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FREE STORY STARTERS · KEY STAGE 1 · AGES 5–7

KS1 story starters

Here are KS1 story starters for Years 1 and 2 (ages 5–7): a generator with 112 starters, a year-by-year guide to what changes between Year 1 and Year 2, and ideas for helping early writers get their stories down.

Story starter generator

Only starters that come with three choices for what happens next.

112 starters in this set

Example starter · Space · Years 1–2

Zara looked out of the rocket window. The Moon was getting bigger and bigger.

Prints every starter for the year group and theme chosen above.

The generator picks from a fixed list in your browser. It doesn’t use AI, and nothing you choose is saved or sent anywhere.

One idea, two years

The same story idea, written the way a Year 1 and a Year 2 child might be helped to write it. It shows what “progress” looks like in KS1.

  1. Year 1The kite went up. It went up and up and up.
  2. Year 2When the wind blew, Ella’s bright red kite pulled her up into the fluffy clouds.

Year by year

Year 1 · ages 5–6

Grammar focus: Joining words and ideas with “and”, and marking sentences with a capital letter and a full stop

Short sentences of about 4 to 8 words. A finished Year 1 story might be 3 to 5 sentences: one for the beginning, one or two for the middle and one for the end. This is Litsee’s rule of thumb, not a curriculum target.

Year 2 · ages 6–7

Grammar focus: Expanded noun phrases, and joining ideas with when, if, that, because, or, and, but

Mostly 6 to 12 words, mixing simple sentences with longer ones joined by when, if, because, but or or. A finished Year 2 story might be 6 to 10 sentences with a clear beginning, middle and end. This is Litsee’s rule of thumb, not a curriculum target.

A starter for every theme

  1. Zara looked out of the rocket window. The Moon was getting bigger and bigger.
  2. There was a big egg in the garden. It was spotty, and it was rocking.
  3. Teddy was not on Mia’s bed. There was a trail of crumbs on the floor.
  4. Kai found a map in his wellies. There was a big X on it.
  5. Nia kicked the ball as hard as she could. It flew over the fence!
  6. The baby dragon sneezed. Oops! The cake was on fire.
  7. Captain Bea had a hat, a ship and a parrot called Pickle.
  8. The magic wand only made one thing: bubbles. Big, shiny, floating bubbles.
  9. Mia hung up her stocking. Then she heard a jingle on the roof.
  10. We woke up, and the whole street was white with snow.

KS1 writing in the National Curriculum

  • “read aloud their writing clearly enough to be heard by their peers and the teacher”

    Year 1, Writing – composition (statutory)

  • “develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing”

    Year 2, Writing – composition (statutory)

How to use these with your child or class

Key Stage 1 covers Years 1 and 2, when children are learning to write at the same time as learning to read. Their stories are short, and that is exactly right: a KS1 story of three to ten sentences, with a beginning, a middle and an end, is a real achievement. The starters on this page are short, use familiar words and leave an obvious question to answer, so a child can go straight to “what happens next?”.

Talk comes first throughout KS1. In Year 1, the National Curriculum asks children to say out loud what they are going to write about and to compose each sentence orally before writing it. In Year 2, they plan by saying or jotting down ideas. So with any KS1 starter, tell the story out loud first, then write. Children who have rehearsed a sentence aloud write it more accurately and remember what comes next.

Expect a big jump between Year 1 and Year 2. The ladder above shows the same idea at both levels. In Year 1, the goal is a correctly marked sentence joined with “and”. By Year 2, children add detail with expanded noun phrases, explain with “because” and “when”, and keep their tenses consistent. If your child is in Year 2 but finds those starters hard, start with a Year 1 starter and stretch it together. The year pages linked below explain each year in more detail.

Help them get the words down. Handwriting and spelling take a lot of effort at this age. Scribing part of the story, writing the tricky words on a card, or letting your child draw the story first and write one sentence per picture all keep the focus on the story. Accept spellings that follow their phonics, and praise the ideas before the punctuation.

Read it aloud at the end. Reading their writing aloud to someone is part of the KS1 curriculum, and it is the moment children feel like authors. Ask them to read with expression, then ask one question about the story. At home, a grandparent on a video call makes a good audience; in class, a partner from another table does.

Use the themes to hook interest. The sampler below has one KS1 starter from each theme, from a sneezing baby dragon to a jelly island. Let your child choose the theme, then use the generator on this page, set to KS1, to find more. Choose-your-path mode shows starters with three “What happens next?” choices, which younger children enjoy voting on.

Sources

The year-by-year summary and the quotations on this page come from these documents. Sentence lengths are Litsee’s own rule of thumb.

How this page was made

Starters drafted with AI help and checked against the National Curriculum by Litsee. Spotted something to improve? Email info@litsee.com.

The generator picks from the starters shown on these pages, in your browser. It doesn’t use AI, and it doesn’t save or send anything you choose.

Last reviewed: .

Questions parents and teachers ask

What is KS1?

Key Stage 1 is the first stage of primary school in England after Reception. It covers Year 1 (ages 5–6) and Year 2 (ages 6–7).

How long should a KS1 story be?

Three to five sentences is a good target in Year 1, and six to ten in Year 2, always with a beginning, middle and end. This is Litsee’s rule of thumb, not a curriculum target.

Should KS1 children plan a story?

Yes, but by talking more than writing. Year 1 children are taught to say what they will write about first; Year 2 children plan by saying or jotting down ideas and key words. A three-box picture plan works well for both.

Which starters should I use with a Reception child?

Use the Year 1 starters, read them aloud and let your child tell the rest of the story while you write it down or they draw it. This page focuses on Years 1 and 2.

Turn a starter into an interactive story your child can steer.

In Litsee, your child creates the hero, picks the world and chooses what happens next in an illustrated story that is read aloud. Try Litsee free for 7 days (card needed).

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