May is a beautiful time of year, full of life and full of potential—just like your students. “The world’s favorite season is the spring,” Edwin Way Teale once wrote. “All things seem possible in May.” One wonderful way to celebrate the magic of May in your classroom is to explore this theme through writing. These lovely May writing prompts for kindergarten students are sure to delight and inspire!
Prompt #1: “If you were teacher for a day, what would you do?”
According to the National Education Association, National Teacher’s Day falls on May 8th. Why not engage in a game of pretend by asking your kindergarten students to imagine what it’s like to be the teacher for once, instead of a pupil? Ask them to consider what topics they would like to teach, or what sort of homework (if any!) they would assign, and why. Discussing this writing prompt will encourage them not only to have a little fun with their writing, but also to consider—and appreciate—the work that goes into actually being a teacher.
PROJECT IDEA
For a more in-depth take on this topic, try asking your students to come up with actual lesson plans for a full day of teaching. Provide them with a simple worksheet or writing strategy, such as a list of framed sentences or paragraphs, to help guide them through the process of describing what a day in the classroom would look like if they were in charge. Then, ask them to draw self-portraits of themselves as teachers. Finally, publish their lesson plans and portraits in a fun “educational” classbook!
Prompt #2: “Describe a happy memory you’ve shared with your mother or grandmother.”
May is also the month in which we celebrate Mother’s Day, so a writing prompt about mothers seems particularly appropo. This sweet prompt asks your kindergarten students to hone their long-term memory skills and relate a short personal narrative about a happy time they’ve spent with their mothers or other maternal figures. Whether they recall gardening together in the backyard, playing a game of hide-and-seek in the house on a rainy day or a sharing a special moment during a family trip, this prompt is sure to bring out more than one smile on your students’ faces. (And of course, students who may find this topic difficult for any reason can choose to write about a grandmother or other relative whom they love like a mother instead.)
PROJECT IDEA
For a fun class project, ask your students to tell this story twice. First, have them answer the prompt as usual, relating the memory from their own perspective. Then, ask them to tell it again from the other person’s perspective. You may even assign a short “interview” as homework and ask them to talk to their mothers (or whoever they chose to write about) about how they remember the incident. Then, ask them to draw the scene they have described, and publish their work in a beautiful classbook tribute to moms and quality family time.
Prompt #3: “What is your favorite constellation? Why?”
May 4th is known to Star Wars fans everywhere as a special day. But did you know that May is also the month in which the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower tends to occur? Celebrate the starry skies with your kindergarten students this May by discussing and writing about the constellations.
PROJECT IDEA
Take this writing prompt one step further by asking your students to choose a favorite story about the constellations and retell it in their own words. Who was Orion? What are the names of the Gemini twins? How did Taurus the bull become a constellation? Then, ask them to draw the constellations they chose—either as they appear in the sky, or as the characters they are named for. Don’t forget to publish their stories in a beautiful classbook compendium of constellations.
Prompt #4: “Create an acrostic poem using the word ‘emerald.’”
The birthstone for the month of May is the emerald. Combine a vocabulary lesson with a poetry exercise with this prompt by asking your kindergarteners to create an acrostic poem about an emerald. Encourage them to think outside of the box and consider more than just its color. Is an emerald hard, cold, sharp or polished? Does light shine through it? This prompt is the perfect opportunity to explore new vocabulary words—especially adjectives!—and hone descriptive writing skills.
PROJECT IDEA
Instead of asking everyone to write their poems about emeralds, ask your students instead to use the word “emerald” for an acrostic poem about something that can be described as “emerald” in color: a lush rainforest, a leprechaun’s hat, a kitten’s eyes. Then, ask them to draw the subject they chose. Last, add an extra personal touch by taking a class photo together in which everyone is wearing at least one green piece of clothing or accessory. Use the photo as your cover image when publishing their poetry in a classbook!
Celebrating May in Your Kindergarten Classroom
May means spring, and spring is when everything bursts to colorful life! Help your students harness that amazing energy and creativity constructively by channeling it for something productive and memorable. Whether they’re imagining leading a class, reliving a happy memory, dreaming about the stars or considering color as a theme, writing about these prompts will help nurture their creativity, just as the sun and showers of May help gardens grow.
For more delightful writing prompts and other free classroom resources, check out our online teacher’s lounge, and be sure to sign up for your free publishing kit!
Image sources: Lead image via Unsplash; Images 1, 2 ,3, 4 via OpenClipart.org