Top Tips for Helping Children Write Stories

Let your child take charge of their learning

Access print-friendly, downloadable Maths and English resources for easy learning.
Our aim is to help children succeed at school. Supporting children in Maths and English can be made easier if you have the right resources.

Choose from our many plans or try us for free with Teach Weekly.

View Our Plans

How can you encourage children to write better stories?


Tapping into children's interests is the best way to spark their imagination and inspire them to write their own exciting stories. Reading is always a good starting point. Whether it's adventure, fantasy, or mystery, helping them explore the characters, settings, and challenges they love will get their creativity flowing.


Guiding children through the story-writing process step by step will help them gather their ideas and thoughts before feeling over-whelmed with having to write a long story cold.

The steps primary children use include:

  • brainstorming
  • role play
  • planning (this can be done using a storyboard, or using TMK Story Mountain plan)
  • writing a first draft
  • editing and improving

Each stage helps build a children's confidence as a writer. Many children find it difficult to write stories because they may not know how to gather their thoughts and ideas, or struggle to keep the story flow going to the end. Writing doesn’t always have to be perfect the first time. Encouraging children to brainstorm, plan and revise can help make their stories exciting.

Planning and writing a story can be made easier by using a storyboard. The ideas on your storyboard can then be used to draft out a story, which can then be made better (edited) for your final story. This english worksheet will be particularly useful to KS2 children, especially when they are planning a story narrative.

What is a storyboard? A storyboard can be used to help you plan a story. It shows what is going to happen in your story. You can tell your story using pictures and writing. Children need to make sure their story has a beginning, middle and end. You can use a story board by either drawing pictures to tell the story, or write sentences. Narration or speech bubbles can also be used.
Join Teach My Kids to gain access worksheets and resources to help improve storywriting


The final editing and improving phase brings the whole story together—fine-tuning sentences, improving the vocabulary used, checking grammar and adding more interest to the story. They can then be encouraged to try adding descriptive details and dialogue.

The story writing tips below will help children bring their story ideas to life, while helping to create a love for writing.


Top Story Writing Tips For Children


  1. Ask children what kind of stories they like to read. Why do they like these kind of stories? What kind of characters do they have in them? Where are these kinds of stories set? What kind of problems do the characters face and how are they resolved?

  2. Writing a story about something children are interested in helps. They can brainstorm their story ideas in a notebook.


  3. Encourage your child to plan their story. Use our TMK Essentials for a blank storyboard and story writing mountain. Join Teach My Kids to gain access to a whole year's worth of essential English worksheets to help improve children's writing .


  4. Ask children to write their story, using the ideas from their story plan. It doesn't have to be perfect at this stage, just let them write. They can change their ideas from the story plan whilst writing.


  5. Once children have finished their first draft of the story. Read what they have written back to them. Does it make sense and flow?


  6. Now ask them to go through their story, can they add more to it to make it more interesting or exciting? Can they add some adjectives, verbs or adverbs?


  7. Ask children to re-read their story again. Have they started their sentences in different ways? Have they used a mixture of short and long sentences (simple, compound and complex sentences)? Can they add some speech to their story?


  8. Checking spellings and punctuation is also a vital skill needed when editing and improving stories (capital letters, full stops, commas, exclamation marks etc.).


  9. The story is now ready to copy, or children can write their final draft of their story.

Join Teach My Kids to help your child improve their story writing and literacy skills



Buy Reading Books to help your children fire up their imagination

Don't take our word for it...

"Amazing site just renewed my subscription for the second year. This site is well structured and has helped to assure me that the work we do at home co-ordinates and strengthens the work done at school."

Reena Chohan

"Teach My Kids is a fantastic resource. We use the work sheets to reinforce the Maths and English that our children, James 9 and Katie 8, are learning at school. They are ideal for when we have a spare 10 – 15 minutes, and also give us as parents the opportunity to see how much our kids know!

As and when the work sheets are completed, I log in and tick them as completed, so it’s clear which topics have been covered. I try to do 2 - 4 of worksheets a week and feel that they are of great benefit to both our children.

I would definitely recommend ‘Teach My Kids’, it’s fantastic value for money and if you have any questions or queries these are answered promptly."

Emma Robinson

"I have found the ‘Teach my Kids’ website to be very helpful and informative. The worksheets met my children’s individual needs at a time when I was struggling with ways in which to support them. They were very easy to follow have made a real impact on their confidence in Maths and English.

The website is clear and well thought out and easy for anyone to follow. Any queries are responded to promptly. A great website for parents!"

B. Gidda

"Teach My Kids has all the ingredients of the National Curriculum and above all good lesson planning. Such an excellent tool for parents and children. The worksheets are attractive and easy to read and follow. Excellent lively illustrations. I am impressed by the rewards systems and learning path progress. The learning paths are well constructed and brilliant because all the children in the family can use it. Very useful advice to parents.

I would encouraged parents towards this user friendly and excellent web site."

M. Welton

"Teach my kids is a very valuable website! Great worksheets available that help me and my child on her sometimes confusing learning path. Fabulous helpful and friendly owners, would highly recommend!"

Emma Jones

"I have been with Teach My Kids for a few months and can see an improvement in my daughter. The rewards have helped her stay focused."

M.Miles