First day of summer

Summer writing prompts

Stories and arguments about heat, holidays and swimming.

2 free promptsYears 3–9Printable PDFs

Choose a prompt

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Coming up: 1 December 2026. 34 days to go.

The 2 prompts in this pack

Narrative The Heatwave The hottest day anyone can remember has arrived, and the heat is changing everyone’s plans. Write a story that takes place during a heatwave.
Persuasive Swimming Lessons for Everyone? Swimming can be a sport, a hobby and an important safety skill. Should swimming lessons be available to every child? Write to persuade a reader of your view.

The prompts

Welcome summer with heatwave stories and arguments about swimming lessons for every child.

01 Narrative Years 3–9

The Heatwave

The hottest day anyone can remember has arrived, and the heat is changing everyone’s plans. Write a story that takes place during a heatwave.

Think about

How does the heat affect the characters’ plans?
What problem must they solve?
What does the changing weather reveal?

Prompt page

Support: Collect words and details for how heat looks, sounds and feels before you plan.
Extend: Use the weather to build tension, then let it change at the turning point of the story.

02 Persuasive Years 3–9

Swimming Lessons for Everyone?

Swimming can be a sport, a hobby and an important safety skill. Should swimming lessons be available to every child? Write to persuade a reader of your view.

Think about

Why might swimming be an important skill in Australia?
Who should provide and pay for the lessons?
What might make lessons for every child difficult to offer?

Prompt page

Support: Talk about places people swim in your area and what a swimmer needs to know there.
Extend: Explain the difference between lessons being available to all and compulsory for all, and argue for one.

Original Writing Boost resources, created independently of the event organisers. Print and share with your class.

In the classroom

Let the setting drive a story, or argue for a practical safety skill.

A lesson for any of the prompts, a step at a time.

Collect the heat

Gather words and details for how heat looks, sounds and feels: shimmering roads, sticky seats, the hum of a fan. Students keep the three they like best.
Choose a way in

For a narrative, let the heat change a plan and cause a problem. For persuasion, decide whether swimming lessons should be available to every child, and why.
Check the setting earns its place

Ask a partner to find one moment where the weather or the place changes what a character does, or where a local example makes an argument stronger.

From the blog Summer writing: heatwaves, beaches and big opinions Welcome summer with a heatwave story and a persuasive task about swimming lessons for every child.

After they write

Writing Boost marks what they write

Each student gets feedback on their draft, and you see patterns across the class.

Feedback they can act on NAPLAN criterion scores come with advice about the piece: what is working and a clear next step.
Revise the next draft Feedback stays beside the writing. Students revisit a passage and compare versions.
Plan the next lesson See patterns across your class and group students with a shared need for focused teaching.