Middle School Writing Prompts

These 10 middle school writing prompts are pulled directly from my experiences during my three awkward years of sixth, seventh and eighth grade. I was the quintessential middle school student in that I had absolutely no clue what was going on with me, friends, relationships, hormones, school assignments and anything in between. I certainly could have been helped by a user manual or at the least, a few prompts to get my feelings out about the experience. While I can't go back in time, I can create and utilize these creative writing prompts for those at the middle school level.

Middle School Writing Prompts

1. While many schools have a graduation and a completely different building from elementary to middle school, others stay in the same building with the kindergartners all the way through the end of high school. How would your transition from fifth grade to middle school have been different if you were still in the same building with the younger kids?

2. During middle school, a lot of your classmates are starting to go through puberty. What exactly is puberty to you, how has it affected you and how has it affected your friends?

3. Popularity can be a tough game to play in middle school. Sometimes your friends from elementary school move onto different groups and it can seem like the toughest, meanest people end up at the top of the pyramid. If you could change the way popularity was determined, how would you and why? Where would you fit in the new scheme?

4. One of the biggest differences between middle school now and twenty years ago is that there is a lot more technology present. How had technology changed the way you learn in middle school versus a few decades ago? How do you think it will be different in another twenty to thirty years?

5. Being in middle school gives you the opportunity to be involved in more after school activities including athletics, art, music and debate. If you had unlimited after school time, what are the activities you would be involved in and why? What are some activities you aren't interested in and why do you think other people find them interesting?

6. As you get older, you are more likely to know more and understand more about current events. What are three major news stories happening in the world right now? How would these stories affect you and your life if you were an adult?

7. A lot of students who are in elementary school think their lives will be better in middle school. Some middle schoolers think they'll be happier in high school and some high school students think all of their problems will be solved in college. What are some ways in which you think your life could be better now instead of assuming that graduation will solve your issues? What will help you to better appreciate what you have going for you currently?

8. Imagine that you had control over the curriculum and could change all your classes to be exactly what you wanted. They could be anything from basketball to party planning. What would your schedule be like? Describe a day in your life with this new schedule from beginning to end.

9. Even though it can sometimes feel like you have it tough, every student in your class has his or her own troubles. What are three things you could do to be nice to one of your peers to help them through a tough time of their own? What are the benefits of doing these kind things toward others?

10. When kids are little, adults often ask them what they want to be when they grow up. The kids say things like astronauts, fire fighters and dinosaurs. What do you think you want to do for a living when you're an adult and how has that choice changed from childhood until now?

I hope these middle school writing prompts will work well for your classroom and that you'll be able to use them to get some of the juices of creativity flowing. If you liked these middle school writing prompts and you're interested in getting a lot more prompts for your class or home, check out my book 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More.

Written by Bryan Cohen

Bryan Cohen is the author of more than 30 books, many of which focus on creative writing and blasting through that pesky writer's block. His books have sold more than 20,000 copies. You can find him on Google+ and Facebook.

Check out this page to find out guest poster Holly Kearny's creative writing ideas for students.

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