Celebrate the festivities, events, ideas, and holidays that occur in January using these free January writing prompts for elementary, middle, and high school students.
January is a time for reflection and new beginnings.
This is a great opportunity for students to reflect upon their past accomplishments and look forward to new goals.
These January writing prompts serve as a powerful resource in helping students to create and/or maintain that type of growth mindset.
Additionally, these prompts spark creativity, sharpen writing skills, and help students to express their thoughts.
Students will no longer wonder what to write about in January!
So while planning for writer’s workshop, be sure to include a handful of these fun January writing prompts as part of your daily writing exercises for students.
Related: winter writing prompts
January Writing Prompts
1. Compare and contrast an introvert versus an extrovert.
2. Describe, step by step, how to make spaghetti.
3. Write a short story about a bird that flies to warmer weather during the winter.
4. Describe some fun outdoor activities, games, and sports that you can do when it’s cold or snowy outside.
5. Write a funny story about the sky pouring hot chocolate.
6. Share all the things you love about winter.
7. When you stay home from school due to a Snow Day, what types of things do you like to do on your day off?
8. Explain the many benefits of owning house plants.
9. Write a story about a little girl or boy who likes to splash in puddles.
10. In your opinion, how can people incorporate more exercise into their daily routines?
11. Write about the cutest or funniest pet outfit you’ve ever seen.
12. Pretend your class will have Crazy Hat Day as a class reward. Describe the different kinds of hats that you could wear plus the types of clothes you could pair with them.
13. Write a fictional story about a family of dragons that live in a cave deep in the forest.
14. If you could invent anything, what would you create and why? How would your invention make life easier for people?
15. Write a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., thanking him for his contributions.
16. Tell the purpose of a thesaurus, and explain how to use it.
17. Imagine that you are going to spend the day with Winnie the Pooh. Write about the fun things you two will do and discuss.
18. Create a fun trail mix recipe that includes popcorn. Share all the steps.
19. In your opinion, should cursive handwriting still be taught in schools? Why or why not?
20. Share the positive impact of giving people sincere compliments.
21. Write a funny story about a student who does the opposite of what he or she is told to do.
22. Would you rather hot chocolate or chocolate cake? Explain your choice.
23. Explain the importance of keeping your online data safe and private.
24. Devise a strategy for completing a 1,000-piece puzzle in under an hour.
25. Write a funny story in which the students of your grade level do everything backwards for one day.
26. Describe the best thing that happened to you last semester.
27. Summarize the best book you read last year.
28. Share any family traditions you celebrate for the New Year.
29. How can you make this New Year more memorable than the last?
30. Share the types of activities and excursions you and your family do during winter vacation.
31. In your opinion, what’s the best thing about the month of January and why?
32. What are your New Year’s resolutions? Describe your action plan for achieving these goals.
33. Write a short story about a penguin who dislikes the snow.
34. Compare and contrast snow, sleet, and ice.
35. Tell about what you did to celebrate New Year’s Eve or Day.
Final Thoughts
Now you have a collection of January writing prompts to use during writer’s workshop, as early finishers activities, bell work, or as homework.
If you liked these prompts, you might be interested in … daily writing prompts for each month.
Download January writing prompts calendar.