Fifth Grade Writing Prompts #6: Happiness

Don't worry, be happy! This is a selection of 10 free fifth grade writing prompts on the subject of happiness. Not only do I love the idea of fifth graders thinking about leading happy lives, I'm also writing a book on the subject (though it's geared a bit older than 10-year-olds). I think that these prompts will serve as a bit of pep in their dull, academic writing lives.

You may notice that the numbers on this page do not start at 1 and work their way up. This is because these 10 fifth grade writing prompts are an excerpt from my book, 500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade. If you like these free samples, the full version is available in both digital and paperback form. 

Fifth Grade Writing Prompts #6: Happiness

391. Some people believe that it doesn’t matter what you have, but that true happiness comes from within. What are some of the things you do that make yourself happy? Describe why you think they make you feel better in your daily life.

392. What are some of the things you do that don’t make you feel so happy? Some examples include eating too much disgusting food (you feel good in the moment, but after 20 minutes you feel kind of bad) or making fun of someone (and feeling guilty about it afterward). What would it take to get these things out of your routine?

393. Have you ever met a person who seemed truly happy? What is it that makes this person happy? What are some of the things this person does that you could adapt to your own life?

394. Having lots of close friends and talking to them often can add to your overall happiness. What do you think you can do to improve your relationships with friends and to make new and close friendships?

395. The things that you think on a day-to-day basis make a major contribution to how happy you are. If you think you aren’t good enough or that you’re weird in some way, these thoughts could bring you down. What are five things about you or five things that you do that make you a pretty cool person?

396. Saying positive things to others and wishing them well is another great way to improve your happiness. What are five positive things you can say about people in this room, your teachers or anybody else in your life? What does it feel like when you say such nice things about people?

397. Actions like eating well, getting enough sleep and exercising all contribute to your happiness. Do you participate in all of these three things? If so, write about how they improve your overall mood. If not, write about how you think you might feel if you adopted these tactics.

398. Sometimes people believe that they say and do mean things because that’s just how they are and it’s natural to them. What they don’t know is that there is a little tiny space in which they could pause and decide not to be mean. Imagine a situation in which you would have said something mean, but instead, you paused and said a much nicer thing instead.

399. Another way of saying that you’re optimistic (that you believe positive things will happen) is saying that the “glass is half full.” One way of saying you’re pessimistic (that you believe negative things will happen) is that the “glass is half empty.” Write down a few sentences that are optimistic and a few that are pessimistic. Would you rather hang out with the person who said the positive things or the negative things?

400. Who are five people in your life that you wish could be happy? What do you think they would have to do to improve their happiness? Write a little story in which you see one of them becoming a happier person. 

Done with Fifth Grade Writing Prompts? Go back to Creative Writing Prompts.