Imagination and Idea Generation
Great stories start with curious questions, vivid pictures, and tiny sparks of ideas.
Where Do Ideas Come From?
- What if… animals could talk? The school disappeared? You shrank to ant-size?
- Picture prompts: choose a setting and ask who, what, when, where, why.
- Memory moments: a time you felt proud, worried, or surprised.
Quick Planning
B-M-E
Beginning – meet the character and place; Middle – a problem; End – a solution or change.
Story Mountain
Opening → Build-up → Problem → Resolution → Ending
Try It
- Write five what if questions. Pick one and sketch a story plan.
- Choose a picture. List character, setting, problem, ending.
- Write a 6-sentence story (2/2/2 for B/M/E).
Examples & Starter Prompts
What-if prompts
- What if your pet could talk for one day?
- What if your school bus turned into a rocket?
- What if you woke up on the moon?
Six-sentence example (B/M/E)
Beginning: Tom found a shiny key in the garden. He wondered what it opened.
Middle: Tom tried the key on every door in the house but none worked. That night, the key glowed and led him to a tiny door behind the bookshelf.
End: Tom turned the key and opened the door to a small room full of friendly toy animals who thanked him for returning their lost key.
Scaffolded Practice Tasks
- Beginner: Pick a picture and write three sentences describing who is there, where they are, and one thing happening.
- Intermediate: Use a 'what if' prompt and write a 6-sentence B/M/E story. Underline the problem sentence.
- Challenge: Add one sentence of dialogue and show how the character feels using a feeling word.
Tips for parents/teachers
- Ask open questions: "What might happen next?" not "Did you like it?"
- Encourage drawing a quick picture first if children find starting hard.
- Celebrate small wins — one good sentence is progress.
Quick Checks
- ✓Does my idea include a character, a place, and a problem?
- ✓Can I explain the beginning, middle, and end?
Learning steps (how to grow an idea)
- Ask a 'what if' question and write three possible answers.
- Pick the most interesting answer and add a character who cares about the answer.
- Decide a small problem that makes the story move — one clear problem is better than many.
- Plan a beginning, middle and end in a single line each.
Starter set of prompts
- What if your shadow could talk and had a different name?
- What if the school clock stopped at 3pm every day?
- What if a tiny door appeared at the foot of your bed?
Example quick plan (B/M/E)
B: Lily finds a tiny door under her bed. M: She opens it and meets a village of tiny librarians who have lost their books. E: Lily helps return the books and keeps the tiny door safe.
Guided practice
- Turn one prompt into a six-sentence story (2/2/2 B/M/E).
- Underline one sentence that shows the problem clearly.
- Swap plans with a partner and give one thing they could add to make the idea more exciting.
Vocabulary bank (ideas & story words)
Use these words to add colour to your plans and sentences.
Character words
- brave
- curious
- mischievous
- shy
Problem & action words
- lost, found, chased, discovered
- vanished, stumbled, unlocked, rescued
Setting hints
- dusty attic, crowded market, moonlit garden
- stormy beach, quiet library, magical classroom
Before & after: improving an idea
Before (simple):
A boy finds a strange box. He opens it. Something happens.
After (improved):
Liam trips over a tin box under the school bench. He opens it and a tiny paper dragon peers out, blinking in the sunlight.
See how the improved idea adds a small, clear detail, a character feeling and a surprising image.
Model answers — six-sentence story
Prompt: What if your pet could talk for one day?
Beginning: Rosie woke to find her hamster tapping the glass and saying, "Good morning, Rosie!"
Middle: He told her about a tiny hole in the fence where the park fairies keep seeds. Rosie tried to show Mum, but the hole was too small for grown-up eyes. That night, the hamster squeezed out and returned with a shiny coin.
End: Rosie hid the coin in a special place and promised the hamster she'd visit the fairies. She kept the secret and smiled at the memory every time she fed him.