Narrative Writing Prompts for Beginning Writers

This set of narrative writing prompts for beginning writers is the perfect addition to your narrative writing classroom resources. Narrative writing is an important skill for children in the early years. It helps Foundation to Year 1 students learn how to share ideas, sequence simple events and begin using written language to express themselves. But for many young learners, knowing what to write about can be the hardest part!

If your students need a little help getting started, this set of early‑years narrative writing prompts is the perfect solution. Each worksheet includes a black and white picture prompt and a supportive word bank designed especially for young writers. These visual and vocabulary clues help students think about who is in their story, what is happening and where it takes place.

Engaging Picture-Based Prompt Worksheets

This resource contains five engaging picture‑based prompts, each with a tailored word bank to support early writers. Prompts include fun and imaginative scenes such as:

• A sleepy sloth
• A day at the beach
• A happy dog
• A day at the farm
• Plus more… 

Each worksheet encourages students to use the word bank to build ideas and write their own simple narrative.

How to Use These Picture Prompts in the Classroom

These worksheets are designed to help your Foundation to Year 1 students plan, write and share a simple narrative based on a bright and appealing visual prompt. Here’s an easy way to structure your lesson:

• Introduce the Picture Prompt – Display one of the prompts and ask students what they see. Talk about the characters, setting and actions.
• Explore the Word Bank – Read the words together and discuss how they can help with writing. Encourage students to think of extra words if they feel confident.
• Drawing and Planning Time – Invite students to draw a picture to show their story idea. They can label items using words from the bank.
• Writing Time – Students write a simple sentence or short story using ideas from their drawing and the word bank. Remind them to use capital letters, spaces and full stops.
• Share and Celebrate – Invite students to read their writing to the class or a partner. This builds confidence and reinforces that writing is meant to be shared.

Download These Early Years Writing Worksheets

Download your early‑years creative writing worksheets instantly using the button above. Google Slides users will need to make their own copy before editing. Or, the easy to download and print PDF version.

With simple scaffolds, bright visuals and vocabulary support, this resource is ready to use in any Foundation–Year 1 classroom and can be used again and again across your writing program.

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter Collaborator.

More Story Writing Resources

Looking for more story writing resources to use in the early years classroom? We have you covered…

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