These 3rd-grade writing prompts (or third grade essay topics) are written for students in grade three. They are free to use under a Creative Commons License .

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1. Imagine you and your parents have stopped off at the service station for petrol. You go in for some sweets and when you come out, they have driven off. Write about what happens next.
2. If you could eat anything you liked, what would you have for breakfast and what would you have for dinner tomorrow? Remember, you can have anything!
3. What would be the best thing about being sent 100 years into the future?
4. How would you feel if another child (your age) moved into your home?
5. What do you most like about yourself?
6. If you could invent a new subject to study at school, what would it be?
7. Think about the best holiday you ever had. Really think, close your eyes if you need to. Now tell me what was the reason it was so good?
8. Write about someone having to face up to their biggest fear.
9. If you could have your double as a friend, describe what pranks you could play on people.
10. You can be any age for one day only. What age would you like to be and what would you do?
11. If you and your best friend had the whole of your school to yourself for the day, what would you do?
12. If your house was on fire and you could save only one possession, what would you choose and why?
13. If your mum was describing you to her friend, what would she say?
14. Describe a day in the life of your pet. If you don’t have a pet, invent one and do not forget to give it a name!
15. If a child were president, what changes would he/she make for the nation’s children? Give me some new laws!
16. Tell me about a time when you have been very, very embarrassed.
17. Imagine a boy called Simon Sneaky grinning from his hiding place as he watched his teacher getting on a bicycle. This should be really funny, he thought. Write about what happens next.
18. Pretend your Grandpa has told you not to use his special shampoo, but you did. Write about what terrible things might happen to your hair!
19. Re-write the story of Snow White, but make her very wicked rather than good.
20. Think of something you do not like doing now, but might like when you are grown up.
21. Describe someone you know who is very different from you.
22. Tell me about something near where you live which is no longer there. Do you miss it?
23. Ask your parents to tell you about something that happened to you as a baby. The write the story as though you can remember it using ‘I’. For example – ‘I remember sitting in my cot one day when a big dog came in.’
24. Describe your favourite place to eat out and what you like to order.
25. Imagine a relation you’d never met before was coming to stay at your house for a whole year. This person is the same age as you but has never even been to your country. Now write an imaginary letter telling them what to expect. You might want to include details about your home, the area you live in, etc. Try to re-assure them that they will like living with your family.
26. Tell me five things about your home town (or nearest town) that would have been very different one hundred years ago.
27. Pretend your local newspaper has asked you to write about your favourite hobby. Write an article that would really make other people want to do what you do.
28. Describe something really strange and weird that might take place in your neighbourhood whilst everyone is asleep.
29. Imagine there is one dinosaur still alive, it has been hiding out of sight all these years and now asks you for help. Describe what happens next.
30. Imagine if you started growing half a metre every day! Describe what might happen.
31. If the sky fell down, what would you see underneath?
32. Imagine you have had to wear a huge, furry coat all day in the baking hot sun. Now, using all your senses, describe what it would be like to take that coat off and walk into the sea.
33. Describe a fun thing you do as a family.
34. Tell me about a time when you were really scared, but everything turned out fine in the end.
35. If one of your friends did something you thought was really wrong, what would you do?
36. If babies could think and talk just like adults, what might they say?
37. If you could rummage around in the US president’s garbage, write about what interesting things you might find!
38. What animal would you most like to be and why?
39. Describe something you find really easy to learn and then something you find really difficult. Why are some things just so much easier than others?
40. Have you ever been awake when everyone else in your house is asleep? Write about what it was like.
41. Do you have any phobias? For example, some people really hate spiders.
42. If they ever made a film about you, which actor would you like to play the part of you and why?
43. Describe a time when you have been lost.
44. Imagine an adult goes to sleep and wakes up in the body of a five year old. Write about what happens to him at school.
45. Imagine you are on a rocket that has just blasted off the launch pad. Tell me what you can see out of the window.
46. Imagine Fred is a naughty basset hound who cannot stop stealing sweets. Write about what happens to him.
47. Write about what would be your least favourite imaginable job.
48. Imagine a really spooky man, in a tall hat, who never speaks. As he goes into his big mansion you see he has dropped his grocery receipt. Describe what items are on it.
49. You rescue a really strict genie from a bottle, who grants you one wish, as long as it is something he approves of. What would you ask for?
50. If you could temporarily turn into a grown to help you do something, when might you do it?

Want to use these third grade writing prompts for your fourth grade class? Go for it! Just please give credit to WritingPrompts 🙂

Do you have any great 3rd grade writing prompts you’d like to share? Send me an email at hi[at]jeremydavid.com. Also, it would be AMAZING if you could take 2 minutes and fill out this short survey. so I can make WritingPrompts better 🙂