January Writing Prompts

Creative Writing Ideas and Journal Topics For:
Winter and January

Winter and January Writing Prompts: Are you looking for a creative list of writing prompts and journal ideas to use during the month of January?

Below, you will find a list of general January writing topics and a list of specific calendar dates for January which contain creative writing ideas related to that particular date in January.

I have created this list of winter and January writing prompts and ideas for elementary school teachers and students, but many of these creative writing ideas and topics would also be appropriate for other grade levels.

You will find some winter and January writing prompts below that contain underlined links. If you click on an underlined link:

• You will be directed to another page on Unique Teaching Resources that contains detailed lesson plan ideas and printable worksheets for those January writing prompts.
• You will be directed to another website that contains useful information related to those particular January writing prompts.

General Winter and January Writing Prompts:

• Write a S.N.O.W. acrostic poem
• Click on the link below to view the page where these snow globe poetry can be found:
  Snow Globe Poetry Templates
• Every snowflake is unique. I am unique because ...
• If I were a snowflake
• The first snowfall
• My favorite book to read on a cold winter day
• The worst snowstorm
• The snowman suddendly began to move ...
• These snowman shaped creative writing templates can be used for many of the January writing prompts that are found on this page.
• Click on the link below to view the page where these snowman templates can be found:
  Snowman Creative Writing Templates
• Stuck inside on a snowy winter day
• Oh, no, it snowed and I can't ...
• When it snows I like to ...
• Lost in the forest
• These tree shaped creative writing templates can be used for many of the January writing prompts that are found on this page.
• Click on the link below to view the page where these tree templates can be found:
  Winter Tree Creative Writing Templates
• Chill out!
• Does falling snow have a sound?
• My favorite winter sport
• Packing my suitcase for my trip to the North Pole
• Living in an igloo is so COOL!
• These winter wonderland creative writing worksheets can be used for many of the January writing prompts that are found on this page.
• Click on the link below to view the page where these winter printable worksheets can be found:
  Winter Wonderland Printable Worksheets
• My expedition to the South Pole
• The best and worst things about winter
• Learning how to ice skate
• Winter wonderland
• The adventures of having a penguin as our family pet
• Pretend that you are a penguin who loves to "tweet." Write 5 tweets describing what it is like to live Antarctica.
• These penguin creative writing worksheets can be used for many of the January writing prompts that are found on this page.
• Click on the link below to view the page where these winter printable worksheets can be found:
  Penguin Printable Worksheets
• Taking my pet polar bear for a walk around the neighborhood
• My friend Frosty
• These snowman creative writing worksheets can be used for many of the January writing prompts that are found on this page.
• Click on the link below to view the page where these winter printable worksheets can be found:
  Snowman Printable Worksheets
• The Abominable Snowman is an ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Write a story about seeing the Abominable Snowman.
• My adventures climbing Mt. Everest

Specific January Writing Prompts:

Celebrations, Events, Holidays, and Dates in History:

Scroll through this page, or click on the links below, to read
about each of these January writing prompts and holidays.

• January - National Soup Month
• January 4 (1643) - Isaac Newton's Birthday
• January 4 (1809) - Louis Braille's Birthday
• January 11 (1849) - Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell: First Woman Physician
• January 15 (1929) - Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday and
  Third Monday in January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• January 18 - Winnie the Pooh Day
• January 23 - National Handwriting Day
  January 23 (1737) - John Hancock's Birthday
• January 24 - Opposite Day
• January 29 - National Puzzle Day

January - National Soup Month

January is National Soup Month. Soup became popular with the invention of canning in the 19th century, when a chemist at the Campbell Soup Company invented condensed soup in 1897.

• Create a new soup that mixes in some of your favorite food items as the main ingredients. Write down the name, ingredients, and directions for your soup recipe.
• Using a can of soup brought in from home, have your students design and color a new label for the can that features a soup that they have created.
• To "soup something up" is to improve it, or increase its power (most often used for cars, airplanes, and the like). Write about something that you would like to "soup up."
• A soup kitchen is a place where food is offered to the homeless or hungry for free. These meal centers are often located in low income neighborhoods and staffed by volunteer organizations. During National Soup Month, encourage your students bring in donations of canned food. At the end of January, donate this food to a soup kitchen in your local area.
• Visit Wikipedia's soup page to learn about different types of soup and traditional regional soups.
• Find kid approved soup recipes on My Recipes.com Kid Soup Recipes.
• During National Soup Month, read your students some stories from: "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales: 101 Inspirational Stories from Great Teachers and Appreciative Students," or other books from this series.

January 4 (1643) - Isaac Newton's Birthday

Isaac Newton was born on January 4, 1643 in Woolsthorpe, England. He was an English physicist, mathematician, and astronomer. He is considered by many to be the greatest scientist of his time.

Note: You will also see Newton's birthday listed as December 25, 1642. These differences are due to whether old style or new style dates are being referred to.

Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Gravitation. This discovery started with an apple falling from a tree.

• How do you think the apple taught Newton about gravity?
• Why do you think Newton's discovery of gravity was important?
• Research Newton's Three Laws of Motion and design a poster highlighting the information that you learned.
• Write about your trip to the moon. What was it like to be in an atmosphere that had no gravity?
• Visit Wikipedia's Isaac Newton's Page to learn more information about this influential scientist.
• Students can complete an individual or group project about Isaac Newton using my Character Body Book Report Templates or my Biography Book Report Newspaper Templates.

January 4 (1809) - Louis Braille's Birthday

Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in Coupvray, France. He was the inventor of Braille, which is a worldwide system used by blind and visually impaired people for reading and writing.

Braille is read by passing the fingers over characters made up of an arrangement of one to six raised points. Louise Braille's work changed the world of reading and writing for the visually impaired forever.

After two centuries, Louis Braille's system still remains an invaluable tool of learning and communication for the visually impaired. Braille has been adapted for many different languages around the world.

• How do you think your life would be different if you were blind?
• In a recent survey, 88% of people listed sight as their most important sense and almost half of these people said the thing they would miss most if they were blind would be seeing their friends and family. What would you miss the most if you were blind?
• National Braille Week is observed from January 4 - 11 in the United Kingdom. NationalBrailleWeek.org is a website that contains information about this week and information, games, and videos about braille.
• On Arthur's PBS You've Got Mail page, students can type a message and have it translated into braille.
• Using the braille code found on Wikipedia, have your students create large posters of their names, or short messages, written in braille. Students can use a bottle of glue and glue dots over their written braille messages, thus created raised dots that can be felt by touch.
• Visit Wikipedia's Louis Braille Page to learn more information about Louise Braille.

January 11 (1849) - Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
First Woman Physician

Elizabeth Blackwell was born in Bristol, England on February 3, 1821. Her family emigrated to the United States in 1832. Elizabeth Blackwell attended Geneva Medical College in New York, where she was the only female student.

On January 11, 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States and she graduated on January 23, 1849, first in her class.

During her retirement, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell maintained her interest in the women's rights movement by writing lectures on the importance of education. Blackwell is credited with opening the first training school for nurses in the United States in 1873.

• Read about the obstacles that Elizabeth Blackwell had to overcome in order to earn her medical degree on WomensHistory.about.com. Describe some of the hardships that Elizabeth Blackwell encountered as she tried to pursue her medical education and begin her medical practice.
• Who is a woman that you admire and why?
• Students can complete an individual or group project about Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell using my Character Body Book Report Templates or my Biography Book Report Newspaper Templates.

January 15 (1929) - Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday
Third Monday in January - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for being a prominent leader in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods.

In 1955, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the Montgomery Bus Boycott and in 1957 he helped to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.

In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King Day was established as a federal U.S. holiday in 1986 and it is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. Martin Luther King Day was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

A memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. opened on August 22, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

• In his "I Have a Dream" speech, Martin Luther King Jr. called for racial equality and an end to discrimination. Why do you think that this speech is considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in human history?
• Beginning with the words "I Have a Dream," write your own speech about your hopes for our world and its people.
• Describe someone that you admire who shares Dr. King's beliefs. Tell what you admire most in this person.
• On Kids National Geographic, students can view photographs of some of the most historic moments in Dr. Martin Luther King's life.
• Have your students complete a Biography Newspaper Project about Martin Luther King Jr. These newspapers can be assigned as individual or group projects.
• Have your students complete a Character Body Book Report about Martin Luther King Jr. These reports can be assigned as individual or group projects.
• Write a famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on your chalkboard or whiteboard and have your students respond to this quote.
• Visit Wikipedia's Martin Luther King Jr. page to learn more about his life and work.

January 18 - Winnie the Pooh Day

Alan Alexander Milne was born on January 18, 1882 in Kilburn, London. January 18 is Winnie the Pooh Day and this day was created to celebrate the birthday of A.A .Milne, the creator of everyone's favorite bear!

A.A .Milne's first collection of stories, called Winnie-the-Pooh, was published in 1926, which was followed by The House at Pooh Corner in 1928. He named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was the basis for the character Christopher Robin.

• Winnie the Pooh's pals include Christopher Robin, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and Roo. Create a new animal character for the Winnie the Pooh stories. What would this character's name be? Describe what the character looks like and how the character acts.
• Have your students take the Winnie the Pooh Which Character Are You? Quiz on Disney's Winnie the Pooh website. For a creative writing assignment, students should write a story pretending to be that Winnie the Pooh character.
• After watching the video below about Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin's friendship, have you students write about one of their friends or the qualities that make someone a good friend.

• On Just-Pooh, students can find fun information about Winnie the Pooh and his friends, read the latest Pooh Bear news, and play games.
• Visit Wikipedia's Winnie the Pooh Page to learn more information about Winnie the Pooh and A.A .Milne.

January 23 - National Handwriting Day
January 23 (1737) - John Hancock's Birthday

National Handwriting Day is celebrated on January 23 in conjunction with John Hancock's birthday.

John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737 and he is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence. Due to his famous signature, the term "John Hancock" has become a synonym for "signature" in the United States.

The art of handwriting is fast becoming a lost skill. In this day of computers, more and more information, notes, and letters are sent back and forth via a keyboard and the Internet. Celebrate National Handwriting Day by using a pen or a pencil to write a handwritten note, poem, letter, or journal entry.

• Make some old fashioned paper for your students by dipping plain paper in tea and letting it dry. At home, you can burn the edges of these papers to make them look even older. Your students will enjoy completing a creative writing assignment on National Handwriting Day using these old fashioned papers.
• Write a friendly letter to someone that you usually e-mail and mail your letter.
• Brainstorm with your students how the forms of written communication have changed over the years: from writing on stones, feather pens and ink bottles, the Pony Express, typewriters, computers, email, and text messages.
• After your class discussion, have your students write an essay about the pros and cons of these changes in written communication over the years.
• Visit Wikipedia's John Hancock Page to learn more information about this Patriot of the American Revolution.

January 24 - Opposite Day

Opposite Day is celebrated on January 24 and it is a crazy and fun day when everything you say, do, see, and hear can be the opposite.

Opposite Day is celebrated primarily among children and it is a day when everything they say means exactly the opposite: good is bad, left is right, full is hungry, etc.

Schools often have an Opposite Day, but not always on the actual date of January 24. On this day, have your students wear clothes that they do not normally wear. Popular ideas include wearing socks that do not match and wearing a hat backwards.

• Write directions for how to do something (how to make something or how to get from your house to the mall), but make all of the directions the opposite.
• Opposite Day would be an ideal day to have your students give oral presentations and debate two opposite sides of an issue.

January 29 - National Puzzle Day

January 29 is National Puzzle Day, but don't be puzzled by this day! Puzzles are a favorite pastime for millions of people, young and old. This day honors puzzles of all size, shape, and form.

Many people do puzzles to keep their mind sharp, or to learn new words. Crossword puzzles are by far the most common. Sudoku, a number puzzle, is the most recent puzzle rage.

• Be sure to give your students some kind of puzzle to do in class today!
• What is your favorite type of puzzle to solve and why?
• On The Kidz Free Online Jigsaw Puzzle page, students choose from 6, 12, 25, 40 and sometimes 100 piece jigsaw puzzles to play online!

End of January Writing Prompts

Below are some ideas and examples of teaching resources
that can be used for some of the Winter and January
writing prompts that are found on this page:

Click on one of the calendars
below to go to a specific page
of monthly writing prompts:

Thank you for visiting my Winter and January Writing Prompts page. I hope that you have found some unique January writing prompts and journal ideas to use with your students.

If you have ideas for any new January writing prompts that you would like to share with other teachers, please use my contact form that you can find on my Contact Me page. I would love to be able to share your ideas for January writing prompts with the other teachers who visit Unique Teaching Resources.

Click on one of the months below to go
to a specific page of monthly writing prompts: