It’s time for swimming pools, lemonade, water balloons–and writing!
Fill the summer months with inspiration with these 25 summer writing prompts.
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25 Summer-Themed Writing Prompts for Elementary Students
Summer means vacation, but you don’t want to drop the skill subjects of reading, writing, and math for the whole summer.
Keep your elementary student writing with these 25 summer-themed writing prompts.
Summer Writing Prompts for Lower Elementary
Elementary students in the early grades are not ready to write long stories or detailed paragraphs.
They need to focus on getting their ideas from brain to paper.
That begins with a sentence.
For young learners or those who need a little extra help with writing, they can simply finish the sentence.
If they want to write more, add a second or third sentence.
My favorite frozen treat is ______ because…
Cool treats are the way to go in the summer.
Which is your favorite (creamsicles, ice cream cones, ice cream sandwiches, or Italian ice) and why?
When I first wake up on a summer day, I want to…
How do you start your day in the summertime?
What is the first fun thing you do?
I like red, white, and blue ____ because…
Near July 4, you can find everything in patriotic colors from bakery treats to pool floats.
What is your favorite red, white, and blue item and why?
My favorite summer sport/activity is ____ because…
Summer is a wonderful time to be outside.
What sort of summer sports or activities do you enjoy: building sandcastles, going to the playground, tossing water balloons, swimming in the pool or ocean, or running through a splash pad?
On a summer night, I like to…
What do you like to do at night in the summer?
Do you like to catch fireflies, see fireworks, or watch movies?
This summer I would like to…
What are you looking forward to doing this summer?
Do you have a summer bucket list?
Do you want to go to the beach or the zoo, visit a relative, or swim in the pool?
If I owned a food truck, I would sell…
Food trucks are popular no matter the season, but their biggest sales come in the summer when people enjoy eating outside.
If you owned a food truck, what would your specialty food item be?
Barbecue?
Cupcakes?
Grilled cheese sandwiches?
If I wrote a song about summer, I would call it…
Imagine you are a songwriter who is writing a song about summer.
What would you call it?
Would it be about summer activities or holidays?
It was a normal summer vacation until…
Imagine that something totally unexpected happened on your summer vacation.
It could be a real possibility (like a cousin dropping in for a surprise visit) or something out of this world (like your cat turning into a cupcake).
Inside my closet was…
Imagine you open your closet door one morning to find something completely weird and unexpected. What is it?
Is it a family of squirrels, a winning lottery ticket, or an old treasure chest? Use your imagination!
I want to petsit a ____ this summer.
Your neighbor plans to travel overseas this summer and needs you to watch her pet.
What kind of pet is it?
It could be something typical (like a dog or cat) or unusual (like a snake, chameleon, or zorse–that’s a combination of a zebra and a horse).
I was at the beach one day when…
What happened on this beach day?
It could be unbelievable!
Did you find someone or something?
Did you have an adventure?
Summer Writing Prompts for Upper Elementary
These summer writing prompts for upper elementary could be the start of a paragraph if you wish.
The ultimate summer dessert…
Design your own ultimate summer dessert.
It could feature summer flavors like berries, ice cream, or lemons.
Draw a picture and write a description to go along with it.
When I visit the _____, I see…
Where do you like to visit in the summer?
Is it the library, a waterpark, the aquarium, or the movie theater?
What are the sights, sounds, and smells of your favorite place?
Three signs of summer are…
How can you tell that it’s summer?
What do you notice that makes it clear that summer has arrived?
What are people doing?
Is the weather different?
What do you see in nature?
My favorite summer memory is…
What did you do last summer? Name a pleasant summer memory.
Did you go to the beach?
Celebrate the 4th of July in a memorable way?
Attend a family reunion? Watch a lot of TV?
If I could take a road trip this summer, I would go to…
Where would you go this summer if you could pick anywhere in the country?
Why do you want to go there?
My favorite summer dessert is…
What are the components of your favorite summer dessert?
It could have toppings if you wish!
When I opened the bottle, the message said…
Imagine you are walking on the beach when you find a message in the bottle.
What does it say?
What do you do in response?
The funniest thing happened when I was on a picnic…
Can you imagine something hilarious happening when you are on a picnic?
Maybe a squirrel or raccoon steals your food.
Maybe your brother steps on a slip ‘n slide and–whoosh!–goes flying.
Maybe you spit watermelon seeds and one accidentally lands in your grandma’s hair. Give the details!
My summer blockbuster is called ____.
Big movies come out in the summer.
What summertime movie would you write, direct, or star in?
Would it be about robots, superheroes, Legos, horses, or summer camp?
Pick a title and a theme.
Roses are red, violets are blue…
Take the standard poem starter and complete it with 2 lines and a rhyming word related to summer.
For example, “Roses are red / violets are blue / I like watermelon / but I love honeydew.”
SUMMER acrostic poem
Write the letters S-U-M-M-E-R vertically on a piece of paper.
Then create a poem where each line begins with a letter from the word.
For example, “Summer afternoons / under the shady tree / make me happy / my yard has a tree / exactly where I like to / read my book.”
This summer I took my cousin to…
Imagine that you have a cousin from a foreign country.
He/she has never visited you before and wants to know just what local kids do during the summer.
Where do you take your cousin?
What did your cousin think?
I was camping one summer night when…
Camping is one of the best summer vacations.
Imagine that an animal visits your camp one night.
What animal is it?
Is it wild or tame?
What does it want?
What does it do?
Elementary Writings Prompts for Summer
Summer is a time for relaxation and fun activities.
Writing can definitely be an enjoyable activity with a fun prompt!
Inspire your elementary student with these 25 summer writing prompts.
You’ll watch her writing skills blossom!