Fall is in full swing! It’s time for some slightly scary vibes. Take a break from scary books or movies and take a crack at writing your own! Here are some journal prompts to spark your creativity and get you into an eerie, creepy crawly state of mind.

There is no right or wrong way to use the prompts. Use one or all of them and write as little or as much as you’d like. All that matters is that you have fun! 

1. As the clock struck midnight, the witch said…
2. The black cat was very…
3. I was carrying my hot chocolate back inside when…
4. The house was so quiet you could only hear…
5. My favorite October night is when…
6. I couldn’t believe it; everywhere I looked I saw…
7. They got a tingle down their spine when they heard…
8. Once the potion begun to brew it looked….
9. The crunch of fall leaves beneath my feet was not the only sound I heard…
10. I entered the corn maze with my friends, and we decided to….
11. Fall time reminds me of….
12. All of a sudden there was a big, scary looking…
13. The mysterious object started floating and…
14. There was a creak in the steps as I climbed the staircase to…
15. As we sat around the bonfire, we thought it would be fun to…
16. There was a loud snap! We turned around and saw…
17. The night was drawing near, bringing a full moon…
18. They said there was nothing to be afraid of but…
19. He could not remember how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembers is…
20. She faced the monster head-on and said…

Looking for other activities to do with your little one? See a list of the library’s upcoming events for young children.

   Youth Services Assistant Librarian Jessica

Looking for something to do when the summer heat's got you beat? Looking to take a break from video games? Here are some journal prompts to keep the old brain stimulated while school's out!

By the way, don't worry about word count or anything like that -- express yourself how you want, as much as you want. And there are no real rules here -- you can do as many or as few of these as you like.

1.Describe your perfect summer day, from start to finish. It doesn't have to be a real day, just something that sounds perfect to you.

2. Describe how you feel now that school's ending. Do you feel happy? Sad? A little bit of both?

3. If you had the magical ability to make it one season forever, which season would you pick, and why?

4. Write a haiku about a memory from a past summer.

5. Who are you most excited to spend time with this summer?

6. Are you an indoors person or an outdoors person? Or both? Why do you think that is?

7. List three things you'd like to accomplish this summer.

8. What's your favorite summertime treat? Ice cream? Watermelon? Something else?

9. Do you like to stay up late during the summer? If so, what to you do? If you don't like to stay up, describe why!

10. Take a little walk outside -- make sure it's safe first! -- and describe the world around you, focusing on your five senses. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Feel?

11. If you could have a picnic with any person, alive or dead, who would it be, and why? What would you take with you on your picnic?

12. Take some lyrics from five of your favorite songs and use them to write a poem.

13. Imagine you're a tour guide for your town or community. What sights do you point out? Why are they important to the community? Why are they important to you?

14. Write a short story about an exciting event that gets interrupted by a sudden rainstorm. How do things change? How do people react?

15. If you could go on vacation to any fictional location, where would it be and why? What kinds of things would you need to pack?

16. Next time you're out in nature, take a photo of something that interests or excites you -- a cocoon, an old tree, a fish, etc. Now write a story based on the picture you just took.

17. Write an acrostic poem about your favorite ice cream flavor. If you don't eat ice cream, use candy. If you don't eat candy, use fruit or another snack!

18. Write a review for the movie you most enjoyed watching this summer.

19. Now write a review for the movie you least enjoyed.

20. As summer draws to a close, reflect on the time you had. Are you sad to see summer end, to go back to school? Or are you excited? Maybe a little bit of both?

Looking for recommendations? Fill out our form to get a custom list of reads or a Book Bundle for pickup.

  Youth Services Librarian Chris 

Dear Middle Grade Students,

Are you stuck inside 'cause of COVID? Wanna write but don't know where to start? Just plain bored? Here are 31 journal-writing prompts (a whole month's worth!) to get you started.

By the way, don't worry about word count or anything like that -- express yourself how you want, as much as you want.

1. Describe two people you look up to or admire: one real, one fictional. Why do you admire them? How are they different? How are they the same?

2. What's something that always makes you laugh, whether you're feeling happy or sad?

3. Write about a mistake you made recently. Did you learn anything from it? What did you learn?

4. If you could have any fictional creature as a pet, what would it be and why?

5. Pick your least favorite character from your favorite book and write from their point of view.

6. What was your least favorite thing about quarantine? What was your favorite thing?

7. What's a food you could eat every day for the rest of your life? Do you think you'd get tired of it? Why or why not?

8. If you could learn another language, what would it be? Why? How would you use it?

9. Write a poem about your happiest memory.

10. Write a poem about a sad memory.

11. Do you have a favorite song? If you do, describe what you love about it, how it makes you feel.If not, why? How does music make you feel?

12. If you could talk to your future self, what would you say? Would you want to learn about what happens in your life, or would you want to keep it a surprise?

13. If you could talk to your past self, what would you say? Is there anything you'd suggest they do differently?

14. If it's nice out, find a safe spot outside. Sit down. Close your eyes. Listen to the world around you. What do you hear?If you can't go outside, find a spot by a window. Sit down. Close your eyes. Listen to the world outside. What do you hear? How does it make you feel?

15. Write about something you're proud of, even if you don't think it's a big deal.

16. If you have a hobby, write about why you enjoy it and what got you into it in the first place. If you don't have a hobby, write about one that sounds fun.

17. What is the best advice someone has ever given you?

18. What calms you down when you're upset?

19. Is there anything that worries you about the future? How do you think you'll handle it? Is there anything you can do about it now?

20. Describe three things you enjoy about today, no matter how small.

21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

22. Imagine you have access to a time machine. Would you go to the past or the future? What do you think it would be like?

23. Write your autobiography in only six words.

24. What is one thing that excites you about the future?

25. Close your eyes. Imagine your favorite color. Now describe it as if you were talking to someone who's never seen it before.

26. What are 5 things you'd like to accomplish during your lifetime?

27. What do you like about the city you live in? What would you change?

28. What are 3 things you will never forget? Why?

29. Write a letter to someone who will never read it.

30. What is something you'd change about school? Why? How do you think students would deal with the change? What about the staff?

31. What is your best quality? Why? If you want to be extra ambitious, write this entry in the form of a one-page comic.

And there we have it -- a whole month of journal prompts. Don't feel like you need to do them all -- just do as many as you'd like.

One last thing: after you're done journaling, think about what you've written. Did you learn anything new about yourself?

Looking for recommendations? Fill out our form to get a custom list of reads or a Book Bundle for pickup.

  Youth Services Librarian Chris