16 Fun Descriptive Writing Activities for Kids
Make writing a favorite subject with these imaginative and engaging descriptive writing activities for kids.
The Four Main Types of Writing
Descriptive writing is one of the four main types of writing.
Expository Writing
Expository writing informs and explains. This type of writing is found in textbooks, informational websites, and newspapers.
Narrative Writing
Narrative writing is storytelling. This type of writing includes most fiction as well as biographies.
Persuasive Writing
Persuasive writing seeks to influence and persuade.
You can find persuasive writing in thesis papers and opinion and editorial articles.
Descriptive Writing
Descriptive writing paints pictures with words, and it is often found within narrative writing.
Writing with description is crucial to communicating our experiences and observations.
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How to Teach Descriptive Writing
This type of writing uses the five senses to conjure up a vivid mental picture in the mind of the reader.
If you describe a picnic at the park on a fall day, you would note the scene’s sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even flavors.
Students must use their powers of observation and memory to describe people, places, and things.
You can teach descriptive writing to students by exposing them to quality examples and assigning creative and specific writing prompts.
You can turn these writing prompts into projects or presentations if you wish.
Always give time and space for feedback. What did the student do well? How could she improve her writing?
16 Descriptive Writing Activities for Kids
Try some of these engaging descriptive writing activities for kids.
Magic Potion Recipe
Create a magic potion recipe to give you a special ability or accomplish a specific task.
Describe the various ingredients and what happens when they are combined.
Note: To make this activity more concrete, bring in some potential ingredients for students to see, touch, and smell.
These could include onions, essential oils, feathers, slime, and ice.
Personalized Superhero
Create your own superhero. Describe appearance, costume, gear, and powers.
You could draw a picture to accompany their description.
Alien Planet Tour Guide
Imagine you are a tour guide narrating the sights, sounds, and smells of an alien planet.
What sort of geographic features, plants, creatures, and structures are on the alien planet? Describe them.
As an added activity, you can design a brochure enticing visitors to the planet. Couple your descriptions with pictures.
Design Your Dream House
Write a description of your dream house. Describe each room with its layout and furnishings.
What are some unique features of your house?
Draw a picture (on paper or in Minecraft) or construct a model of the house out of Lego bricks.
Secret Underwater City
Imagine a secret underwater city full of plants, animals, and buildings. (The living things could be real or fantastical.)
Describe the city in detail. What do you see, hear, and feel as you swim through the place?
Wacky Weather
In the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the weather involves food raining from the skies. Read the book to your students.
Describe your own wacky weather event. What does it look like, sound, smell, feel, and taste like?
Enchanted Garden
Imagine an enchanted garden where the plants can talk. What do they look like and sound like?
Describe three different types of talking plants, like a grumpy grandpa cactus or a chatty daisy with twitching petals.
Draw a cartoon featuring your plant characters.
Holiday Scene
Think of a holiday where you decorate your house or have a special celebration.
Describe the scene, complete with the sights, smells, sounds, and flavors of the day.
To enhance this, turn it into a presentation. Bring in a picture, recipe, or decoration as a visual aid.
Mystery Item Description
Place an item in an opaque bag and have students feel it. Ask them to describe aloud what they feel.
Once they have noted the shape and texture of the item, show it to the student.
Have them write a description of the item that incorporates how it feels.
Space Travel Journal
Imagine you are an astronaut journeying to unknown parts of space.
Write a space travel journal where you describe the stars, planets, comets, black holes, and maybe even aliens that you see from your spaceship.
The Best Snack
Incorporate descriptive writing into persuasive writing by enticing others to eat your favorite snack.
Describe your favorite snack’s sight, smell, texture, and flavor so others will want to try it.
(You can even bring in the snack for others to sample.)
Your Favorite Character’s Closet
Who is your favorite character from a book, TV, or film?
Imagine you open the door to their closet and see their outfit for the day. Describe each item in detail.
Prehistoric Visit
Imagine you are suddenly transported to a prehistoric era. What do you see, hear, smell, and feel in this place?
Do you see dinosaurs or other prehistoric creatures? What are they doing?
Nature Documentary
Write a script for a nature documentary where you observe your favorite animal in its native habitat.
As the narrator, how would you describe the animal and its surroundings?
Adventure Novel Opening
Often, stories begin with a description of a setting.
Start an adventure novel and describe the opening scene.
You could describe a jungle river, a windswept desert, a haunted house, a churning ocean, or a cave behind a waterfall.
Rainforest Canopy
Some South American animals live their lives in the treetops. Describe a lively and bustling rainforest canopy.
You can describe animals such as red-eyed tree frogs, howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, and iguanas.
Descriptive Writing Prompts and Activities
These sixteen descriptive writing activities for kids will have your students practicing painting a scene with their words.
Descriptive writing sharpens a student’s powers of observation and strengthens their writing skills overall.
