40 Creative Writing Prompts to Foster the IB Learner Profile

Shradha Narayanan

6 min read

The IB strives to create internationally minded people who become responsible members of local, national and global communities. In the wake of COVID-19, our children are now learning first hand how their actions and attitudes have larger implications on their communities and countries. A simple example-the choice of staying home, when possible, helps limit the spread of the covid-19 disease and keeps community spreading at bay. By obliging cheerfully to stay at home, our children are displaying their international mindedness-putting the world ahead of them.

As students continue to stay home, it’s a great time to immerse in learning experiences that foster each of the 10 learner profile attributes, encouraging reflection, open-mindedness, and inquiry. Here’s a list of creative writing prompts for each learner profile attribute that you could do with your students and children, aged 7-12 years. We promise these challenging, and significant exercises will delight, engage and inspire young learners to be expressive about what’s really on their mind. Use these prompts and get their creative juices flowing! (Most of these writing prompts can be used as speaking prompts for young learners.)

As teachers, you could assign these writing prompts as home projects for students to do. You can start a Class Discussion in Toddle Classroom so students can read each other’s ideas, provide feedback, and get inspired! You can also give students the opportunity to share their creative writing piece on the Toddle Student App in the media of their choice. Some students might want to share a written piece while others may want to submit a voice recording or video recording.

You wake up one morning and as you’re looking for clothes in your cupboard, you find an alien in your drawer. What happens next?
A magical treasure box arrives at your door. You open and genie pops out who has forgotten where he came from. You set off of a journey with him to help him find his way back home. Tell us about your adventures!
Humans have to leave earth! Where do they go next? What happens there?
What if you woke up one day and everything you touched became bubbles?

If you were the health inspector of your school, what would you do to ensure all students took care of their health at school and at home? Would you run any events to spread awareness? Write all about them!
You are responsible for creating a whole new city – tell us what your city would look like?
Make a fun poster to explain what your favourite hobby is and share some key features about it, to help your friend try out your favourite hobby.
What would happen if the world became gravity-free suddenly?

Imagine a toy in your room comes to life. What will you do together?
Your house could be made of anything you’d like. Yes, even chocolate. What will you make your house with and why? What would it look like?
If you could build a dream house, what rooms would it have?

What is your favorite book that someone has read to you? How does that story end? Now imagine, the story does not end there! What happens next in the story and how does it end?
You are responsible for creating a whole new city – what would your city be like?
Write a letter to your favorite cartoon character.
If you could be any emotion, what emotion would you be? Write a poem and tell us!
You’re the first person on Planet Earth. No one else is around. What do you do? How do you start communicating? Who do you talk to?

What according to you are the top 3 qualities of a best friend?
You notice that your siblings always leave the electricity on when they leave rooms. Think of a fun way to tell them to conserve electricity and write down your plan.
Write about a time you stood-up for someone or helped someone and it made you really happy!
What according to you is the role of the government?

If you were to invent a robot, what would you create?
What’s a family tradition that you love! Describe everything you do.What’s a family tradition that your friend has? How is it different from yours and what do you like about it?.
You can create 5 new ice cream flavors all by yourself! What would they be called and what will go into them?
What if pink was blue and blue was pink?

You’re Captain Planet for the day and you have the power to fix any one problem on the planet. What would you fix and how? Remember, you have the help of any 3 of your favourite story book characters on this adventure!
The tree you and your friends climb and play around is going to be cut and a building is going to be built in its place. Write a letter to convince your local body to not cut the tree.
You can work with Santa this year to create a list of presents for anyone around you. Who would you pick presents for and what presents would you pick?
If you could invent 1 thing that would make your family’s life easier, what would you create? How would it work?

You wake up one morning as a pet in your own house! What adventures do you get into?
You go to school one day and see that everyone has been turned into frogs. Tell us how that happened and how you saved the day.
You are in-charge of a tiger jungle and you find out there are poachers in the jungle. What do you do?
Write a letter to your best friend about what it is like to climb the very top of the highest mountain in the world.

Do you remember a holiday you went on? What was something you saw there, that you would have liked to bring back with you to better your city or neighbourhood.
You find yourself stranded on a deserted island with only 3 things in your bag. What would you want them to be?
You can either live in an igloo for a month or you could live in a treehouse! Which would you pick and why? Why did you pick it and how will you spend your time there?
Write a letter to convince your parents to let you do one thing they won’t allow you to do.

What is your favorite thing about your routine each day? Describe it and explain what makes it so fun for you!
There are so many things to be thankful for! Make a list of 10 things you are thankful for today and why you’re thankful for them.
Pick a family member who helps you everyday. Write a card to thank them!
If you could get better at any one quality you have, what would it be and why?

Shradha Narayanan

Shradha is the director of product innovation and user engagement at Toddle. Having been a teacher herself, she's passionate about supporting teachers with a thriving lifelong learning community and innovative technology. She has a Masters from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Disclaimer - This resource has been produced independently of and not endorsed by the IB. Toddle’s resources seek to encourage sharing of perspectives and innovative ideas for classroom teaching & learning. They are not intended to be replacements for official IB guides and publications. Views and opinions expressed by the authors of these resources are personal and should not be construed as official guidance by the IB. Please seek assistance from your school’s IB coordinator and/or refer to official IB documents before implementing ideas and strategies shared within these resources in your classroom.

40 Creative Writing Prompts to Foster the IB Learner Profile

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