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Narrative Writing for Grade 4
Narratives tell stories.
These worksheets and writing prompts focus on creative and effective story writing for kids .
Writing hooks : 5 ways to get your reader's attention
Plot structure : 5 stages of plot structure
Creating settings : place, time and environment of a story
Character development : create character traits through Q&A
Show, don't tell! : actions and details rather than exposition
Sensory details : writing about what characters see, smell, taste, feel & hear
Descriptive writing : create a complete mental picture of a scene
Small moments writing : write in great detail about a specific moment
Point of view : first, second and third person
Writing personal narratives : organize and write a personal recollection
Narrative writing practice : tying together characters, setting and plot
Narrative writing prompts : creative prompts for grade 4 students
Narrative writing worksheet for grade 4
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57 Narrative Writing Prompts For 4th Grade
Journaling is an important part of self-exploration and deep thinking. Giving students a list of prompts to choose from allows them to choose which parts of themselves to explore, and helps keep their writing headed in a certain direction.
Below, you’ll find a list of narrative writing prompts to inspire your students to reflect on their thoughts and feelings.
Using These Prompts
Writing prompts are great because they give struggling writers a sense of direction, but they also help more skilled writers explore thoughts and feelings that they might not have thought of before.
Here are a few ways you can use these prompts in your classroom:
- Challenge students to pick one or two prompts a day for an entire week.
- Create a spinner using a cut-out circle and a paper clip, and have students spin to see which prompt they’re going to use.
- Keep these prompts nearby for students to use when they have spare quiet time in class.
- If you sense a student struggling emotionally, recommend using one of these prompts to help them reflect on these feelings.
The Writing Prompts
- Describe your ideal field trip.
- Write about a special memory that you will never forget.
- Describe your style. Do your parents choose how you dress or do you choose your own clothes?
- You wake up this morning with wings. Describe what happens next.
- What kinds of books do you prefer to read? List some examples.
- Write about a conflict you had with a friend. How did you resolve the situation?
- Rewrite your favorite children’s story, but make the main character a superhero.
- Describe the most frightening dream you’ve ever had.
- How do you entertain yourself when you don’t have access to screens and devices?
- Write about your favorite family tradition.
- There’s a classroom in your school that is always locked with its lights off. One day, you walk by and the door is ajar. What happens next?
- Write about a role model you have, and describe how they’ve affected your life.
- Describe the ideal snow day.
- Have you ever lost something important? What happened next?
- What is the most important lesson you’ve learned this year?
- Think of a time when you were very irritated. Explain why, and then explain how you resolved it.
- What is the best part of the school day? Why?
- What would you do if you were the principal for the day?
- Write a story about someone who wakes up and realizes they’re microscopic.
- Why is it important that people help others?
- Describe something you’ve learned recently. Was it easy or difficult to learn?
- Write a story from the point of view of someone meeting you for the first time.
- Are you good at keeping secrets? Explain.
- Describe a time when you stood up for yourself.
- Describe a time when you stood up for someone else.
- What is your favorite thing about your best friend?
- Explain your favorite board or card game to someone who has never played it before.
- Write your plans for the perfect weekend.
- A harmless but wild animal wanders into your classroom. How does your class react? What happens next?
- You wake up and realize that you can speak to your pet. What do you talk about?
- Describe a time when you participated in a contest.
- Write about the perfect summer day.
- Tell a story about two people who switch jobs for a day.
- Write about something that makes you laugh.
- Why is patience important? Do you consider yourself a patient person?
- Do you think boys and girls are actually different from each other? Explain.
- Do you enjoy writing? What is your favorite thing to write about?
- Write the story of how you met your best friend.
- Describe what you hope your life is like 10 years from now.
- Describe what you hope your life is like 20 years from now.
- Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Explain.
- The plant on your teacher’s desk suddenly sprouts a strange fruit. What is it? What happens next?
- Do you have a funny or interesting story about losing a tooth? Write about it.
- Write about a time when you shared a special meal with your family.
- What would you do if you woke up tomorrow in your favorite video game?
- If you were to describe your best friend as a color, what color would they be? Why?
- What is your favorite food? Why do you like it?
- What is something that you worry about at night?
- Make a list of ten things you love about yourself.
- Write a story from the point of view of your shoes.
- Write about a time when you gave in to peer pressure.
- Describe the last time you got hurt. What happened?
- Tell a story about a time when you got caught doing something you weren’t supposed to.
- Which person in your family are you most similar to? How are you alike? How are you different?
- Describe a time when you felt embarrassed.
- Invent a new sandwich. Write about how to make it, and try to convince others to try it.
Looking For More?
Whether you’re looking for writing prompts or classroom resources, our site is your one-stop destination for making your classroom run more smoothly.
We are home to writing resources, premade forms, and much more! If you’re looking for something specific and can’t find it here, let us know.
We’re here to help your classroom run more smoothly so you can spend more time shaping the minds of the future.
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Teaching Narrative Writing in 4th Grade Elementary
Related articles, teaching reading comprehension to 6th graders, how to teach note-taking skills in the fifth & sixth grades, differences in narrative vs. exposition in a story.
- Activities to Improve Reading in Primary School Students
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By fourth grade, most student can organize their thoughts into coherent sentences and maintain focus on one main topic. Narrative writing provides students with an opportunity to refine and practice these skills, as well as build on these skills by requiring them to coordinate multiple events based on one idea. Foster your student’s creativity and further their writing abilities through narrative lesson plans.
What is a Narrative?
Before you begin writing, teach your fourth graders the definition of a narrative, which is a story. Many students have probably told their parents what they did at school one day or listed animals they saw at the zoo, but a narrative is more than just a retelling of events -- it generally focuses on one overarching idea, usually resolves a conflict or problem, and may show a change in a main character, according to Windham Southeast Supervisory Union.
Providing Examples
Read some examples of narrative writing with your fourth-grade students. The book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst is one classic example of a narrative story. The book recounts the unfortunate events throughout one day and ends with Alexander’s mother comforting him, telling him that everyone has bad days. The structure of the book reaffirms that narratives emphasize one main idea and often resolve at the end.
Personal Narrative
Many fourth-grade students will find it easier to write a story about themselves than to make up a plot, so provide prompts for students to write a personal narrative. Students can write about a vacation, their favorite day, a birthday party or a time they were in trouble. Start with brainstorming and ask students to answer the questions about what happened, where and when it occurred, and who else was present. Fourth graders can jot down ideas for the beginning, middle and end of their stories, followed by writing the complete narrative based on their notes.
Fictional Narrative
You can also allow students to get creative and write fictional narratives. Similar to writing a personal narrative, start with brainstorming ideas for a character and situations that person might get into. If students have a hard time creating a character, give prompts, such as asking students to imagine they are their pet or what would happen if they went into a dark cave. Once students have an idea and an outline of their story, they can write the narrative. Alternatively, students can base a story on research. Fourth graders can take information they learned from another subject, such as history, and create stories about historical figures or events.
- Utah Education Network: Fourth Grade Writing Lesson #1/Narrative Prompt
- Teacher Vision: Writing a Personal Narrative
- The Kennedy Center: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Portland Public Schools: Narrative Writing: Personal Narrative
Cara Batema is a musician, teacher and writer who specializes in early childhood, special needs and psychology. Since 2010, Batema has been an active writer in the fields of education, parenting, science and health. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and creative writing.
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