Spark Creative Writing with Picture Prompts

Image of students engaged in writing with picture prompts

As teachers, we know how important it is to give students practice with a variety of types of writing. It is necessary to build language, communication, and critical thinking skills.

In addition to the academic benefits, it also encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. However, the challenge can be to find engaging writing activities that will inspire our students as they are faced with a blank page. So for this, I find that starting with a picture can help.

WHY USE PICTURE PROMPTS?

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it can also inspire a thousand words! Writing is a journey of imagination, and sometimes all it takes is a visual spark to ignite the creative flame.

Introducing a picture with a writing prompt has many benefits for students:

Sparks the imagination and allows creative juices to flow
Inspires discussion and brainstorming
Naturally leads to a wide variety of diverse topics
Interesting topics are much more engaging for students than a simple written prompt
Encourages out-of-the-box thinking
Helps develop descriptive skills
Encourages critical thinking
Provides a starting point for storytelling
Triggers unique ideas
Creates an emotional connection
Allows for tailoring to different writing purposes
Builds inference skills
Challenges students to consider conflicts or problems and encourages them to explore solutions and consequences of different choices

HOW TO USE PICTURES AS WRITING PROMPTS

While just offering a picture as a writing prompt can spark creative thought, it may be helpful to include some context or guiding questions to help narrow the focus. Otherwise, students may feel unsure about how to approach the task, even with the picture for inspiration.

For example, if you want students to write a descriptive paragraph about a scenic view, encourage them to think of descriptions using the five senses. Thinking beyond just what they see, including sounds and smells and things they can feel (sun, temperature, etc.) can help expand their descriptions.

Also, consider giving some background information about the image. For example, if there is an image of a random object, maybe include that it has some magical quality, or it caused some problem or controversy, or it was the last one on Earth, etc. This gives students a starting point and allows them to stretch their creative muscles.

Finally, consider giving students an opportunity to discuss the images and prompts in small groups before beginning the writing process. Chatting about ideas and bouncing thoughts off each other really amps up the brainstorming game, fueling creativity and inspiration.

WHERE TO FIND IMAGES AND INSPIRATION FOR PROMPTS

Find interesting images taken by you or have students use their own pictures
Social media, memes, etc.
Stock photo sites (Unsplash, Pixabay, etc.)
Google Images (example: compare and contrast vintage vs. modern advertisements)
National Geographic Photo of the Day
New York Times – What’s going on in this picture?
Library of Congress (great for vintage photos)

Or save hours of prep time and get 140 ready-to-go images and prompts!

No-Prep Writing Practice Any Time!

This set of 140 picture prompts comes in 3 versions: printable task card format, individual writing sheets, and a paperless version using Google Slides.

Choose from a variety of themes and tasks for writing for different purposes. You can offer 2 or more options for students so they can select one that connects with and inspires them the most. Even reluctant writers are sure to find something to inspire them!

Here are just a few examples of the different writing tasks you will find in this collection:

Creative stories
Describing
Persuading
Comparing and Contrasting
Pros and Cons
Writing how-to instructions
Creating advertisements and posters
Writing dialogue
Reflective writing
Writing news articles, text messages, memes, tweets, etc.
Many more creative activities that will allow students to think outside the box on a variety of engaging topics.

Ready to See What Your Students Will Create?

Click Here to grab all 140 Picture Prompts for Writing and Discussion.

Want to try out a few first? You can get a FREE sample of 15 writing prompts that are included in this collection.

I hope these prompts will spark inspiration in your students and unleash their creativity!

For even more creative writing practice, try using song lyrics in the classroom or for Halloween fun, get spooky writing ideas with a FREE choice board!