72+ Summer Writing Prompts + Activities

The summer holidays are approaching or maybe already here for some of you! And what better way to spend your summer holidays than perfecting your writing skills with our amazing summer writing challenge! We have over 72 summer writing prompts to keep you writing for a good whole two months and more!

Get out your notebook and pencil and put your brain into creative mode, as each day you will be completing a creative writing exercise. By the end of the summer holidays, you will have a nifty little collection of summer stories to tell your friends or keep as inspiration for future masterpieces! You can download our 31-Day summer writing challenge printable here or see the list below of over 72 summer writing prompts. Oh and that’s not all – We even included 10 bonus summer writing activities for you to try out.

72+ Summer Writing Prompts

Here is our list of over 72 summer writing prompts:

  1. Make a bucket list of things you want to do this summer.
  2. Write about your last day at school before the summer break.
  3. Write an acrostic poem using the word ‘summer’
  4. Write a day in the life story about being a shark.
  5. Write a haiku about sandcastles.
  6. Write a journal entry about finding treasure.
  7. Continue the following story starter: A young girl was swimming at the beach. She was alone and just wanted to enjoy the sea. But suddenly she heard a sound. It was a sound she could not understand. A sound that made her feel frightened. She felt as if a wave was coming toward her. She turned and ran to the shore.
  8. Write a film review.
  9. Write about your dream holiday.
  10. Story Starter: My kingdom of sand where I spend my days…
  11. Write about life in ice cream land – A place where everything is made out of ice cream.
  12. You find a strange creature on the beach – describe it.
  13. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be and why?
  14. Use this story starter to write a short story: I went to the pool one day and saw…
  15. Write a short story about the sun.
  16. Can you write a six-word story about flamingos?
  17. Imagine that you owned your very own island. What rules would you set on this island? Who would be allowed to stay on this island? What about the creatures and animals on this island? You might enjoy this fun island name generator.
  18. Write a news article about flooding in a nearby city.
  19. Write a book review.
  20. What would it be like to live underwater?
  21. Would you rather go surfing with sharks, or on a picnic in a meadow of flowers and fairies? Explain your choice.
  22. Write a poem which starts with the following line: On one Summer’s night…
  23. Write a short biography of your life in the past 2 years
  24. Write an acrostic poem using the word: Vacation.
  25. What is your favourite summer activity?
  26. Write a how-to guide on planning the best picnic ever!
  27. Complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: I love summer because…
  28. Go for walk and write down everything you see.
  29. Write a poem about the summer holidays.
  30. Write a limerick about a sad mermaid.
  31. Write a scene in a story that includes the following words: monkey, coconut and umbrella.
  32. Use the following story starter to write a short story: The beach was covered with huge seashells. One by one, the beach walkers picked up the shells and put them in a big pile.
  33. You are going to the seaside. Make a list of ten things you need to pack into your suitcase and explain why you need each item.
  34. Write a travel guide about living in your area.
  35. Write an acrostic poem using the word: Lemonade.
  36. Write a journal entry about swimming with the sharks.
  37. Pick one of the following popular summer destinations, and research at least five fun facts about this destination: Costa Rica, Spain, Greece, Bali or Portugal.
  38. Write a letter to your best friend in another country.
  39. Write a short description of your dream world.
  40. Write instructions for making your favourite recipe.
  41. Write a short story about coconuts, monkeys and hermit crabs.
  42. Continue this summer limerick: There once was a boy named Mark. He dreamed of owning a pet shark…
  43. Story starter: One day, I ate a watermelon seed and…
  44. Write about the worst summer holiday ever!
  45. Use the following story starter to write a short story: My parents used to take me to the beach, to the amusement park, and to the lake when I was younger. But as I grew older, I wanted to do things that I would not have done if I were still a kid.
  46. Write a summer story about a person who is free and happy in the summer. You could write about a day off work, an opportunity to explore a place you’ve always wanted to visit, a new hobby or a day out with friends.
  47. Can you complete the following sentence in at least three different ways: I remember last summer…
  48. Pick one of the following sun-loving animals, and research at least five fun facts about them: Alligator, Sea Lion, Meerkat, Painted turtle, or Hippopotamus.
  49. Use this story starter to write a short story: When I was little, I went to a beach in the south of France. It was a warm, sunny day. I was running on the beach with my friends. I was barefoot. We were running in the middle of the beach when I slipped. I felt the sand on my foot. I didn’t feel any pain, I just felt the sand. That was the moment when things started changing for me.
  50. Make a top three list of your favourite ice cream flavours. Describe each flavour in detail.
  51. Would you rather have a three-month summer break at home or a one-week holiday at your dream destination? Explain your choice.
  52. Write a battle scene between a shark and a huge ice-cream monster. You can use this story starter as inspiration: Sharks are fast and powerful. If they see an ice cream cone, they’ll try to bite it. Ice cream is soft and sweet. The shark wants to eat it. It is easy to see how the ice cream would win. The ice cream has soft, slippery skin. The shark has sharp teeth and strong jaws.
  53. Write an acrostic poem using the word: Ocean.
  54. Make an A-Z list of summer-related words. Can you include a sentence for each?
  55. Write down at least five tips for helping someone relax during the summer holidays.
  56. Write a how-to guide on how to plan the perfect backyard BBQ party.
  57. Use this story starter to write a short story: A girl walks into a diner, and the first thing she notices is the smell of wet sand. She orders a drink, and the waitress asks her what she wants. “Watermelon,” the girl replies. “You’re a crab,” screams the waitress.
  58. Imagine that you find a magic pair of sunglasses. When you put these sunglasses on something really cool happens…
  59. Continue the following story starter: There once was a girl who was walking along the beach with her mother. She was looking for something in the sand and her mother was looking for something in the sea. Suddenly a sea anemone appeared.
  60. Would you rather have a pool in your backyard or a home theatre room? Explain your choice.
  61. Write a conversation between the sun and a huge cloud on a beautiful summer’s day. The sun could start the conversation by saying, “Hey Cloudy! Stay out of the way!”
  62. Write a limerick about an old sea turtle.
  63. Write a scene in a story that includes the following words: flip-flops, donkey, and bucket.
  64. Write down a recipe for making your own lemonade at home.
  65. Write some song lyrics about summer. The title of the song could be: Summer is forever.
  66. Make a list of at least five things you love about summer and five things you hate about summer. Write a sentence to describe each item in your list.
  67. Describe the most memorable summer vacation. What did you do? Why is it so memorable?
  68. Use the following story starter to write a short story: The weather is perfect, the sun is shining, the lake is reflecting the sky, and there is no need to wear a sweater. A great time to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
  69. Write some song lyrics about ice cream. The title of the song could be, Ice Cream, My Dream.
  70. Would you rather lead an army of crabs on a beach or lead an army of hares in the snowy mountains? Explain your choice.
  71. Write a haiku about two crabs at a beach.
  72. Write a scene in a story that includes the following words: ice cream, shark and flip-flops.
  73. Continue the following story starter: I was sitting at my parents’ house in the town I grew up in. My parents had just gone to the store and I was alone in their house. I’m not sure how long I had been sitting there, but it was time to head home. I was thinking about the last day of summer. I think a lot about the last day of summer. It’s the last day I see my parents for the summer, so I’m always sad to think about it.
  74. The summer holidays are nearly over. What was your favourite memory or moment from the holidays this year, and why?

Bonus: 10 Summer Writing Activities:

Completed our summer writing prompts? Well…we got some more cool summer writing activities for your to try out! Take a look at these summer activities:

  1. Sticky Letters Alphabet:
    Create beautiful artwork and learn the alphabet at the same time! Using outdoor materials to create the letters, such as leaves, sticks, flowers etc. and some double-sided tape on pieces of paper. This is a fun and creative activity for anyone aged 3 and above! summer writing activities-Sticky Letters Alphabet- imagine-forest
  2. Scavenger hunt:
    A Scavenger hunt is a perfect activity to beat those summer boredom blues! Whether you have one child or a group of children, you’re sure to have fun on a scavenger hunt. All you need is a list of items for the child to find and a reward at the end for finding them. Scavenger hunts can be adapted to suit any environment, such as if you’re at the beach you can include beach items on the list or playground items if you’re at the playground! Here are some examples of scavenger hunt lists.scavenger hunt - summer writing activities
  3. Story Maps:
    Story maps are an excellent way of telling stories in a way that kids will enjoy. Similar to treasure maps, the idea of a story map is to re-tell a story and collect items relating to that story along the way. You can even add unusual items to give the story a little twist! You can find a brilliant tutorial on creating story maps here and some free printable story maps.
  4. Outdoor Story Nook:
    An outdoor story nook for kids is a perfect way to make reading stories fun! Not only do story nooks provide your child with a perfect place to read, but they are also fun to make and decorate with all your child’s favourite things! Click here for some inspiration to help you get started on your story nook!  summer writing activities- Kids story nooks-imagine-forest
  5. Act out a poem, song or story:
    Acting out a story or a song is a great way for children to connect feelings with written words. This helps children to develop empathy towards their favourite characters in the stories they read, putting them on the path toward a lifelong love of reading. Ask your child to read out a sentence or a paragraph from a story. Encourage them to use facial expressions and actions when reading this out. Have everyone join in to keep things fun and light.
  6. Nature Walk:
    Visit your local park and talk about the things you see, hear, smell and feel. Bring a camera along and take pictures of the environment, such as flowers, rocks, trees and so on. When you get home, ask your child to label each photo with a sentence or two to describe the photo. You can even try writing a poem about each photo or try writing a story linking all the photos together.
  7. Sight Word Island Hopping:
    This is an amazing activity which I found over at education.com. It is great for teaching kids new words over the summer break. All you need is some chalk and pavement for this fun outdoor game. It can be played with one child or a group of children. The purpose of the game is for the child to hop from one island to another, spelling out a word they are struggling with. If they spell the word wrong they have to start again from the starting island. Read the full instructions on how to play here.
  8. Sight Word Water Game:
    In this fun summer game, you again need some chalk, pavement and some water balloons or wet sponges. Using the chalk write out some words that your child is struggling with. Then ask your child to throw the balloons/ wet sponges at the words one by one, until they fade away. Once the whole word has faded away, ask your child if they remember how to spell the word. If they don’t remember begin the whole process again.
  9. Nature Journal:
    The summer is the perfect time to see different animal species out and about. This can provide an excellent outdoor adventure for all those budding, young adventurers. First, do a bit of research to see what wildlife is available in your area to spot. Then choose around two species that are not rare that your child can analyse. In a notebook, your child can then write notes, draw pictures, and add photographs of that species daily to learn about that species. Your child can even create an observation chart, observing the location the species was spotted at, timing, weather conditions etc.
  10. Treasure Hunt:
    Make a map of the “treasure hunt” area and pick a place to hide the treasure (ensure that it is not an obvious place). At each location on the map, there should be a clue that will bring the child one step closer to finding the treasure. The clues can be in the form of rhymes, riddles or simply “take 10 steps from the playhouse”. The treasure itself can be anything from chocolates to toy jewels. A treasure hunt is always a great success with kids, the kids can even dress up as pirates for added drama!

More Summer Writing Prompts for Kids:

Did you enjoy these summer writing prompts and activities? Then don’t stop here, join our online writing community for writers to publish their stories for free online and test their writing skills!

Summer Writing Prompts

Related Posts

Comments loading...