? Why?
• Why is there a glowing light over the flower? Where is it coming from?
• What do you think is in the pouches on the ogre’s bag strap?
• Why were the children in the woods?
• Does he know that they are watching him?
• Do the children want him to know that they’re there?
• Does this remind you of any other stories you know? Why? What’s similar and what’s different?
• Write this story in the style of a fairytale. Who will be your main character/protagonist(s)?
• Are ogres normally good or bad characters? Find as many examples as possible before you draw any conclusions.

MOON GARDEN

Credit: Jen Betton

• What is the boy doing?
• Who are the other people in the background?
• Where are they?
• What time of day is it? How do you know?
• Why are the people all here so late?
• Why does one man have his arm in the air? Why does a woman have her hand to her face? What might they be saying?
• Can you tell anything about how the boy is feeling?
• What is he going to do with the flower?
• Why is the picture called ‘Moon Garden’?
• After discussing and exploring the picture, share the following two and use them to tell the story.

AFTERNOON STROLL

Credit: Matt Dixon

• Who is the person?
• Where are they going?
• What are they carrying?
• Do they know what’s behind them?
• Describe the creature behind them. [Look at the eyes, the fangs, the scales…] What is it? Where did it come from? Was it there all along?
• What is it going to do?
• Describe the moment when the person realises that there is something behind them – try to build the atmosphere and make the reader feel tense. How do they find out? [rumbling? growling? a single rock bouncing across their path?] How will they react?
• Tell this story. What structure will your story take? When does this scene happen?

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE THE NIGHT

Credit: Borda

• Describe the trees. Can you use a simile/metaphor/personification?
• What animals might you find here?
• Who do you think took this photograph?  Why are the trees all around and above them?
• Why isn’t there any colour in this photograph?
• How does this image make you feel?
• What kind of story would this setting suit? Why?
• Write a spooky story using this setting; use the title of the image as the title for your story.
• Write a fairy tale using this setting.
• Write from the perspective of one of the trees.

DRAGON HUNTER

Credit: Ryan Lang

• Who is this?
• Why do they have a sword?
• Where did the dragon come from?
• What kind of dragon is it?
• Why are there skeletons on the ground?
• How is the person feeling?
• Write your own myth or legend inspired by this picture.

Credit: Jungho Le

• Who is the old lady?
• What is she doing?
• What is the shadow? Why isn’t it the same silhouette as her?
• How does she feel as she’s looking at this shadow? What might she be remembering?
• Why is it in a book?
• Why did Jungho Le call this picture ‘Fall’?
• What world events has she lived through?
• What changes has she seen?
• What was her childhood like?
• Is she alone now? Has she always been alone? Was she ever married? Did she have children?
• What are her favourite memories?
• What’s her personality like? How will you show this through the writing?
• How might you structure your story?

LIGHTHOUSE TOWN

• What happened here?
• Why are the buildings under water?
• Why are the lights still on in the buildings?
• Who is the person on the street below? What are they doing there?
• Why did they build a lighthouse in the middle of a town?
• Why is the girl standing on top of the lighthouse?
• What is the ‘break’ in the sky?
• Tell the story of the Lighthouse Town.

Picture Prompts For Writing: A teacher's guide

February 3, 2022

How can we use images to develop and scaffold the writing process for children?

Main, P (2022, February 03). Picture Prompts For Writing: A teacher's guide. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/picture-prompts-for-writing-a-teachers-guide

What are picture prompts for writing?

Everything that makes a learner is already in children. Unlocking and developing this potential is one of the most significant rewards as instructors. Children are born with an innate ability to learn, but it takes time and effort to develop their natural skills.

Children have all the skills to be enviably creative because they are naturally interested, energetic, driven, spontaneous and exploratory. In this article, we will look at how simple visuals can be manipulated into different manifestations to generate ideas. This playful approach can fuel the creative writing process and be incorporated into all kinds of student writing. 

Our job is to help each kid discover and develop their unique talents while also allowing them to do so from a position of strength. Simple imagery can create new thoughts that act as writing prompts. Whatever type of writing you are developing, an intriguing image can generate story ideas to spur on child imagination. The key to helping each kid flourish is providing a secure atmosphere in which innate talents may grow, develop, and mature.

Why should we use picture prompts in KS1 literacy?

Children benefit significantly from visual cues in their quest to make sense of the world around them. Picture writing prompts can help a child add more meaning to their work and put them on a path to developing the art of writing. Whether your school is trying to embrace a daily writing challenge or advance non-fiction writing, picture writing prompts are a very useful utility. In recent years, Dual coding has received a lot of attention and it has shone the light on the importance of incorporating pictures in all kinds of writing. Descriptive writing assignments can also benefit from inspiring images that help pupils generate new adjectives. 

Using a wide variety of ever-evolving skills and expertise, images can…

• Invoke recollections
• Develop vocabulary
• Generate fresh ideas ideas
• Sequence and organize ideas
• Assist memory
• Develop imagination
• Encourage us to "think beyond the box.

How should we use picture prompts?

A simple image or series of photographs might prompt children to describe what they see. Amazing images are waiting to be explored using rich language. This type of generative activity can very quickly help young school children find the words they will use in a piece of writing. Argumentative writing can be developed with pictures that cause someone to take a certain position. This conflict can be discussed through Oracy activities acting as the perfect writing stimulus. 

Fear of giving an incorrect response is eliminated by opening the assignment to interpretation . The children will believe that this is a secure place to express their creative thinking without fear of consequences. Talk is the prerequisite for personal writing as children discover what they believe by entertaining different perspectives. 

Encourage pupils by asking:

• Can you locate a picture of anything you like?
• What do you think you've noticed so far?
• What is it, exactly?
• Is there anything else it may be?

Children will soon be talking, reasoning , and explaining due to this process. For children who don't want to talk, we can show them how to make observations, play with words, and develop imaginative ideas. They'll develop the confidence to join their friends and give it a go on their own in due time.

Sequencing picture prompts for structuring writing

Fantasy images are very useful for stimulating new ideas but the photos don't always have to be stunning images. Simple icons available from sites like the Noun Project can be used instead of complex imagery that might distract the child away from the task at hand. These visual writing prompts are often one colour and represent one idea. As pupils place the image next to another they often combine the meanings and generate new ideas. This can act as a very effective story starter for even the youngest children. Having a collection of story picture prompts in your top draw will mean that you'll always have new ideas ready to be forged.

How do we go about using a simple photo prompt to structure writing? Request that the children select two or three photographs that they like or find fascinating.

You may then use a simple yet engaging statement to link these images.

For example:

'A big dinosaur once went into a dark wood and discovered a magical potion.'

Celebrate the children's innovative ideas that they came up with, which you then expressed aloud. Children can then choose two or three additional images they like and explore them by linking them. You should expect to hear them discussing the photographs in various ways shortly after you introduce them. Using their speed, they can connect and expand their thoughts .

It is possible to create high expectations for vocabulary and creative content in young children as early as the stages of language development allow for sensitive inquiry.

• What do you think will happen next?
• What are their options?
• What are their movements like?
• What are their emotions?
• What's the best way to put it?

By linking more and more photos, children may build on this .

As time goes on, they'll be able to compose whole stories, poems, and recounts that enable them to immerse themselves in their creativity and communicate the fascinating worlds they possess in their thoughts.

Picture prompts can help build tomorrow's enthusiastic writers

Utilising imagery into a daily writing habit is not cheating. We are utilising a different medium to help pupils order and combine their thoughts ready for writing. Children will remember good experiences like this for the rest of their lives, creating a formative sense of what it means to be a writer. If you are interested in this process and want to explore other areas relating to this practice you might want to read our other articles on:

• Dual coding
• Dialogic teaching
• Colourful semantics
• Critical thinking
• Graphic organisers

Picture prompts can be a powerful tool in the classroom, particularly when it comes to fostering the creative process and encouraging reluctant writers. Visual prompts can stimulate the creative juices, providing a springboard for all types of writing, from personal writing to more advanced non-fiction writing.

Here are ten ideas to help teachers use pictures more effectively to promote writing across primary and secondary schools:

• Sentence Starters: Use a simple picture as a sentence starter. Ask students to write a sentence or paragraph about what's happening in the image.
• Storytelling: Encourage students to create a story based on a picture. This can be a great way to stimulate creative writing prompts.
• Descriptive Writing: Choose an image with a lot of detail and ask students to write a descriptive piece of writing about what they see.
• Compare and Contrast: Provide two images and ask students to write about how they are similar and different.
• Personal Connection: Ask students to choose a picture that resonates with them and write about why it's meaningful to them.
• Predicting: Show students an image and ask them to write about what they think will happen next.
• Non-fiction Writing: Use images related to a topic you're studying in class and ask students to write a non-fiction piece based on the image.
• Character Development: Use a picture of a person or animal and ask students to create a character profile based on the image.
• Emotion Writing: Choose an image that conveys a strong emotion and ask students to write about what the people in the picture might be feeling.
• Structure Writing: Use a series of pictures to help students structure a longer piece of writing, with each image representing a different part of the story.

Remember, the goal is to use visual prompts as aids in writing, to inspire and engage all kinds of student writing. The more you can make the process interactive and fun, the more your students will be motivated to write.

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Classroom Practice

• Image Prompts

85+ Picture Writing Prompts For Kids (+ Free Printable)

A picture is worth a thousand words. So how many words can you write for these 85 picture writing prompts for kids and grow-ups alike! Pictures, whether something as simple as an apple or as complex as an action scene can spark the imagination in more ways than one.

Of course, when looking at pictures you can take the literal route, and describe whatever you see in front of you. Or you can explore your imagination, and think about the ‘What Ifs..’ of a picture. What if that person is actually upset? What if this picture is of a broken family? What if the world looked like this years ago? A picture can have so many hidden meanings and can hide so many secrets. The slightest detail could mean everything. Just imagine you’re a detective solving a crime from one picture alone. Examine every detail, write it down and think why? Only then can you fully understand a picture.

For more inspiration take part in our daily picture writing prompt challenge . Each day you will be given a new picture prompt to write about.

Picture Prompt Generator

In this post, we have included a mix of simple pictures, story picture prompts, photographs, fantasy images and even some action-packed images.

You can find the complete list of our picture writing prompts below. We’ve also created a smaller PDF version that includes 30 random picture prompts. Download the printable PDF here .

You might also be interested in the following posts:

• 30 Christmas Pictures To Get You Writing ‘Tis Jolly Season
• 25+ Halloween Image Prompts For Mastering Horror Stories
• How to Use Image prompts To Inspire You

150 Picture Prompts To Inspire

Over 85 picture prompts for creative writing, story-telling and descriptive writing assignments:

How to Use these Prompts

Picture prompts are the perfect writing stimulus especially when you hit writer’s block . Here are a number of ways you can use these picture writing prompts to spark your imagination:

• Descriptive Writing: Directly describe everything you see in extreme detail. You could even go beyond the physical appearance of things, and explore your other senses, such as smell, hear, feel and taste.
• Story-Telling: Pick just one image, and tell a whole story based on this one image.
• Story Starter: Similarly you can pick one image, and use it as the starting place of your story.
• Collaborative Story-Telling: In a group of 5 – 7 students, each student can have a random picture. The first student uses their picture as the story starter, and then the next student continues the story based on their own image. Keep going until the final student ends the story.
• Idea Generation: Pick one image and try to think of at least 3 story ideas related to that one image. 
• Daily Writing Challenge: Give your students 7 images, and tell them to write a description for each image every day. 

These are just some ways to use images as writing prompts. You can also check our post on 8 fun story-telling games using image prompts for more ideas.  Did you find our picture writing prompts useful? Let us know in the comments below!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Using Picture Prompts For Writing - KS1 Literacy Tool

"Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination" - Walt Disney.

Children have, naturally within them, everything which makes a learner.  As teachers, we have the joy of unlocking and nurturing this potential. 

Blessed with being effortlessly curious, excitable, motivated, spontaneous, experimental and uncomplicated, children have all the tools required to be enviably creative.

We are tasked with providing the opportunity for each child to use these unique skills, purposefully and from their own individual starting point. Providing a safe environment where innate gifts can grow, develop and mature is key to enabling each child to thrive.

Why should we use picture prompts in KS1 literacy?

Visual stimuli helps children to understand their world.

By consolidating and building on a wide range of ever-developing skills and knowledge, pictures can…

• Invoke memories
• Develop vocabulary 
• Conjure new and exciting ideas
• Sequence and organise ideas
• Develop imagination
• Help us ‘think outside the box’.

How should we use picture prompts?

Ask children to look at a picture, or a selection of simple pictures, and tell you something about what they see.

By making the task open to interpretation, any fear of providing a ‘wrong’ answer is alleviated. The children will feel that this is a safe space for their creativity and imagination to be unleashed, without consequence.

Encourage the children with questions such as:

• Can you find a picture of something you like?
• What do you notice?  
• What could it be?
• What else could it be?

This process will soon get children talking, thinking and explaining.

For those children that are reluctant to talk, we can model the process of making observations, experimenting with vocabulary and expressing imaginative ideas. Soon, they will build the confidence to join their friends and try for themselves.

Ask children to choose two or three pictures which they like, or find interesting.

You can then model connecting these pictures together, with a simple but interesting sentence.

For example:

‘Once upon a time a large dinosaur wandered into a dark wood where he found a magic potion.’

Celebrate the children’s creative ideas which they thought of, but you said out loud.

Children can then choose two or three more pictures they like and experiment with connecting them together.

They’ll soon be talking about the pictures and forming ideas, connections and using a range of vocabulary. They can practice connecting and extending ideas at their own pace.

Sensitive questioning can extend thinking and, even from the earliest stages of language development, promote high expectations of vocabulary and creative content.

• What might happen next?
• Where could they go?
• How do they move?
• How do they feel?
• How can you describe it?

Children can build on this by connecting more and more pictures.

Soon, they’ll be successfully forming whole stories, poems and recounts which allow them to immerse themselves in their imagination and express the wonderful worlds they hold in their heads.

Picture prompts create early confidence with literacy and help to build the enthusiastic writers of tomorrow.

Positive experiences like these will stay with children forever, building a formative understanding of what being a writer is all about. 

Through empathetic, fun and liberating creative tasks, we teach even the youngest children to own language, without restrictions. After all, the world is their oyster, and they are more than capable of harnessing these skills – we just need to plant the seed.

Listen to the mustn’ts, child Listen to the don’ts Listen to the shouldn’ts, the  Impossibles, the wont’s. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.

-Shel Silverstein

Mighty writer can make a significant difference to childrens understanding of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation.

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• Literacy Use Images In English Lessons

Creative writing pictures – Using images in English lessons

A well-chosen image can be an invaluable teaching tool…

Using creative writing pictures in English lessons can support vocabulary development, foster inference and critical thinking. It can also support the generation of ideas, among other valuable benefits.

How, though, can we as educators select a great supporting image that results in learners experiencing these kinds of benefits? 

Focusing in 

Often, we can get bamboozled by the content of a topic. We’re trying to inspire our imaginative learners to create an incredible piece of work. For this reason we put lots of thought into how to enthuse them to write about a topic.

The challenge that then occurs, time and time again, is how to maintain that excitement and sustain the momentum of pupils’ written output. 

Let’s say the purpose of the image is to be a focal point for writing a non-chronological report about a particular topic. As a teacher, you’re unlikely to provide a blank sheet of paper and ask the children to write something, completely unprompted. (Unless you are, for example, trying to obtain an unaided writing sample for assessment purposes.) 

What you will most likely do, is think about how you can use an introduction (and in this case, an image) to connect the learning with prior experience. You want to scaffold not only the content that the child is about to write, but the literacy requirements they will need to produce a successful report. 

Scaffolding 

Hammond and Gibbons (2005) explain scaffolding as follows: 

“…teachers need to provide temporary supporting structures to assist learners to develop new understandings, new concepts, and new abilities. As the learner acquires these skills, so teachers need to withdraw that support, only to provide further support for extended or new tasks, understandings and concepts.” 

When we scaffold learning we consider the building blocks needed for learners to reach their next steps; thus, every image we select to support learning needs to provide this kind of support. Image is one of many ways to scaffold learning. Using images as a foundation for scaffolding provides a powerful structure within which learners can produce their final piece of writing.  

Image is central to my work as an educator and author. I’ve developed an effective scaffold for using images to support the development of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact it can have, and how beneficial it can be within the right setting. I’ve observed learners make a reading age improvement of 14 months over a six-month period.  

So let’s consider how you might select an image and use this as a scaffold for moving learning from speaking and listening into reading and writing. 

Choosing creative writing pictures

Try to pick a single image that really encompasses the topic the children will be writing about. Remember to consider a range of sources. These could range from video stills and screenshots to posters or postcards. You might even choose a graph or a collection of infographics.  

Think carefully about what aspect of the creative writing pictures you will ask the children to focus on. What prompt should it give them?

You could, for example, select just one part of the image and present it as a mystery to be solved. Or you could display creative writing pictures that show only half a story. Ask the children to think about and write down what might happen next. Pictures of favourite characters can also be great starting points. 

Presenting creative writing pictures

Consider beginning with a plenary activity. Display your chosen image and ask the children to consider certain questions that you will raise about it in the later lesson. In this way they will have the opportunity to think about the image ahead of time. 

Pre-learning can be used as a stepping stone for children who find literacy challenging. It’s ideal for low-level literacy learners and those who have English as an additional language, as well as SEND students. 

Speaking and listening  

If possible, give each child a copy of the image to use during the lesson; tell them it’s their own special source of inspiration. 

Ask the children about the image. Your questions should be crafted carefully, to inspire them to engage in discussion about what they can see. The point here is to start getting them thinking about not just the image, but the vocabulary around it. 

Moving to reading  

Consider a shared read of a model answer that is based on the image. You can also use videos or real objects related to your chosen image to stimulate even more discussion and, potentially, new vocabulary. 

If we want learners to write something incredible, we need to provoke debate around the topic. We also need to offer great reading text models to scaffold next steps.

Make sure that when modelling a text you offer children the opportunity to rehearse reading it. You can also encourage them to change parts of it with reference to the image. This is so that they can make it ‘their own’, whilst keeping within the structure of the original model.  

Moving to writing  

The final step in this process is for learners to take the image and model for reference, and rehearse their own texts ahead of writing.

This should keep them focused on the topic (inspired by the image) while maintaining a structure. Writing is creative, and this is the children’s time to shine, following lots of modelling.  

The power of images in teaching reading and writing cannot be overstated. Opportunities to use images as a focus for speaking, listening, reading and writing are limitless.

However, finding the right image with the right structure of support around it can make all the difference to a learner’s inspiration, motivation, output and ultimately, success.  

Caroline Scott is and EAL author and educator. She is the founder of Across Cultures and creator of the Learning Village programme . Caroline delivers training on EAL in schools in the UK and overseas. Browse more creative writing prompts . 

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70 Picture Prompts for Creative Writing (with Free Slides)

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Visual writing prompts help young writers generate new ideas and overcome writer’s block. We’ve put together 70 picture prompts for creative writing that you can use in your writing centers or lesson plans to get your students’ creative juices flowing.

Picture Writing Prompts for All Ages

Writers of all ages and experience levels can get stuck thinking about what to write. Writer’s block is not just a challenge for reluctant writers. Even professional writers have days when they feel less than inspired.

Visual prompts can result in a vast array of story ideas. A single image viewed by ten writers will result in ten completely different stories. Even if you use verbal cues to get students thinking about the picture, each student will still write a unique response to the image.

Visual creative writing prompts are fantastic for elementary school because younger students often relate more to a pictorial prompt than a written one, but don’t shy away from using these with high school and middle school students as well. Pictures make a fun alternative to your typical writing prompts and story starters and can help shake up your regular routine.

How to Use Picture Prompts for Creative Writing

There’s no limit to the ways you can use writing prompts. Here are some of our favorite ways to incorporate image prompts into your weekly lesson plans .

• Writing Center. Print cards or writing pages with these images on them and put them in a writing center for your students to discover at their own pace.
• Specific Skills. Use story picture prompts to help kids work on specific writing skills. For example, you could work on descriptive writing by having them describe the setting of the picture in detail. Or you could work on character development by having them make up a history for a person in a picture.
• Warm-up Activity: You could pop the pictures into Google slides and project an image on a screen or whiteboard for the first fifteen minutes of class and have students work on a short story as soon as they enter the class.

No matter how you decide to use them—whether at home or in the classroom—photographic writing prompts are a great way to cultivate a daily writing habit and encourage kids to explore new topics.

70 Pictures for Writing Prompts

We’ve selected 70 of the most interesting pictures we could find for this exercise. When choosing photos for writing prompts, we look for high-quality photos with intriguing subject matter, but we try to go beyond that. We want to share images that suggest a story, that make the viewer ask questions and wonder why things are the way they are.

We want to feel propelled to explore questions like, What happened before the photo that led to this moment? What are we witnessing in this photo? What’s about to happen?

A photo doesn’t make much of a story starter if it doesn’t suggest that there might be a bigger picture lurking beneath the surface.

We hope you and your students love these picture prompts for creative writing as much as we do. If you love them, go ahead and scroll to the bottom to grab your own copy.

We’ve included a couple of questions with each picture that you could use to spark pre-writing conversations in your classroom, which can be helpful when working with younger students who might need a little more direction.

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Whose cat is this? What is he looking at? Where is he?

What is the owl thinking about? Is he alone? What does he hope to eat for dinner?

Who are these frogs? What is their relationship with each other? Why are they taking photos?

How did the dog get a phone? Why is he taking selfies? What is he doing with the pictures he takes?

This cat doesn’t look too happy. What’s bugging him? Did he get too many phone calls or is he waiting on an important call that’s taking too long to come?

What do these chicks think of the dog? What does the dog think of the chicks? Do you think they can communicate with each other? If so, what would they say?

Where do these lemurs live? What are they looking at? What is something unusual that might happen to them?

What is this fox doing? Is he yawning and stretching or is he trying to scare someone away? What kind of mischief does he like to get up to?

Is this wolf alone? If not, who is with him? What is he planning to do? Does he have a family to feed or protect?

What is this child doing on the laptop? Can he actually read and type or is he just playing? If he can read and type, how did he learn that at such a young age? What other cool things can he do?

Where is this woman? Is she lost? How did she get to this street? What interesting things might she discover as she explores this new city?

Why is the dog wearing glasses? Can he see through them? What are he and the girl doing? How does he feel about it?

Who are these two little boys? What is their relationship with each other? What is the teddy bear’s story?

Who are these children? Why are they running? Is it a race or are they playing a game? Who’s going to win?

Whose horse is this? Does the little boy own it or does he just visit it? Can the horse talk? How does the boy feel when he’s with the horse?

What is this boy reading? Does the book have magical powers? Does the boy? Do the stories in the book become real or does something else special happen?

Where is this man? How did he get there? What is he looking for?

Who is walking over the bridge? What’s on the other side? Is it worth the risk?

What are these people doing on the elephant? Where are they? Are they tourists or is the elephant their pet? What would life with an elephant be like?

Who made this map? It looks old. Has it been hidden away for a long time? Who discovered it and how? What does it lead to?

Whose typewriter is this? What important or secretive thing might they be working on? What could happen if the wrong person finds their work?

Who are these three stuffed animals? Are they living? What is their story?

Whose ukulele is this? Why did they leave it here? Who might find it?

Where is the owner of the bike? Where does this path lead? What if the bike’s not there when the owner returns?

Whose shoes are these? Why did they leave them here? Why are they so dirty?

Who was reading the newspaper? What was the most interesting thing they read? Where have they disappeared to?

Who put this sign on the old truck? What do you think of it? How did the truck end up in its current condition and location?

Who set the table? Who are they expecting? What special occasion are they celebrating? What could go wrong?

Whose birthday cake is this? Are they having a party? Who is there? Who did they want to have there that didn’t show up?

Who lives here? How do they access their home? What is their life like?

Who built the igloo? Where is it? How does it feel to spend the night inside it?

What is the history of this castle? Who lives in it now? Does it have any special or magical features?

Is this barn abandoned or do people live on the property? What kind of animals might live here? How do they keep themselves entertained?

What is it like living on a houseboat? What kind of community do you think forms among the neighbors? Imagine you live on one of these boats and think about how your daily life might change. What interesting things could you do if you lived here? What would you miss the most?

Where is this hut? Who lives here? What mystery might unfold if a stranger came knocking at their door?

What is this lighthouse called? Who runs it? How often do they leave? What is the most memorable experience they’ve had as a lighthouse operator?

How did this house get here? Does anyone live in it? What would life be like here?

Where is this festive street? Are the people there celebrating something? Where is everybody?

Who lives here? How did they build this house? Are they hiding from something? What does it look like inside?

Whose notebook is this? Why did they leave it here? What’s written in it and how might it change the life of the person who finds it?

What are these women doing? What are they supposed to be doing? Will they be in trouble if they get caught?

Who might be represented in this statue? Why is she being pulled by lions? What amazing things might she have done to deserve a statue in this prominent place?

Where is this? Who is riding in the hot air balloons? Where are they going and why?

How old is this tree? Where is it? What are some of the most fascinating stories it could tell?

Where is this carousel? Who is riding it? Can you think of a special or strange story about how it came to exist in this particular place?

What are these people thinking about? What’s at stake for them? What happens if one of them sneezes?

Where are these penguins? What are they talking about? Which one of them is the leader?

What is this place? Was it designed to be open like this or was it once part of someone’s home or a public building? How have people’s opinions of this place changed over time?

Who are these kids? Is this what they’re supposed to be doing? What happens when their teacher sees them?

Who is supposed to ride in this boat? Where are they going? Will they make it there?

Is this plane special to someone? What did they have to do to get it/build it? Where will they fly to in it?

Who decorated this train car? Which passengers will fill it up? What will they talk about?

Whose skis are these? Why are they sticking out of the snow? How did their owner get down the mountain without them?

Where does this gondola go? Who rides it? How does it feel to ride it?

Who’s driving the monster truck? Why is it at the beach? What is it going to crush? Who is watching?

Where is the boat going? Who is on it? What is their mission?

What city is the helicopter flying over? Why? Is the driver looking for something specific or do they have a special delivery?

What’s the little boy doing in the boat? Is he alone or is someone with him? Where is he trying to go?

Who is in the sub? What’s it like inside? What are they doing?

Whose book is this? What’s it about? What’s happening to it?

How did that piece of land with the house on it break off from the rest of the world? Why? Where is it going? Is anyone in the house?

Who is this girl? Where is she? Who is she shooting at?

Where does this scene take place? Is the lizard/dragon good or bad? What is its relationship with the girl?

What do these books represent? What kind of world is this? What (or who) is inside the books?

What are these dinosaurs discussing? Where are they? What do they do for fun?

Whose cottage is this? Do they still live there? If not, where have they gone? If so, what do they do there?

What is the moth thinking about? Is it alone? What’s the biggest challenge it faces in this moment?

Who is the owl looking at? Has it read these books? What is its greatest talent?

Where are these trees? Why are they pink? Do they have any special powers or features?

What do you think? Which kind of pictures do you like best for creative writing prompts ? Let us know in the comments.

Tuesday 5th of March 2024

I LOVE these! My daughter has always struggled with written story prompts and an internet search this week convinced me of the value of picture prompts for reluctant readers/writers (https://youcanjournal.com/journal-picture-prompts/ if you're interested!). I'll definitely be using these to help improve her writing skills. Thanks so much!

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

I think the idea of using picture prompts is a great idea. It initiates oral language thus building vocabulary. It allows lends itself to students working in small groups to stimulate new ideas. The prompts engage the students and gives the teacher the opportunity to focus on specific writing skills.

luke elford

Wednesday 13th of December 2023

cloey mckay

Tuesday 17th of October 2023

I tried this with myself and my 6th-grade students, and they love it. it gives room for so much creativity.

Nayyar Abbas

Tuesday 30th of May 2023

This is very good idea and it really works, viewing these one try to think one's own way that what these pictures are telling or asking? I also recommend that this idea should also be given to the students for building their creative instinct.

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20 Free Picture Writing Prompts for kids with Vocabulary

Is your child struggling with their writing? We have made these fun and engaging picture writing prompts along with word bank to give them push with their writing skills. These writing prompts focus on building kids writing, spelling and vocabulary skills. 

Writing is such an important task for children. To make writing fun for children we have made this amazing writing prompts to support child story writing and narrative skills. Each page contains a picture along with vocabulary that will help children to write about the picture. Once children finish writing they can colour the picture to make their work more attractive.

The pages are full of different fun and creative ideas to let children imagination run wild. From dragons, dark forest or being at a spooky Halloween spot! These writing prompts have it all.

Related: 21 Creative writing story starters for children!

20 Free Picture Writing Prompts with Vocabulary:

Let your child imagination flow smoothly with these fantastic picture writing prompts. These prompts will provide them with plenty of new ideas that they never have thought about.

The prompts also come with writers checklist. Let children take ownership of their writing and self-assess what they have written.

To save the free sheets just click on the image and save a PDF file.

Let us know your favourite writing prompts by commenting below. For more amazing free resources, like and share our Facebook page and also follow us on Pinterest .

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Transform A Classroom To Take Your Creative Writing To Exciting Places

• Subject: Ace-English
• Date Posted: 14 September 2017

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Do your literacy sessions allow breathing space for creative thinking? Derailing your proscribed plan can take your class – and their writing – to exciting places

It was a bitter, moonless night in the winter of 1867 when Miss Martha Tooth made her unexpected discovery: a wooden crate, stranded in the foaming surf of Brighton beach. Across the dark shingle she hastened, her sharp eyes picking out the print branded across the slats. ‘Dangerous’, it read. Under a heavy beach stone the creaking wood gave way to reveal eight green and pearly eggs. It would be three nights before they were to yield the fire-breathing, fork-tailed, fine-feathered beasts within.

Aaaand you’re back in the room. A classroom at Whitehawk City Academy in Brighton to be exact. This ‘good’ school – in a suburb listed among the bottom 5% of the country’s most deprived areas – faces the kind of challenges that interest writing charity Little Green Pig. Funding from the Goodall Foundation has enabled the charity to transform one of the Academy’s classrooms into an ‘immersive learning environment’ designed to inspire the imagination of both pupils and staff.

“We asked the school what challenges they were working with and one of their aims was to give the children a really rich, imaginative experience,” says Ella Burns, director of Little Green Pig. “Quite a lot of them don’t have those experiences in or out of school.” The concept – a long-forgotten pet shop for mythical creatures within the school grounds – was brought to life for pupils and their teachers through a series of workshops led by local author Ed Hogan, a professional illustrator, and Ella’s team of writing mentors.

The transformation

To crystallise a visual theme, Little Green Pig called in Sherlock, a local design agency and regular collaborator willing to mix lucrative work for major supermarket chains with more creatively-stimulating charity gigs. “The design brief was that there had to be enough that the kids ‘got it’,” says designer Rich Ford. “We needed to give them the sense of a shop selling mythical creatures but we didn’t want to do the thinking and imagining for them. It was important that they got in there and started to create their own ideas in the space.” A slick and coherent design concept from Sherlock saw stencils of apothecary-style bottles fill the space with the illusion of stocked shelves; clusters of smartly-labelled tubs and tubes give the children something to reach down, open and smell. Scratchy and fragrant straw bales create rustic seating and sensory flooring; soft light seeps from Kilner jars packed with fairy lights while motion trip sound sensors release eerie cries, and scuttling bugs scratch around in cardboard boxes. “Amazon’s great for those kind of things,” says Rich.

The workshops

“It’s a really sensory workshop,” says Ella. “The main focus is on writing but as the children enter the room there’s music, there are sound effects, bottles to smell, things to feel. We’re inviting them in to explore the space. The children come in with their whole class, we have a workshop leaders and also volunteer story mentors who work with small groups of four or five. KS2 worked collaboratively to write the beginning of the story together, the middle section in groups and then they’d write the ending individually. By the end of the process each child will have their own book – with pictures by our illustrator – which we’ll deliver back to them.”

“The children love coming into a space that’s nothing like a classroom,” says Ella. “It’s not like school for them – they walk in and it’s dark, there’s hay and straw everywhere, it smells. On every sensory level it’s very different to their normal learning environment and I think they respond to that.”

And as in more affluent areas where such extra-curricular experiences might be more familiar, the reactions are mixed. “I’d says age is a bigger factor than social issues,” says Ella. “Y6 love the experience but slightly question the reality of it. Y4 and below completely believe in the whole story. We’ve often found it’s the children who conventionally don’t do well in the class environment who do well in a different environment.”

“The workshops have been fantastic,” says Lisa Spense, Y6 teacher and writing lead at City Academy Whitehawk. “I can’t praise the experience highly enough. Every single class has thoroughly enjoyed it. They were inspired to write during the sessions but also when they left. And they continue to write; the Tooth & Claw idea has gone into lots of writing sessions on the back of the workshops.”

Lisa continues, “It’s a magical space. It’s nice to have something so different happen, and to gain a room in the school where you can take children who struggle with being in the classroom. My Y6s – who are starting to feel the pressure – visibly relaxed when we went in. That impacted on how well they write.”

Sustaining this effect, and encouraging a long-term improvement to children’s engagement and attainment, is also on Lisa’s radar. “Sustainability was something that was really important to us when we set up the project. Of course it’s lovely when people come into the school, but there’s a limit to the impact they can have with one workshop.” The room remains though as a bookable space so teachers can plan a unit around the project and go in as often as they like while teaching it. “We’d like to produce a bank of planning so staff can use the project across the whole curriculum, not just as a writing space,” Lisa says.

The debrief

“Something to think about when we come to evaluate the project is factoring in some planning time for teachers at the very beginning of the project,” says Ella. Teachers at Whitehawk were deliberately kept out of the loop as the store was conceived and installed. “Some teachers roll with it and are fine. Others who are less confident in working that way might need some extra help. So rather than them having to go off and plan, it would be good to get that sorted beforehand. This would mean it wasn’t an extra thing they have to do, but would instead empower them.”

“I think that’s a very fair comment and definitely something we’d need to consider if we were doing it again,” agrees Lisa. “Knowing what was going to be involved beforehand would have helped our teachers plan where to take the work beyond the workshop, but working with Little Green Pig, we knew we’d get a really immersive experience and we wanted the teachers to experience that too for their own CPD. And it was great for the children to see them experience it for the first time – they all discovered it together.”

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