year 4 english creative writing

Year 4 Writing

Discover year 4 writing standards.

Now that your child has reached Year 4, they’ll be consolidating, refining and building upon English language knowledge that they’ve developed in previous years.

As they embark on the second half of their primary school journey, Year 4 students will be encouraged to start thinking, analyzing and processing information more independently, which can be quite a big jump from previous years. They’ll be expected to research various topics and produce articles utilizing their reading comprehension skills. There are many higher-level thinking skills involved in the writing process in Year 4 and this could prove challenging for your child at times.

This guide will take you through the key writing skills your young writer will need to develop in order to ensure that their academic progress is seamless.

10 Important Year 4 Writing Goals

• I can write independently
• I can compose clear and coherent articles and stories
• I can refine written text by revising and redrafting
• I can complete a plan before beginning to write
• I can use technology to publish articles and stories
• I can structure articles and stories correctly
• I can produce writing for different purposes and audiences
• I can use my research skills to compose an informative report
• I can use structured paragraphs and complex sentences
• I can establish a clear theme throughout an article or story

Year 4 learners will work towards achieving these goals by writing in the following forms:

Opinion Writing

• Explanatory/Informative Writing

Narrative Writing

Children in Year 4 should be familiar with these styles of writing, and understand the features and structure of each text type.

To level up their writing skills, children will need to both increase the level of detail in their articles and stories, and the sophistication of their vocabulary and grammar usage to impress their reader.

In Year 4, your child should be writing with the intention of persuading or convincing the reader.

Here are some guidelines on how to structure an opinion piece:

• Focus on a single, strong idea.
• State your opinion on the topic.
• Provide reasons for the argument, with relevant evidence and supporting thoughts, organized in clear paragraphs.
• Use persuasive writing techniques such as emotive language to influence the reader.
• Use linking words and phrases to ensure their article flows.
• End with a summary of the most important points made in the argument and conclude with a memorable sentence.

Practice Tip

Challenge your child to share their opinion on a topic of your choice. Ask them to take on their own research project to ensure that their arguments are valid, and then ask them to present these to you verbally with reasons to support their opinion. It can be very beneficial for children to talk about their writing before they put pen to paper.

Informative Writing

Children in Year 4 should be able to report factual information in an organized and clear way.

Here’s how your young writer can succeed at informative writing:

• Learn about a specific topic and list out the most important aspects to include in their piece of writing.
• Include facts, details and definitions in order to provide accurate information.
• Write in the first or third person.
• Use appropriate language, such as precise, topic-related vocabulary.
• Organize different points in clear headings, sections and paragraphs.
• Review the whole piece when it is completed. Informative writing requires precise use of facts, so it’s important that your child double-checks that the information they’ve provided is truthful.

Our printable report writing activity pack shares top tips on how to structure informative writing pieces and guides learners through developing a topic that includes facts, details, and definitions. It introduces topic related vocabulary and supports children to then use these words in their own writing.

In Year 4, children will develop their narrative writing skills to include a clear sequence of events , descriptive detail, and an established narrator and characters .

Alongside character development and plot, learners in Year 4 need to control and direct their narrative using transitional words and phrases. Conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositions can all be used to link and sequence sentences and paragraphs within a story.

Some narrative writing techniques to have in mind are:

• Get your child to base narrative stories on real events or, if they’re super-creative, fictional scenarios!
• Set established settings and surroundings, characters and details which can give the reader a sense of immersion. Use literary devices such as similes and metaphors to make the writing piece even more captivating!
• Provide a wider context for the story. For example, if the plot takes place in a forest, where is the forest located? What can the characters see when they're there?
• Ensure that the story follows a logical narrative structure - beginning, middle and end.
• Good stories need a good ending! End the narrative with a happy ending, a cliffhanger or even a plot-twist!

Encourage daily writing! The more your child practises, the better they’ll become at describing and using figurative language to grab the reader’s attention. Daily writing can be done in many different ways, including journalling, using writing prompts, and playing writing games on Night Zookeeper!

How Night Zookeeper can help

Our writing program makes learning to write fantastically fun by gamifying the writing process in the magical world of the Night Zoo!

Night Zookeeper covers the full English National Curriculum, and has been created to help your child develop fundamental writing skills.

Designed by primary school teachers, our program includes writing lesson plans that you can use to map out your child’s learning experience, creative writing prompts on all styles of writing, printable Year 4 writing worksheets, and much more!

Sign up today to get a 7-day free trial!

Related articles

• Writing (overview)
• Writing Games For Kids
• Primary English Curriculum
• Year 4 Reading
• Year 4 Grammar
• Year 4 Spelling
• Year 4 Punctuation

Make Reading & Writing Fantastically Fun!

• Award-winning reading & writing program for kids
• Improves spelling, grammar, punctuation & vocabulary
• Over 1,000 different learning games and activities

Activity: Story mountain

Complete the story mountain to plan your story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Activity: Perform a poem

Read a poem, talk about what it means, and perform it to an audience.

5. Find story inspiration

You can find fun story ideas anywhere! Why not raid your kitchen cupboards or hunt through the attic to find lost treasures? Anything from an old hat to a telescope will do the trick. What could the object be used for? Who might be looking for it? What secrets could it hold? Suggest different genres such as mystery or science fiction and discuss how the item might be used in this kind of story.

Real-world facts can also be a great source of inspiration. For example, did you know a jumping flea can accelerate faster than a space rocket taking off into orbit? What crazy story can your child make out of this fact? Newspapers and news websites can be great for finding these sorts of ideas.

For more storytelling ideas, download our free Story idea generator  or our Character profile activity sheet .

Activity: Story idea generator

Activity: Character profile

6. Draw your ideas first

If your child isn’t sure where to start with a story or even a piece of non-fiction, it can sometimes be helpful to sketch out their ideas first. For instance, can they draw a picture of a dastardly villain or a brave hero? How about a scary woodland or an enchanted castle?

Your child might also find it useful to draw maps or diagrams. What are all the different areas of their fantasy landscape called? How is the baddie’s base organised?

Some children might enjoy taking this idea a step further and drawing their own comics. This is great practice – it stretches your child’s creativity, gets them thinking about plot, character, and dialogue, and is a big confidence boost once they’ve finished and have an amazing story to look back on.

What your child will learn

In Year 4 (age 8–9), your child will be aiming to build upon the goals and expectations they were first set in Year 3. They will be expected to:

• Discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar
• Discussing and recording their ideas.
• Composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures
• Organising paragraphs around a theme
• In narratives, creating settings, characters and plot
• In non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices (for example, headings and sub-headings).
• Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
• Proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, including the accurate use of pronouns in sentences .
• Proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors.

Handwriting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all important aspects of writing too. You can find out more about them on our dedicated pages:

Handwriting in Year 4 (age 8-9)

Find out more about handwriting in Year 4 at Primary School.

Find out more

Spelling in Year 4 (age 8-9)

Find out more about spelling in Year 4 at Primary School.

Grammar and punctuation in Year 4 (age 8-9)

Find out more about grammar and punctuation in Year 4 at Primary School.

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Creative writing - Year 4 resources

Subject: English

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

16 March 2024

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Some creative writing resources for Year 4 students focusing on:

– writing about what the student knows – story ideas – plot planning using storyboards – developing characters.

– ACELT1607 - Create literary texts that explore students’ own experiences and imagining – ACELT1794 - Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings

Pupils should be taught to draft and write in narratives, [by] creating settings, characters and plot

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Year 4 English Printable Worksheets

In year 4, your child will start to learn more complex punctuation, demonstrate good spelling and punctuation, and continue to develop their reading and writing. Our year 4 English worksheets will help support your child in all their literacy learning, including poetry activities, information texts, reading comprehensions, and much more. 

123 results

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Keystage 1 (5-7)

Keystage 2 (7-11), general knowledge, religious education, brain training, reading comprehension, vocabulary grammar and punctuation, handwriting, vocabulary cards, information sheets, fun activities.

International Peace Day Acrostic Poem

International Peace Day Acrostic PoemAn acrostic poem is a creative and expressive form of writing where the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. In this acrostic poem for International Peace Day, the word "PEACE" serves as the central theme. Each line of the poem represents a different aspect of peace, highlighting the idea of people coming together, embracing diversity, uniting in love, and creating a harmonious world.

Thank you template

This colourful thank you template is great for supporting independent writing activities and can be used for a variety of different topics.

Write a Christmas story

Improve your child's creative writing skills with this fun activity. Students are asked to write a story and include the words: Santa, stocking, night, chimney, snow in their story. Encourage students to be as imaginative as possible and be creative!

Compound words 3

This year 4 literacy resource focuses on compound words.

A year 4 English resource on writing 3 different words that rhyme with the given word.

A year 4 literacy resource on writing 3 different words that rhyme with the given word.

To, too or two 3

This year 4 literacy resource includes sentences to complete using to, too or two.

To, too or two 2

This year 4 English worksheet includes the homophones: to, too and two.

This KS2 English resource is all about creating sentences with similes.

Contractions 3

A year 4 literacy resource on contractions.

Contractions 2

A year 4 literacy worksheet on contractions.

Syllables 15

A KS2 literacy worksheet focusing on separating words into syllables.

Syllables 14

A KS2 English resource focusing on separating words into syllables.

Syllables 13

A year 4 literacy resource focusing on separating words into syllables.

Syllables 12

A KS2 literacy resource about syllables.

Syllables 11

A primary English resource about syllables.

Rewriting and Editing - Green Sea Turtle Facts

A KS2 literacy worksheet focusing on rewriting and editing. This exercise will really help improve a child's spelling and punctuation. It is also good practice for proofreading their own written work.

Rewriting and Editing - Giant Panda Facts

A KS2 literacy resource focusing on rewriting and editing. This exercise will really help improve a child's spelling and punctuation. It is also good practice for proofreading their own written work.

Conjunctions 3

A KS2 English worksheet on writing complete sentences using the conjunctions given.

Conjunctions 2

A year 4 English resource on adding the correct conjunction to complete the sentences.

Word order 3

A KS2 literacy resource on writing the words in the correct order so that the sentences make sense.

A year 4 English worksheet that includes writing sentences using gender nouns.

A primary resource on the gender of animals.

A KS2 English worksheet on changing feminine nouns to the masculine gender.

Verb tenses 3

A year 4 literacy worksheet about writing sentences in the past, present and future tense.

Making Inferences from Halloween Pictures 2

Students are asked to write 5 inferences they can make about the picture.

Making Inferences from Halloween Pictures 1

St. Patrick's Day - Fun Facts

This St. Patrick's Day worksheet asks students to read the facts about St. Patrick's Day and write 'true' or 'false' after each one. They are then asked to write down 2 facts of their own.

Haiku Poem - Halloween

A Haiku poem consists of 3 lines and 17 syllables and can be written on many themes. Students write their own poem based on the theme: Halloween.

Creative Writing - Travel the World

Creative writing allows children to practice how to think 'outside of the box'. Students are asked to think of a place they would like to travel to and write a descriptive paragraph about it. This will allow them to practice building a paragraph and use descriptive language.

Rewriting and Editing - Grizzly Bear Facts

A KS2 English resource focusing on rewriting and editing. This exercise will really help improve a child's spelling and punctuation. It is also good practice for proofreading their own written work.

Creative writing - Dinosaur in your Garden

You wake up one morning and open your curtains. There is a dinosaur in your garden. Students are asked to write a creative story about what happened next. What did they see? What did they do?

Adding adjectives (2)

Students are asked to add a descriptive adjective to each underlined noun. This will make the sentences more interesting and is good practice for story writing.

Adding adjectives (1)

Earth Day - Acrostic Poem

An acrostic poem is a very fun poem for kids. Each acrostic poem has a topic idea running down the left side of the poem. Each letter in the topic word has a new thought that runs off the side from left to right and is relevant to the topic word. Write an acrostic poem about Earth Day.

Picture description - Cowboy

Year 4 English - This activity helps to practice descriptions and improve story writing. Students must look at the picture and use as many describing words as possible. They are also given words to include in their writing.

Picture description - Family

Year 4 English - This activity helps to practice descriptions and improve story writing. Students must look at the picture and use as much description as possible. They are also given words to include in their writing.

Creative writing - Trip to the Moon

KS2 Creative writing worksheet - Students are asked to write about a trip to the moon.

KS2 Creative writing worksheet. You wake up one morning and open your curtains. There is a dinosaur in your garden. Write a story about what happened next. What did you see? What did you do?

Acrostic poem - Telephone

With this year 4 English resource, students will write an acrostic poem about the telephone. Start each line with a word or phrase that starts with the letter on that line.

Acrostic poem - Aeroplane

Students write an acrostic poem about the aeroplane. Start each line with a word or phrase that starts with the letter on that line.

Acrostic poem - Bicycle

Famous Inventions - Write an acrostic poem about the bicycle. Start each line with a word or phrase that starts with the letter on that line.

Story starter - Year of the Pig

The Chinese Year of the Pig is the twelfth in the 12 year cycle. This worksheet asks children to look at the picture and write a creative story to go along with it.

Story starter - Year of the Dog

The Chinese Year of the Dog is the eleventh in the 12 year cycle. This worksheet asks children to look at the picture and write a creative story to go along with it.

Story starter - Year of the Rooster

The Chinese Year of the Rooster is the tenth in the 12 year cycle. This worksheet asks children to look at the picture and write a creative story to go along with it.

Story starter - Year of the Monkey

The Chinese Year of the Monkey is the ninth in the 12 year cycle. This worksheet asks children to look at the picture and write a creative story to go along with it.

Story starter - Year of the Goat

The Chinese Year of the Goat is the eighth in the 12 year cycle. This worksheet asks children to look at the picture and write a creative story to go along with it.

Story starter - Year of the Horse

The Chinese Year of the Horse is the seventh in the 12 year cycle. This worksheet asks children to look at the picture and write a creative story to go along with it.

Support your child's English studies with our collection of fun and engaging worksheets

Support your child’s English studies with our collection of fun and engaging worksheets. We have hundreds of year 4 English worksheets that will help encourage your child to think independently, make their own decisions, improve and expand vocabulary, and reinforce punctuation and grammar. Help boost your child’s confidence with our year 4 English worksheets that are fun and enjoyable.

One of the best things about printable worksheets is that they make learning fun and easy. Explore our educational resources based on Year 4 English and keep your children learning through these fun and engaging exercises.

Our Year 4 English printable worksheets are designed for progressive learning. Our engaging content enables a child to learn at their own speed and gain confidence quickly. When we help a child believe in themselves, we empower them for life.

Printable worksheets are a great way to enhance creativity and improve a child’s knowledge. Help your child learn more about Year 4 English with this great selection of worksheets designed to help children succeed.

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