Help us improve Litsee

With your permission, Google Analytics measures visits and Microsoft Clarity records clicks, scrolling and page interactions. Form inputs and page text are masked in recordings. We do not enable advertising cookies.

You can change your choice using Cookie settings. Privacy policy · Google privacy · Microsoft privacy

LitseeLog in

FREE STORY STARTERS · AGES 5–6 · US KINDERGARTEN

Year 1 story starters

Here are 20 short, simple story starters written for Year 1 (ages 5–6), with a generator, the Year 1 writing expectations from the National Curriculum and tips for helping a child who can say more than they can write.

Story starter generator

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

92 starters in this set

Example starter · Year 1

A frog hopped into my lunch box.

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.

20 Year 1 story starters

  1. A frog hopped into my lunch box.
  2. I found a key in the mud. It was gold.
  3. The dog dug a big hole. Then it went down it!
  4. My teddy can talk, but only at night.
  5. It was a hot day, so we went to the beach.
  6. A little bird was stuck in the rain.
  7. Mum made a cake. Then the cake ran away!
  8. I had a box. In the box was a tiny boat.
  9. The bus did not stop at school. It went up into the sky.
  10. Sam lost his red sock. Who took it?
  11. There was a sheep in our classroom.
  12. We went to the park, and the swings were singing.
  13. I woke up, and my bed was on a cloud.
  14. A fox and a hen were best friends.
  15. The snow fell all night. In the morning, I had a plan.
  16. My tooth fell out, and a tiny note was under my pillow.
  17. Dad and I planted a seed. It grew and grew and grew!What happens next? A: It grows up to the clouds, and we climb it. B: It grows a giant strawberry for everyone in the street. C: A bee lives in the big flower and asks us for help.
  18. The duck at the pond had a hat on.
  19. On Monday, a big parcel came for me.
  20. Pip the puppy ran out of the gate.What happens next? A: Pip runs to the shop to get a bone. B: Pip chases a ball into the woods. C: Pip finds a lost kitten and brings it home.

Want a theme? Choose one in the generator above to mix in the Years 1–2 starters from that theme.

What Year 1 writing looks like

Some of the statutory requirements for writing in Year 1, quoted from the National Curriculum in England.

  • “saying out loud what they are going to write about”

    Year 1, Writing – composition (statutory)

  • “composing a sentence orally before writing it”

    Year 1, Writing – composition (statutory)

  • “sequencing sentences to form short narratives”

    Year 1, Writing – composition (statutory)

  • “joining words and joining clauses using and”

    Year 1, Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (statutory)

  • “beginning to punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark”

    Year 1, Writing – vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (statutory)

Grammar to practise in Year 1

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

Year 1 is when children first learn that a sentence starts with a capital letter, ends with a full stop and can join two ideas with “and”. Story starters give them a ready-made first sentence to copy, so they can spend their effort on the next one.

BeforeThe dog dug a hole. The dog went down it.

AfterThe dog dug a hole and went down it.

Try it: Pick a starter, say the next sentence out loud, then join two ideas with “and”. Check: capital letter at the start, full stop at the end.

How long should the sentences and story be?

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.

Tips for Year 1 writers

  • Say it before you write it: your child says the whole sentence out loud, then writes it.
  • Count the words on your fingers, then check every word made it onto the page.
  • Fold paper into three boxes: draw the beginning, middle and end, then write one sentence under each.
  • Accept spellings that follow their phonics (“the bote”). Praise the idea first.
  • Read it back together, pointing to each word, to check it makes sense.

How to use these with your child or class

Most Year 1 children can tell a story far better than they can write one. Their handwriting and spelling are still catching up with their ideas, and the National Curriculum says as much in its guidance for Year 1: not all pupils will yet have the skills “to write down everything that they can compose out loud”. So the first job with a Year 1 story starter is talking, not writing.

Read the starter aloud and ask, “What happens next?” Let your child tell you as much as they like, then help them choose one sentence to write. Hold that sentence in the air together: say it, count the words on your fingers, say it again. Then write it one word at a time, saying each word as it goes down. This “say it, count it, write it, read it” routine is the single most useful habit for Year 1 writers.

Keep the story short and complete. A Year 1 story can be three sentences: a beginning (the starter), a middle (something happens) and an end (how it turned out). Folding a sheet of paper into three boxes and drawing a picture in each is a simple story plan that young children understand straight away. Point to the boxes as you tell the story, then write one sentence under each picture.

Use the starters to practise “and”. Joining words and clauses with “and” is the main grammar for Year 1, and starters such as “The dog dug a big hole” invite a second idea: “The dog dug a big hole and found a bone.” Celebrate when your child uses it, and gently show them when a long string of “and… and… and” would be better as two sentences with a full stop.

Don’t correct everything. If the spelling follows the sounds your child has learned in phonics, such as “bote” for boat, praise the idea and the sounds they heard. Choose one thing to improve at a time, usually a capital letter or a full stop. A child who enjoys writing three sentences today will write five next month.

In class, Year 1 starters work well as a shared write. Display one on the board, take ideas from the class, and model writing the next sentence while thinking aloud about capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. Then pupils write their own next sentence on a whiteboard before choosing their favourite to copy into their book. The two choose-your-path starters give a natural reason to vote: which of the three things should happen next?

Worked example: say it, count it, write it

  • Starter: “A frog hopped into my lunch box.”
  • Say it: “It ate my sandwich.” (4 words, counted on fingers)
  • Write it, then read it back, pointing to each word.
  • Join with and: “It ate my sandwich and it was happy.”
  • End it: “I gave it to my teacher.”

Sources

The quotations in “What Year 1 writing looks like” are copied word for word from these documents, with the year and section each applies to. 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 should a Year 1 child be able to write?

By the end of Year 1, children in England are taught to compose a sentence out loud before writing it, to sequence sentences into short stories, to join ideas with “and” and to begin using capital letters and full stops. Many still need an adult to help get their ideas onto paper.

My child can tell a story but won’t write it down. Is that normal?

Yes. The National Curriculum notes that at the start of Year 1 many children cannot yet write down everything they can say. Let them tell the story, write one sentence together, and scribe the rest for them.

How long should a Year 1 story be?

Three to five short sentences is plenty: a beginning, a middle and an end. A complete short story is a better achievement than a long one that runs out of steam.

What is the US equivalent of Year 1?

Year 1 in England is for ages 5 to 6, which is roughly kindergarten in the United States.

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).

Try Litsee free for 7 days

See plans and pricing · How Litsee works