Creative Writing Ideas

Story writing ideas to write best books for kids

The creative writing ideas on this page are culled from surveys of what kids want to read - together with examples drawn from best selling books, to illustrate how these ideas can be turned into wonderful stories for children.

Studies in childhood development show that as kids grow, their reading preferences change. Here are ideas for writing a book that's most suited to the needs of each age group:

Creative Writing Ideas: The Best Baby Books & Best Books for Toddlers

Babies and toddlers enjoy looking at pictures and listening to stories. They have short attention spans and prefer simple tales with straightforward plots, especially those revolving round the familiar world of home, family, friends and pets.

Babies love nursery and action rhymes, rhyming songs, and books about animals: for example, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Joyce Dunbar's Four Fierce Kittens, and the Spot the Puppy series by Eric Hill.

Babies also enjoy stories about everyday incidents they can relate to, like going for a walk, having a picnic, buying new shoes, getting invited to a party or playing with parents, siblings or friends: check out Sarah Garland's Going Shopping, Shirley Hughes' When We Went to the Park, and Shigeo Watanabe's I'm Having a Bath with Papa!

Toddlers enjoy stories about children like themselves, for example, Sarah Garland's Going to Playschool and Shirley Hughes' Alfie Gets in First.

They also love books about animals, and tales of animal characters who are really children in disguise, for example, Mercer Mayer's Little Crittur stories and Virginia Miller's Bartholomew Bear series.

Rhyming songs, nursery rhymes and funny poems are also favorites with toddlers: for example, The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear and Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins.

For more creative writing ideas, go to How to Write a Good Book for Babies and Write Best Seller Books for Toddlers.


Creative Writing Ideas: Write a Good Book for Preschoolers

Preschoolers look for security, love and happiness in their stories; at the same time, books help them to explore exciting new worlds beyond the familiar confines of home and family. Favorites with preschoolers include simple adventures, stories about mischievous children, fairy tales and fantasies involving talking animals or toys.

Nursery-level Preschoolers (3-year-olds) love funny stories, tales about mischievous children and animals, and simple adventure stories that help them build their self-confidence in venturing out: for example, Marc Brown's DW Flips! and DW Rides Again!, and Ogden Nash's Adventures of Isabel. They also enjoy simple fantasies and fairy tales that open up an imaginary world of heroes, heroines and courageous deeds, thereby satisfying their thirst for adventure.

Kindergarten Books: Preschoolers-kindergartners (kids aged 4-5 years) love humorous stories, for example, the Paddington Bear series by Michael Bond, The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl, and Robert Munsch's I Have to Go, and Thomas' Snowsuit. They prefer their books to come in a series, for example, The Berenstain Bears stories and Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad series.

For more Creative Writing Ideas for Preschoolers' books, go to Preschoolers Kindergartners' Stories


Creative Writing Ideas: Best Ideas for Beginner Reading Books

Beginner readers (kids who are starting to read by themselves) have inquiring minds and vivid imaginations. Give your stories lots of humor: they love tall stories, jokes and slapstick comedy, for example, Peggy Parish's Amelia Bedelia and sequels.

Also popular are action-packed adventure and mystery books like Edward Packard's Choose Your Own Adventure series, and tales revolving round school and friends, for example, Patricia Reilly Giff's Kids of the Polk Street School series and Ann Martin's Babysitters' Little Sister series.

Click here for more Best Ideas & Guidelines to Write a Book for Beginner Readers


Creative Writing Ideas: Hot Favorites for Advanced Readers

Chapter books for kids: these books range from 1,500 to 10,000 words. Each chapter is 3-4 pages long, and may contain a complete short story in itself, with the protagonist (and sometimes the supporting cast of characters) remaining the same throughout the book.

Chapter books are for more advanced readers (those between the ages of 7 and 9), who enjoy stories about friendships, family and school life: for example, Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge, and Ann Martin's Babysitters Club series.

These readers love warm, true-to-life stories, for example, Patricia MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall, and Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. Also popular are adventures and fantasies, for example, the Hardy Boys series, Herge's Adventures of Tintin series and the Narnia series by CS Lewis.

Click here for more Creative Writing Ideas for Chapter Books for Kids


Creative Writing Ideas: Piggyback on Bestselling Ideas

Look for books popular with your target age-group and read as many of them as possible, to understand why they appeal to readers. Piggyback on the ideas in them and come up with your own original plots.

Visit here for lists of best selling books for kids: Creative Writing Resources: Top Children's Stories These lists are arranged according to age groups, and include some of the most enduring classics as well as stories by many of the best writers of today.

Writing for older readers? Visit Cool Stories for Pre-Teens and Teens.

Reading tastes change as a child grows but certain qualities hold a timeless appeal for young readers of every age: to find out more, visit Creative Writing Ideas: How to Write Stories Kids & Teens Want to Read.

For a step-by-step guide to story writing, visit How to Write a Book: Creative Story Writing Tips that Work!

Return from Creative Writing Ideas to Creative Writing: Write to Win Hearts.


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