When children know how to voice their opinions, and how to put their lived experiences into words, they are able to gain a greater sense of self.
As well as this, this helps to bring the children much closer together by encouraging the children not only to voice their opinions but to understand and respect the opinions of others.
As you can see, there are almost countless reasons to get the children involved with opinion writing, as it is better for each individual child, and for the cohesion of the classroom group.
However, when it comes to teaching kids to get involved with opinion writing, it can often be much easier said than done.
What are some of the best ways to get your class to consider their opinions, and then get to work on writing them?
Join us down below, because we have cataloged some of our very favorite opinion writing prompts that will quickly get the kids engaged!
1. “What Is The Best Sport To Watch Someone Play?”
This is a really great prompt because it not only asks the children to consider the sports that they really like but also the sports that they believe are best to watch from the sidelines!
This invites the children to really consider their answers, and then come up with a way to back up their opinions.
Once the children have written their answers, you could even ask the children to discuss amongst themselves which sports they have written about.
2. “Who Is The Strongest Person In Your Family? Why?”
This is a very humorous prompt that will invite the children to write about those they love, without having to think too seriously about their answers.
This prompt invites the children to be playful and inventive with their answers, perhaps to choose an unconventional response!
This prompt will also invite the children to consider what “Strength” actually is. Perhaps they might write about their physically strong father, or their emotionally strong brother?
3. “What Is A Great Trait For A Friend To Have?”
This is one of our favorite prompts to give the children because not only is it a lot of fun for them to write their own answers, but it also subconsciously teaches them how to be better people.
Encourage the children to read out their opinions once they have all been written, or to discuss them in small groups. This will help to teach the children a number of great values that will help them to be better people.
4. “What Is The Best Thing To Do After School?”
This fantastic prompt helps to bring the children much closer, by giving them a sense of what their classmates get up to outside of school.
Each of the children will write a different activity, whether it be ‘playing computer games’, or ‘riding a bike’.
When the kids discuss their answers, they will be able to take inspiration from one another when it comes to ways to pass the time!
5. “What Is The Best School Subject?”
This prompt will help the children to appreciate what they learn at school, by reflecting on the subjects they enjoy most, and the things they have learned from studying their subjects.
This prompt will also help the students to better understand themselves, as they will be able to get a sense of what they are interested in, and how school helps them to foster this!
6. “Which Animal Is Your Favorite? Why?”
We loved using this prompt with our class because it allowed the kids to play around with their knowledge of the animal kingdom, and some of the amazing creatures that populate our planet.
This prompt is also great because it allows the kids to get creative when it comes to deciding why they prefer each animal. They might say they love lions because of their ferocious spirits and their determination!
7. “Should Kids Have More Or Less Homework?”
Of course, this prompt is going to elicit a fair number of excited answers of “No”, but don’t let this put you off from trying it!
This humorous prompt is great because it helps the children to feel as though their feelings are being taken into consideration.
They will feel as though the prompt is asked out of consideration for their feelings and wishes.
The kids will also just have a lot of fun being able to air their opinions on homework, while also considering some of the benefits of homework.
8. “What Is The Best Season?”
This is a great question to ask if you think the children are having trouble putting their ideas into words.
There are only four seasons that the children can choose from, and this helps them to focus their minds to come up with an answer that they are happy with.
This prompt is also great for teaching the children a little more about the various seasons, and the passing of time across the year.
9. “What Is The Best Day Of The Week?”
Teaching children to memorize the days of the week can be highly beneficial, as it can help to teach them vital time management skills, while also getting a sense of how time passes.
This fun prompt invites the children to consider which day of the week they like best, and what it is about that day that they like best!
10. “What Is Something Everyone Should Learn To Do?”
This is a prompt that allows the children to gloat slightly about things that they can do, while also inspiring other kids in the class to achieve more amazing things.
This prompt encourages the children to consider what skills they think are valuable in life, and what value they bring.
We totally loved having the children get involved with this prompt because it allowed them to consider the ways in which certain skills can be helpful.
11. “What Is The Best Movie Ever Made?”
While it is good to inject some education into each of the prompts, it can also be good to provide the children with a number of casual prompts that allow them to just have fun.
This is one of the best prompts towards this end because it allows the children to write about something they love.
12. “How Do Your Friends Or Family Make You Feel Loved?”
We loved this prompt because it is incredibly cute, and it really allowed the children to consider what it means to love someone, while also considering how they can better display their love to those that mean a lot to them!
This prompt also teaches the children that actions can often speak louder than words, and that doing nice things for other people helps both themselves and everyone else.
13. “Should Kids Have To Wear School Uniforms?”
Depending on whether the children are attending a school with a dress code or not, this prompt can elicit a number of unique responses.
The prompt gets the children to consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of a school uniform.
Children that don’t wear school uniforms will be able to appreciate the ways in which their choice of outfits helps them to stand out, and help them to express themselves.
14. “What Is The Best Way To Start The Day At School?”
Children often have their favorite routines for starting the working day at school, and this useful prompt helps the kids to consider their favorite ways of starting the day, while also helping the teachers to better understand what the students want from school.
15. “What Is The Best Ice Cream Flavor?”
Kids will love playing around with this prompt and making a case for their own opinions. It invites the children to think about their favorite flavors of ice cream, and why they prefer that flavor over all others.
We also found that the children loved discussing their answers with one another.
Opinions on ice cream can differ quite massively from child to child, so it can lead to some very fun and exciting discussions between the kids!
16. “Which Book Could You Read Over And Over Again?”
Getting young children involved with reading can often be something of a trial, but this prompt will invite the children to consider their favorite stories, and what it is that draws them towards them.
This will get them more excited to get out and explore the world of literature for themselves!
The children will also be able to take inspiration from one another to find new books to read!
To Wrap Up
Teaching young children to be more confident about their values and ideas can be incredibly valuable, and these are easily some of the best writing prompts to help encourage children to think about their opinions and the unique ways in which they experience the world around them.
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