Kindergarten Writing

• Kindergarten
• Common Core W.K.1–W.K.3
• 24 prompts · 1 lesson

Kindergarten writing is drawing, telling and writing together. Children draw a picture, say what it shows, and write what they can: a few letters, a word, a sentence. The 24 prompts on this page give them something to write about every day, in the three types of writing the standards ask for.

What kids learn in kindergarten writing

Kindergartners use a mix of drawing, dictating and writing to share an opinion ("My favorite book is..."), tell about a topic, and tell about an event in order. Spelling by sound is expected and encouraged: kat for cat shows your child hears every sound.

By the end of the year, many kindergartners write a simple sentence with a capital letter and a period, leaving spaces between words. The complete sentence lesson teaches exactly that.

Keep writing time short and happy: a picture and one sentence is a great day's work.

Kindergarten writing prompts

24 original prompts written for kindergarten, eight each for opinion, informative and narrative writing, the three types in the Common Core writing standards. Kindergartners can draw, tell and write; a grown-up can write down their words. Download them as a printable PDF with a page of writing paper.

Opinion prompts

How to write it: opinion writing

1. What is your favorite animal? Draw it and tell why.
2. Which is better, rain or snow? Why?
3. What is the best snack? Draw it and write one reason.
4. Would you rather play inside or outside? Why?
5. What is your favorite book? Tell why you like it.
6. Which is more fun, the park or the beach?
7. What is the best color? Why?
8. Would you rather have a cat or a dog?

Informative prompts

How to write it: informative writing

1. Draw and label a picture of your family.
2. Tell three things you know about dogs.
3. How do you brush your teeth? Draw the steps.
4. What do plants need to grow?
5. Draw and label the parts of a tree.
6. What do you see at the grocery store?
7. Tell about your favorite place at school.
8. What do you wear when it is cold?

Narrative prompts

How to write it: narrative writing

1. Draw and write about a fun day with a friend.
2. Tell about a time you were brave.
3. What did you do on your birthday?
4. Draw and write about a time you helped someone.
5. Tell about a trip to the park.
6. What happened when you lost a tooth (or something else)?
7. Tell about your best day ever.
8. Make up a story about a talking cat.

Kindergarten writing lessons, in order

Each lesson takes about 10 to 15 minutes and has a quiz and a free worksheet.

1. 1. Writing a Complete SentenceWriting complete sentences with a capital letter, a who, a did-what and end punctuation. L.K.1f, L.K.2a, L.1.1j

What the standards say

These are the Common Core kindergarten writing and language standards this page covers. Most US states use the same or very similar goals.

• L.K.1f: Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
• L.K.2a: Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.
• W.K.1: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book.
• W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
• W.K.3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

A simple weekly plan

Ten to fifteen minutes a day is plenty. This rhythm works for most families; swap days around to fit your week.

Mixed quiz

Ten questions drawn from the kindergarten writing lessons: writing a complete sentence. Tap the speaker to hear a question read aloud. Any question your child misses points to the lesson to revisit.

1. 1.Which is a complete sentence?

   🔈
   The dog ran. The big dog. Ran fast.
   Show answer

   The dog ran.

2. 2.A sentence starts with a...

   🔈
   capital letter period
   Show answer

   capital letter.

3. 3.What does a telling sentence end with?

   🔈
   a period a comma
   Show answer

   A period.

4. 4.What is missing? Swims in the pond.

   🔈
   who did what
   Show answer

   The who.

5. 5.What is missing? The little bird

   🔈
   did what who
   Show answer

   The did-what.

6. 6.Tap the who part.

   🔈

   Grandma baked a cake.

   Show answer

   Grandma.

7. 7.Which sentence is written correctly?

   🔈
   I like dogs. i like dogs.
   Show answer

   I like dogs.

8. 8.Tap the did what word.

   🔈

   The frog jumped.

   Show answer

   jumped.

9. 9.Which is a longer, better sentence?

   🔈
   The cat sleeps on my bed. The cat.
   Show answer

   The cat sleeps on my bed.

10. 10.What does a question end with?

    🔈
    a question mark a period
    Show answer

    A question mark.

Printables

• Kindergarten writing prompts (PDF)All 24 prompts plus a page of writing paper.
• Writing a Complete SentenceCircle complete sentences, fix capitals and periods, match who and did-what parts, and write your own sentences.

All kindergarten worksheets

Practicing at home

Draw first

A picture helps kids plan what to say.

Say it, then write it

Have your child say the sentence before writing.

Accept sound spelling

Praise every sound they hear; correct spelling comes later.

Write for real reasons

Labels, cards, grocery lists and notes to family.

More kindergarten practice

See every reading and writing skill for the year on the kindergarten page. Next: 1st grade writing prompts. All lessons: writing. Related: grammar and punctuation.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask