Narrative Writing In Kindergarten: Important Tips And Fun Prompts
Narrative writing is a creative and educational way for young children to tell a story or share an experience. Teaching kindergarteners narrative writing is all about focusing more on the structure of storytelling than the writing itself. in a structured form. These teaching tips and narrative writing prompts will help you create an engaging learning experience for your kindergarteners.
Narrative Writing For Kindergarteners: An Overview
A child this young will likely not be able to, nor would it be developmentally appropriate to push them to write a long hand story. At this stage, narrative writing will necessarily be more about picture drawing and telling stories, with perhaps only a word or two actually handwritten.
This is not less that older children’s experience however with narrative writing. Take a look at the benefits of this type of age appropriate approach to narrative writing:
- Storytelling Structure:
Kindergarteners begin to learn how to organize their thoughts around a simple narrative structure:- Beginning: Introduce the characters or the circumstances (for example: “Last year, I adopted a cat.”)
- Middle: Describe what happened (example: “My cat started sleeping in my bed every night.”)
- End: Conclude the story (example: “My cat is now my very best friend.)
- Character and Setting: At this age, learners can and should be encouraged to draw characters and settings (your home, school, or park) and add short descriptions (i.e., “My cat was soft and orange). Pictures are just as important for conveying their ideas in the narrative writing process.
- Personal Experiences: Kindergarten narratives will often focus on children’s own experiences. This helps with the concrete thinking still present in this stage of development. Learners may write or draw about a very special day, family event, or a fun experience (example: “I went to Disneyland!”).
10Examples Of Narrative Writing Prompts For Kindergarteners
These examples of narrative writing prompts for kindergarteners are focused on the simplicity and creativity typical of this stage of development.
Note: Each prompt includes a simple story, simple vocabulary, and sometimes drawings as a way to practice the fundamentals of storytelling and narrative writing.
1. Personal Experience Story
Topic: “My Trip to the Zoo”
- Drawing: A picture of a child at the zoo with animals like lions, monkeys, and elephants.
- Words:
“I went to the zoo. I saw a big lion. The monkey was jumping. I fed the giraffe. It was fun!”
Explanation: This is a simple narrative where the child recounts a real-life experience, focusing on a few key events and communicating joy and wonder.
2. Imaginative Story
Topic: “The Magic Car”
- Drawing: A colorful car flying in the sky with sparkles around it.
- Words:
“One day, my car turned into a magic car. It flew in the sky. I saw a rainbow. I went to the moon. I saw stars. It was amazing!”
Explanation: This is an imaginative story where the child creates a fantasy about a magical car. The child is able to express excitement through the events.
3. Problem and Solution
Topic: “Lost My Toy”
- Drawing: A picture of a child looking around for a toy with a sad face.
- Words:
“I lost my toy. I looked under my bed. I looked in my toy box. I found my toy in the closet. I was happy!”
Explanation: This narrative follows a simple structure where the child faces a problem and solves it.. The story has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
4. Fantasy/Adventure Story
Topic: “The Adventure of the Friendly Dragon”
- Drawing: A picture of a dragon and a knight in a castle.
- Words:
“I met a dragon. It was nice. The dragon could fly. We flew to the castle. We saw a knight. The knight was happy. We all played together.”
Explanation: This story is simple but imaginative, showing the child’s ability to create a world with key players and interactions.
5. Animal Adventure
Topic: “The Dog Who Could Talk”
- Drawing: A dog with a speech bubble saying, “Let’s play!”
- Words:
“My dog can talk. He said, ‘Let’s play!’ We played fetch. He ran fast. We had so much fun!”
Explanation: In this narrative, the child brings an animal to life by giving it the ability to talk . The story is simple and fun, demonstrating creativity.
6. Everyday Activity Story
Topic: “Baking Cookies with Mommy”
- Drawing: A picture of a child and their mom baking cookies in the kitchen.
- Words:
“I baked cookies with Mommy. We mixed the flour. We put chocolate chips in. The cookies were yummy. I ate one!”
Explanation: This is a personal experience narrative where the kindergartener writes about a fun activity they did with a family member. The writing is simple and uses basic verbs like “baked,” “mixed,” and “ate.”
7. Happy Day Story
Topic: “My Birthday”
- Drawing: A picture of a birthday cake with candles and balloons.
- Words:
“It was my birthday. I got a big cake. I had candles on the cake. I made a wish. I had a party with my friends.”
Explanation: This narrative is about a significant personal event — a birthday. The child talks about the key moments of their day in a structure way.
8. Superhero Story
Topic: “Supergirl Saves the Day”
- Drawing: A picture of Supergirl flying over the city.
- Words:
“Supergirl saved the city. She flew in the sky. She stopped the bad guys. Everyone cheered. Supergirl was happy.”
Explanation: This imaginative story features a superhero in action, where the child uses action verbs like “saved,” “flew,” and “stopped.”
9. Seasonal or Nature-Based Story
Topic: “A Snowy Day”
- Drawing: A picture of a child in a snow suit playing in the snow.
- Words:
“It snowed today. I built a snowman. I made snow angels. The snow was cold. I had fun!”
Explanation: This narrative is about a seasonal occurrence, snow. The learner uses simple sentences to describe the actions they took while playing in the snow, showcasing a sense of fun and excitement.
10. Friendship Story
Topic: “Making a New Friend”
- Drawing: A picture of two children playing together with toys.
- Words:
“I met a new friend. We played with blocks. We built a big house. We were happy. We played all day!”
Explanation: This simple narrative describes a child making a new friend and the joy of playing together. The story is short and emphasizes the social interaction.
Key Features of These Stories:
- Simple Sentence Structure: Kindergarteners typically use short, simple sentences, often with basic subject-verb-object patterns (e.g., “I saw a cat”).
- Illustrations: Many of these stories would also be accompanied by pictures or drawings that help tell the story.
- Personal Experiences: Stories often focus on personal experiences or familiar themes, making them easy for children to connect with and share.
- Clear Beginning, Middle, and End: Even at a young age, children can understand and structure their stories with a clear sequence.
Tips For Teaching Narrative Writing In Kindergarten
Much of teaching narrative writing in Kindergarten is simply providing the prompt or idea, and then encouraging your learners to create their response. This includes:
- Picture Writing:
Encourage children to first draw a picture that represents their story. Pictures can help children organize their thoughts before writing words. After drawing, they can tell the story aloud, and the teacher or parent can write the words that go with it. - Story Starters:
Provide simple prompts or sentence starters to guide their writing. For example:- “One day, I went to…”
- “My favorite thing to do is…”
- “I saw a…”
- Interactive Storytelling:
Read simple picture books and then ask children to retell the story in their own words. Help them identify the beginning, middle, and end as you go. Then, encourage them to do the same with their own stories. - Story Sequencing:
Use sequencing cards or pictures to help children understand how to arrange events in the correct order. This supports and builds their ability to tell a story with a logical flow.
In summary, narrative writing for kindergarteners is about helping them express stories with a simple structure (beginning, middle, and end), using both pictures and words. It’s an opportunity to foster creativity, language development, and storytelling skills in a fun, engaging, and certainly educational way.
