The weather outside may be frightful, but these writing prompts about winter will take some of the chill out of the air. Let your kids pick a prompt. Before you know it, they’ll be imagining the perfect snow companion, writing winter poetry, or persuading you to let them take up a new snow sport. Note: These prompts are best served with a cup of steaming cocoa!
1. Frosty the Snowman
Most kids are familiar with the song, “Frosty the Snowman.” The first stanza tells us what he looks like:
Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly, happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.
We also know Frosty has a magic hat that brings him to life:
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found,
For when they put it on his head
He began to dance around.
Pretend that you and your friends are going to build a life-sized snowperson. Make a list of items you will use to make its face, arms, and clothes. What name will you give it? Does your snowperson come to life like Frosty? What makes the magic happen? What personality does it have?
Write a paragraph or two describing a day of adventure with your snow friend. For an added challenge, write a poem instead. See if you can get the second and fourth lines of each stanza to rhyme, just as in the “Frosty” song.
2. Winter Memories
What is your favorite winter memory? What word best expresses your main feeling or emotion? Focusing on that emotion, write a paragraph or two describing this memory.
3. Snow-crostics
Write an acrostic poem for the words “snow” or “winter.” Here are several examples:
S oft drifts
N ever-ending blizzard
O utside wonderland
W inter’s white blanket
W hirling snow
I cy nights
N oses red and cold
T oes all numb
E ating snowflakes
R ed scarf and mittens
W hite and silent
I cicles hanging from the eaves
N estling in patchwork quilts
T obogganing down smooth, whitened slopes
E xpecting snow tonight!
R acing on ice skates across a frozen pond.
4. Mild vs. Wild
Make a list of adjectives to describe a snowfall. Make a second list of adjectives to describe an avalanche. Think of words that describe how each one looks, sounds, and feels. Compare your lists. What differences and similarities do you see? Next, write a paragraph describing either the snowfall or the avalanche. Include as many adjectives as possible from that word’s list.
5. Winter Workout
You want to take up a new winter sport, but you’re not sure your parents will agree. Which of these appeals the most: ice skating, snowboarding, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, or tobogganing? Find out what kind of equipment you would need, and write a letter to your parents expressing three reasons why they should let you take lessons.
Feeling inspired? Be sure to check back each week for more Writing Prompt Wednesdays!
