Though October brings to mind the more well-known holidays of Columbus Day and Halloween, you can add variety to your teens’ writing efforts with clever essay prompts about these lesser-known or unusual October holidays. Which one will they choose first?
October: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
Nearly everyone who has adopted a dog will be quick to tell you about all the love and friendship their new pet has brought into their lives! Write a persuasive essay in which you convince a friend to adopt a shelter dog. Give at least three compelling reasons why this is a better decision than buying from a pet store or breeder. Make sure to include facts, examples, or other details to support your claims.
October 10: Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day
Imagine that you are a stuffed bear whose owner brought you along as a guest to their workplace on “Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day.” Write a descriptive essay telling about your day. Where does your owner work? How did they dress you for the big day? Did you take a tour of the place? Who did you meet? Did you get to work on a task or project? Using vivid description and emotion words, write about your experience as Bear on the Job!
October 12: Moment of Frustration Day
In a single week’s time, most teens experience a range of emotions that swing from joy to grumpiness and from success to frustration. Think about that one thing that really made you feel irritated, exasperated, or upset. What happened? How did you respond? How did you resolve the problem? Was it worth the outburst? Write a short essay describing that frustrating situation.
October 19: Evaluate Your Life Day
This day offers the perfect opportunity to think about who we are, what we care about, and how we want to grow. Write a reflection essay about an incident, personal achievement, or moment of inspiration. Explain how that circumstance caused you to see the world differently, care more deeply about an issue, or grow and mature as a person.
If your students enjoyed these writing prompts about unusual October holidays, here are some more month-specific prompts they’ll have fun with:
