57 Exciting 3rd Grade Writing Prompts (Updated!) Third Grade Writing Prompts (2023)

Yes! We have 57 fabulous 3rd grade writing prompts for kids to journal for the Joy of It (Updated Aug 2021)... Plus, a bonus list of 17 more ideas, too! Take a look now and enjoy.

Do you love journaling? Do your kids? I hope so! Writing in a journal is one of my very favorite activities, and I hope it is one of your and your student’s favorite activities, too.

Now…

You are about to discover a most fantastic listing of 3rd grade writing prompts. I hope you will share these journal starters and prompts with your precious third-grade students.

Above all, it is my hope that these fun lists of prompts will fill your student’s journaling adventures with joy, fun, creativity, and laughs.

Ok, without further ado, here is a fabulous list of journaling prompts written especially for third-grade kids. Enjoy!

57 Fabulous 3rd Grade Writing Prompts and Journal Starters

Here are those writing idea prompts AND journaling prompts for third graders, oh yeah…

1. I am very proud because…
2. If I were President I would…
3. Why is the President so important?
4. I am afraid to_______ because…
5. Name one thing you do really well and describe it in detail.
6. What is your favorite room in your home and why?
7. Describe what it means to be a good neighbor?
8. What is your favorite time of day and why?
9. Describe your best day ever? Give lots of details explaining why.
10. How do you deal with people who bug you?
11. What excites you and why?
12. Describe your favorite hobby.
13. What is your favorite quote by a famous person? Why?
14. What is your favorite song and why?
15. Climbing trees is…
16. I wish trees could._____________ because….
17. I want to be a ________ when I grow up. Then I will….
18. I wish there were a law that said ___________ because…
19. I wish I could forget the time I ___________ because….
20. I wish I could ___________ because…..
21. Older people are…
22. Younger people are…
23. The perfect place in the whole wide world is…
24. What makes you feel sad and why?
25. What can you do to help you feel better when you’re feeling blue?
26. Name your favorite book and why.
27. Walking in the rain is…
28. I am proud of myself because__________
29. What I know about rabbits is that…
30. If I were an Easter egg…
31. For lunch today…
32. If I were a raindrop I’d…
33. If I were a turtle, I’d…
34. If I were a ________, I’d…
35. Pretend that you can fly whenever you wanted. Where would you go?
36. Pretend that there is no such thing as television. What do you do with all of your time?
37. My favorite stuffed animal or toy is…
38. Imagine if cows gave green pop instead of milk! What would the world look like?
39. Imagine that all the streets are rivers? How do you get around?
40. What would happen if it really did rain cats and dogs?
    
41. Use descriptive words like amazing, incredible, outrageous, super-fun or mind-blowing while writing about your favorite activity of all time.
42. If I could choose a different name, I would choose ________ because…
43. Let’s go _______________. Describe your adventure.
44. Write a letter to your Mom, Dad, friend, cousin, classmate about your top three talents.
45. What would happen if animals could talk? What questions would you like to ask them?
46. Imagine that you can become invisible whenever you wanted to. What are some of the things you would do?
47. What would you do if you were in the middle of the lake and your boat springs a leak?
48. What would you do if you were the last person on earth?
49. What would you do if you could fly?
50. What would you do if you suddenly woke up in another country and no one could understand a word you said?
51. Write a poem about your favorite person, animal, or place.
52. What is your dream vacation? Why?
53. Write a story from the perspective of a rabbit going down a hole. What does the rabbit experience, see, and feel?
54. What would you eat if you were on a deserted island? How would you catch your food?
55. How does it feel to be a snowflake?
56. Imagine you are a mountain and you are sitting and watching the world. What have you seen in your lifetime?
57. What dangers would you face if you were a chipmunk? How would you overcome them?

I hope you enjoyed this list of 3rd Grade Writing Prompts. Now… Check out this bonus list of writing ideas for third graders.

17 MORE Bonus 3rd Grade Writing Prompts

1. List three goals that you have for your year as a third-grader. Now, write down a few steps you can take to accomplish those goals.
2. You are walking into the cafeteria with your best friend, and you find that out there are not two spots next to each other to sit. You have always at by your best friend at lunch. Write about how you feel and what you decide to do.
3. What is the most significant challenge that you have faced in your life? How have you overcome it?
4. In the fall, the leaves change color. Write about what you know about this process. What do you think makes the leaves change color? Write about an experiment that you could do to learn more about the color-changing process in leaves.
5. What is something that you want very badly? How can you work toward earning or purchasing that item?
6. Write about two characters who are close friends and get in an argument. Be sure to include a conclusion in your short story.
7. Which classroom job do you want for the third grade school year? Why are you well-suited to that position?
8. Describe your after-school routine. Do you feel that this routine helps you feel productive and relaxed? How can you improve your afternoon routine?
9. Write directions for how to make your favorite meal.
10. What is your favorite book? Write three reasons why you feel that this is the best book for students your age.
11. What is your least favorite chore? Write a journal entry convincing your parents why you should not have to do that chore anymore.
12. You have been sent back in time 150 years. You arrive in your town, but it looks completely different. Write about what you see, hear, smell, and feel now that you are in a different century.
13. Write about something you believed as a very small child that turned out to be wrong. How did you find out?
14. If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? How would you use it?
15. If you could visit any planet, which would you go to?
16. Have your parents ever given you a job to do at home? What did you do?
17. If you were in charge of managing the zoo, which animals would you spend most of your time with?

Even More FREE 3rd Grade Writing Prompts for You!

• Our 3rd grade writing prompts (free printable) include a BONUS Writing Activity for third graders
• 30 3rd Grade Writing Prompts on Compassion and Charity
• See Thousands of third grade writing ideas and prompts from our blog
• More third-grade printable writing worksheets

By the time students arrive in a third grade classroom, they have been building upon their reading and writing skills for three years. They have mastered the basics of spelling, grammar and punctuation, and they are beginning to dive deeper into their ideas.

Third grade is one of the best years to implement a regular journaling schedule into your classroom. That is also what makes using 3rd grade writing prompts such a wonderful tool.

Using 3rd Grade Writing Prompts

Third grade journal writing prompts can provide your students with a starting point for their work. Writing prompts can be used for nearly any type of writing, from creative writing and personal narratives to opinion pieces and expository essays.

With the right journal prompts on hand, you can transform any writing assignment into a fun and exciting project that your students enjoy completing.

It’s important to keep in mind that third grade journal writing prompts do not have to be used exclusively within your language arts or writing curriculum. As a classroom teacher, you can implement journal writing into nearly every subject — including math and science as well as art, physical education and music.

Writing is a universal skill that can be honed and practiced in any type of setting and applied to any lesson.

As a third grade teacher, you have the opportunity to help students learn to love the writing process. They will continue to expand and develop their writing skills throughout elementary school, but third grade is a turning point in which they can begin to appreciate the joy and release that writing can bring. Use these 3rd grade writing prompts in your classroom in order to introduce your students to the wonderful world of writing.

Ok, that’s all for today.

Stay tuned for more journaling ideas and journal writing prompts as we are constantly adding new ideas to journalbuddies.com because sharing fabulous and fun writing ideas is one of my passions.

Until next time, write on…

If you enjoyed these 3rd Grade Writing Prompts,
please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.
I appreciate it!

Sincerely,
Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator

From the archives— Here is the original intro to this article that was replaced in Aug 2021.

Third grade writing prompts for kids to journal for the Joy of It...

You see, I love to write about journaling tips, creative journaling, and journal writing techniques. I love journaling so much that many years ago, I wrote and self-published some kids journals. I also created this journal prompts and writing ideas blog which has thousands of FREE writing prompts on it! So let me take a moment to officially welcome you to my blog. I am honored to have you here!

Now, you are just about to discover a most fantastic listing of 3rd-grade writing prompts I hope you will share these journal starters and prompts with your precious third-grade students. Above all, it is my hope that these fun prompts will fill your student’s journaling adventures with joy, fun, creativity, and laughs.

Oh and lastly, I encourage you to have your kids journal or write creatively a minimum of three times per week so they may exponentially grow their writing skills.