creative writing tasks for ks2

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7 techniques for generating story writing ideas in ks2, key stage 2 is a great time for children..

Typically, they will have settled into the flow of learning new subjects, and as KS2 teachers you get to help them flourish by practising, repeating and refining their learnt skills. When it comes to teaching literacy this also means encouraging your class’s creativity. 

However, on occasion creativity can be hard to come by and story writing lessons might not produce the outcomes you were hoping for. To help you combat this, here are some techniques and ideas to help you inspire your class with creative writing tasks.  

1. Create a Classroom Story Generator 

Write the ideas on paper and cut them out, then fold them up so you can’t see what’s written on them.

Find three bags (or any kind of container). Place all the folded character ideas in the first bag, the scenes in the second and the situations/tasks in the third. Ask each pupil to come up and draw a folded piece of paper from each bag. This will be the start of their story. Alternatively, you could build up five story-starting sentences from the bags and write them on the board. Your class could then choose which story they want to write.

Here are some examples to get you started:

You can tailor the ideas to suit your pupils’ abilities, age and preferences, which should really help to spark their imaginations.

2.  Watch or Listen

It doesn’t have to be long or have any dialogue, but showing a short film to your class may help to trigger inspiration. Luckily there are literally millions of free videos available for this kind of thing. Vet them first to make sure they are completely suitable for your class, then turn down the lights and press play. You can show the video more than once, maybe asking the children to write notes on the second viewing which will help to inspire their stories. 

Alternatively try playing a piece of instrumental music and ask your class to imagine what might be happening. Write their ideas and thoughts on the board and ask them to use this as the inspiration for a story.

3.  Folklore and Fairy Tales 

4.  Storyboards

You’re not asking your class to be artists; they can use simple stick figures and words to get their ideas down on paper. But asking your class to draw out their ideas will help them generate some interesting story twists. By getting the structure of their stories down on paper in a sequence, they will know the beginning, middle and end of their stories so when they come to start writing it out there’s not an ounce of KS2 writers block in sight!

5.  A Newspaper Clipping

Newspapers can be a huge source of inspiration. Interesting or unusual stories can be cut out and stuck into a scrap book to bring out and show your class in times of creative need! Alternatively, you could show your whole class a newspaper clipping and ask them all to write a story about the same extract.

6.  Rewrite A Known Story 

Rewriting a known story with a different ending or a different character is a great way to generate inspiration. This technique for generating story ideas can’t fail to produce results since the possibilities are endless!

For example:

• What if Little Red Riding Hood lived in a jungle instead of a forest?
• What if the three little pigs were the three little wolves instead, and the big bad pig wanted to eat them for his dinner?
• What if Hansel and Gretel were actually the bad ones and wanted to eat the old lady?
• What if you asked your class to swap the characters in one story with the characters in another – Snow White and the Magic Beans, Jack and the Seven Dwarves. Let your class’s imaginations run free and look forward to reading the end results!

7.  Let the Children Choose

Set some homework for the children to go away and think of something they care about, something they are interested in, something which makes them happy, sad or angry and why that is. You could ask them to find a picture or a news story themselves which sparks their interest or emotion.

From the ideas generated at home, ask them to write a story in class. Passion is a wonderful muse after all, so if the children choose a topic that they really care about you should end up with some very good results!

How Can Mighty Writer Help?

If you want to take your pupils' writing skills to the next level, consider using Mighty Writer. This innovative resource is designed to make writing fun and engaging for young learners, while also developing their core literacy skills. With Mighty Writer, your pupils will love writing and you'll love the results! 

Want to learn more about the Mighty Writer resource? Download our free Teachers Guide by clicking the link below!

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Home > Resources > KS2 RESOURCE PACK: Creative Writing with Jacqueline Wilson

KS2 RESOURCE PACK: Creative Writing with Jacqueline Wilson

Key stage and subjects, what’s the story.

Jacqueline Wilson has written over 100 books – so now it is over to you! This pack includes creative writing advice from Jacqueline Wilson, broken into five sections so you can create your story over a series of lessons.

This resource pack includes:

Lesson 1: Big ideas

• Individual warm-up
• Setting the scene

Lesson 2: creating characters

• Small group warm-up: freeze frame 3d characters
• Character wheels

Lesson 3: the beginning – starting a story

• Warm-up: classroom adventure
• Analysing the opening of ‘my mum tracy beaker’

Lesson 4: The middle – making something happen

• Discussion warm-up: fairy tale problems
• Solving problems
• Storyboarding

Lesson 5: The end – finishing the story

• Small group warm-up: film trailers
• Completing a plot graph The final touches

Work sheets

• Story hat ideas
• Storyboard template Plot graphs

Get the KS2 RESOURCE PACK: Creative Writing with Jacqueline Wilson

Related books, four children and it, my mum tracy beaker.

Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt

The Get Creative Journal

Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt (Illustrator)

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Tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> puffin schools has been created by the children’s publisher puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place. fa-angle-down--> what ages are the books on puffin schools for, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> the books on this website will range from those for eyfs through to primary and up to lower secondary school. you can discover our full range of books at puffin.co.uk fa-angle-down--> what is puffin, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> puffin is an imprint of penguin random house, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. through our world of stories, puffin aims to open up the world to every child. our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life. puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. as the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the uk today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old. we publish a diverse and wide range of fiction, non-fiction, picture books and children’s classics. our list includes some of the world’s favourite authors, illustrators and licensed brands, such as eric carle, helen oxenbury, nadia shireen, the snowman, doctor who, roald dahl, tom fletcher, jeff kinney, rick riordan, robin stevens, and jacqueline wilson to name but a few. fa-angle-down--> what’s the connection between ladybird, puffin and penguin, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> ladybird, puffin and penguin are imprints of penguin random house uk. across their extensive list, we believe there is a story for every child, everywhere. you can find information about books for all ages at penguin.co.uk fa-angle-down--> where can i buy puffin books from, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> all the books featured on this website can be purchased in the usual way: as well as being available on the high street and online, you can find lots of brilliant offers via school-specific suppliers and wholesale retailers. fa-angle-down--> how do i get in contact with a member of the puffin schools team, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> whether you’ve got a brilliant idea for a lesson, a photograph of something incredible you’ve done at your school or just have a question, please email  [email protected] and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible . fa-angle-down--> what’s happened to puffin virtually live, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> the story-makers show  was known as puffin virtually live  up until march 2019. the content and ambition of the show remains the same: to give every pupil the opportunity to engage with authors and illustrators in their own classroom using the power of the internet. we’ve re-named puffin virtually live  so that it’s easier for new teachers to discover it as part of puffin schools and to acknowledge that the show now premieres on show day, rather than being streamed live. fa-angle-down--> what’s happened to my puffin virtually live account, tag on the top needs the closed class if you start as expanded, leave data-collapsed="false" attribute, its used in the css --> your account for puffin virtually live has been deactivated as it is no longer a feature of the puffin schools website. if you were registered for the newsletter, you will now receive the puffin schools newsletter, which is filled with all the latest information about accompanying resources and upcoming shows. if you do not wish to receive it any longer then please unsubscribe. fa-angle-down--> which video platform is the story-makers show hosted on.

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• Creative Writing Ks2 Using The Dramatic Imagination

Creative writing KS2 – using the dramatic imagination

Harness the artists' 'secret code' to help pupils develop a gripping narrative…

How can we support students to write creatively? It is a great teaching conundrum.

We have all been there: spending hours setting up a stimulating scenario – a story-starter, an intriguing image, a dramatic moment – in the hope of grabbing the children’s imagination and inspiring them to write a gripping narrative.

Only to sit down later and read something truly depressing like, I walked to the door, I was scared. Then I opened the door and a monster attacked me. I died. Aagh!

It is easy to get frustrated (I know I have) but there is a solution: it is called the dramatic imagination.

The dramatic imagination is the secret code of artists. It is used in literature, film, theatre, art, and music. It is the vocabulary of mood and atmosphere, the language of setting and environment, the magic key to ‘show, not tell’. And we can teach it to children.

What is the dramatic imagination?

There are six dimensions to the dramatic imagination: sound/silence; movement/stillness; darkness/light. You might like to try them yourself.

Imagine standing in a room in an old house. It is night-time, on one side of the room is a paned window, on the other, a single door. Now describe where the light comes from and where it falls in the room. Is it from the moon outside, casting a silver light on the floor? Or a flicking candle on a table near the door?

Describe what sounds you can hear: the wind outside; the creak of the floorboards; the sound of your heart beating? Now take a step towards the door, describe your movement.

Describe the stillness in the room; the darkness; the silence. Now reach out to take hold of the door handle, describe the response from your body, the blood rushing through your veins, the slow movement of your arm, the stiffness of your hand…

How much did you write? If you are like me (and the students who learn how to do this) it will have been a lot. The story hasn’t progressed far, but there is a sense of atmosphere, of building suspense , of fear.

You can imagine it as a film: the music slowly building, the screech of violins, the close-up of the actor’s hand. This is the power of imagination.

We can start using the dramatic imagination as soon as children come to school. In fact, it is one of the great features of the six dimensions that we already use them as a natural part of our teaching whenever we read a book to a class or share a picture.

They are all around us, all the time, the trick is to point them out, and later to teach them explicitly.

How to use it in the classroom

I first did this successfully with a Year 2 class using Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man. I started by writing the six dimensions on a large sheet of paper and asking the students to point them out as we read through the story (projecting the text onto the whiteboard):

The wind sang [sound] through his iron fingers [movement]. His great iron head, shaped like a dustbin but as big as a bedroom, slowly turned to the right [movement] , slowly turned to the left [movement]. His iron ears turned, this way, that way [movement]. He was hearing the sea [sound]. His eyes, like headlamps [light], glowed white, then red, then infrared [light] , searching the sea. Never before had the Iron Man seen the sea.

I then supported the students to use the dimensions in their own writing, first while doing guided writing, and then in independent writing. Giving them feedback such as: “You’ve got a sense of movement and sound here, but where is the stillness and silence?”, it was surprising how quickly the children picked them up and how effectively using them improved their writing.

Later, when I taught Year 6 the effect was quicker still and even more effective.

The dimensions are, in my experience, something children understand intuitively and begin to apply almost as soon as they become competent writers.

They often find joy in using a ‘secret code’ used by expert writers, artists, and filmmakers, and the six dimensions can transform children’s writing, giving them a strategy to move beyond ‘then/and’ stories, as well as providing a vocabulary for teachers to provide practical feedback which the children can use to develop their story-telling skills.

It is exciting to use too, and you’ll have fun incorporating it into your own teaching – teaching as storytelling:

The old house stood alone at the top of the hill, no one had been inside for years. Nothing moved except for the dark figures of animals scurrying across its rotten floorboards, nothing lived in the rooms but shadows filling every corner and every space. The wind and the sun and the rain had not been kind to the house’s paintwork which had once been bright and beautiful, but now lay still on the ground like a pale snow. “Why,” I asked myself, “had I promised to spend a night here, alone?”

Tim Taylor is a freelance teacher, and author of A Beginner’s Guide to Mantle of the Expert . Follow Tim on Twitter @imagineinquiry . Read more about building suspense in writing in KS2 .

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My Lunch is Alive! KS2 creative writing resource

Subject: Art and design

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

27 April 2018

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Tes classic free licence

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What a brilliant free resource...thank you so much for sharing.

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Alina_Doroftei

Hi, Does anyone have an example of a narrative based on this please?

Claireabell2012

Thank you so much! My student and I really enjoyed completing this.

Thanks for sharing.

A fabulous set of lessons. Thank you!

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KS2 History: Ancient Egypt. King Tutankhamun

BBC Teach > Primary Resources > History KS2 > Ancient Egypt

Finding out about Howard Carter's extraordinary discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

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Video transcript video transcript.

This is an artefact from Ancient Egypt. It's called a shabti and this little statue tells us about the beliefs and rituals of the AncientEgyptians.

Shabti were buried in tombs with important members of Egyptian society.

They were made holding little tools, so they'd look like mini servants and agricultural workers and that's because the people at the time believed that the statues would come to life in the afterworld and do all the work that was needed.

In 1922 - after searching for six years - a team led by the British archaeologist, Howard Carter, discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

And inside they found more than four hundred shabti .

In total, there were over 5 000 objects in that tomb which took eight years for Carter and his team to remove and catalogue.

The tomb had four chambers, each filled with a huge range of objects including gold jewellery, chariots, model boats, a tiny thrown and paintings.

One of the most amazing items was King Tutankhamun's golden mask, which weighed a whopping ten kilograms and was found on his mummified body in the innermost coffin.

Tutankhamun became pharaoh around 1333 BC and ruled for about ten years. We know he was eighteen whenhe died, so that tells us he was only eight when he became the pharaoh.

Inside his tomb the archaeologists found child-sized thrones as well as games and puzzles all helping to tell the story ofthe child pharaoh ruling over his kingdom.

King Tutankhamun: I win! Now I want a snack.

Recent scans of the mummified remains of Tutankhamun help us to understand what he looked like when he was alive.

They show that he was born with a misshapen left foot and a twist in his spine. So he used sticks to help him walk.

Lots of those sticks were found in his tomb. We also learn about the pharaoh from tomb paintings and carvings on temple ruins.

It appears that Tutankhamun and his dad Aktenaten and did not agree on their favourite god.

So when Tutankhamun became pharaoh, he set about changing all things Aten to all things Amun starting with his own name - and moving on to demolishing his father's prized temple and even moving his body from the sacred ground of Aten to the sacred ground of Amun.

Tutankhamun was reported to have had a wicked temper.

Paintings in the tomb of General Horemheb, who later became pharaoh himself, recorded that he was the only one brave enough to talk to Tutankhamun when he was angry.

King Tutankhamun: Oh it's not fair, get out of my way I'm the king!

From mummified body, personal items and paintings inside Tutankhamun's tomb we learn a lot about his life, but we also learnabout his death.

Scans of his mummified remains show that shortly before his death he broke a bone in his left leg.

This, along with damage to his ribcage led some experts to believe he was killed in a chariot crash or perhaps even a hippopotamus attack. What a way to go!

But experts now think it was more likely to have been a fall.

Today King Tutankhamun is one of the most famous Ancient Egyptian pharaohs, mostly thanks to the determination andpersistence of Howard Carter.

Carter and his team unearthed an ancient tomb, so full of artefacts that it transports us back over 3 000 years, bringing to life another world, where the child king ruled.

King Tutankhamun

Video summary.

This video gives pupils an understanding of the life and death of King Tutankhamun. It explains how we have been able to find out about life in Ancient Egypt by the things that were buried with pharaohs, like Tutankhamun.

We find out how King Tutankhamun was buried, why certain things were buried with him and what those things tell us about his life.

We learn about the discovery of his tomb in 1922 and who discovered it. We explore a key source called a shabti . These were small ornaments which were buried with pharaohs and tell us about the beliefs and rituals of the Ancient Egyptian people.

We chart the journey through King Tutankhamun’s short life, becoming pharaoh around the age of eight and dying around eighteen years old.

The video also explores the difficulties King Tutankhamun had with regard to his mobility due to a misshapen foot and curved spine and the reported difficulties he had in managing anger and emotions!

Further resources

The layout of Tutankhamun's tomb. image The layout of Tutankhamun's tomb

Click to display the image full-size

Some items found in the tomb. image Some items found in the tomb

Tutankhamun's burial mask to colour in. image Tutankhamun's burial mask to colour in

Some designs for ushabtis. image Some designs for ushabtis

A ushabti to colour in. image A ushabti to colour in

Teacher's Notes

This video gives a snapshot of Ancient Egypt and how important the process of burial was, particularly to the pharaohs. It can be used to discuss the process of burial, and how much thought went into preparations and carrying out the process itself.

It will help pupils understand how we find out about the past and the role of sources in this exploration.

We find out about King Tutankhamun’s life through the sources that were found in his tomb - the burial mask, the shabti and other items. This provides opportunities for pupils to explore the role and reliability of sources when carrying out historical enquiry.

Pupils can discuss how early explorers such as Howard Carter would have felt at the time of the discovery and also to consider how they would handle historical remains sensitively - preserving what was found while learning from the remains.

Points for discussion (History Linked)

• Who was King Tutankhamun?
• What was found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun?
• Who discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun?
• How old was King Tutankhamun when he became pharaoh?
• How old was King Tutankhamun when he died?
• How heavy was the mask found in the tomb? Can you find something in your classroom that weighs the same?
• How do some experts think King Tutankhamun died?

* Suggested Activities (Cross Curricular opportunities)

Design and make a shabti – Using illustrations from the animation, pupils are to design and then make a shabti using papier maché / clay. What style is used? What colours are used? What has it been designed to represent to the pupils? Once completed, pupils could present their shabti to their peers.

Pupil Parliament – King Tutankhamun was a young pharaoh - a very young pharaoh. Pupils could explore if they were the Prime Minister, what decisions would they make about the running of the country. What would your five pledges be to make the country a better place? Each pupil to determine which peer they would vote for based on their pledges and determine the class victor!

Creative Writing – Writing a diary entry as if the pupils were Howard Carter on the day of the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. What thoughts and feelings were going through his mind? How did he feel upon discovery? Did he have any idea of the scale of his discovery? What did the sources he discovered tell him?

Performing Arts – Building on the creative writing activity, can pupils in small groups develop a piece of drama to re-enact the discovery of the tomb? What feelings were going through the minds of members of the group? Use freeze frame techniques to help develop deeper thinking.

Material decay – Many of the items in the tomb survived for thousands of years and were preserved to be discovered by Howard Carter and his team. Does it matter what material the items discovered were made of? Using a variety of classroom / everyday products (stick of chalk, piece of crockery, metal coin, sugar cube) can the pupils predict which will remain intact for the longest time when placed in a fizzy drink?

This film is relevant for teaching History at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2nd Level in Scotland.

More from this series

Pyramids. video Pyramids

Exploring the different types of pyramids in Ancient Egypt - their construction and their purpose.

Rames - The Engineer. video Rames - The Engineer

Rames is 12 years old and about to join the thousands of workers constructing the pyramids.

Nanu - The Farm Girl. video Nanu - The Farm Girl

Nanu is 12 years old and works at home on the farm - but she longs to train as a doctor.

See also...

KS2 Music: Ancient Egypt. collection KS2 Music: Ancient Egypt

A collection of fun, catchy songs and activities to help you consolidate your study of Ancient Egypt.

Song: 'Out of the gloom, Tutankhamun'

Join in with a song about the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.