ONE KEY WORD

Focus your child's creativity with this one simple trick!

“My child is very creative, they just have trouble getting it out.”

I must have heard this comment at least a thousand times. Children are incredibly creative, but they aren’t necessarily more creative than adults; they’re just bolder. Unlike adults, children tend not to worry about being judged or getting things “wrong.” They don’t hesitate to share their ideas because they haven’t yet developed the same self-doubt or fear of criticism that often holds adults back:

“But what will someone I’ve never met think about my idea??” Albert Anxiety apprehensively asked himself.

Their boldness makes for great creativity, but it also brings a challenge—children often have so many ideas buzzing in their minds that they struggle to pin down just one to focus on. This can lead to writing that feels scattered or disorganised. Instead of following one idea through to the end, kids sometimes bounce between three… or 300… ideas within a single piece. They might start a story about a ninja seeking revenge for the murder of their family, but before you know it, they’re battling space aliens with the help of a talking dog, whilst saving a magical unicorn from the grasp of a comedic yet grumpy janitor called Bob (they’re always named Bob).

ONE KEY WORD can help solve this problem by bringing focus and clarity to their writing. The idea is simple: choose one word that is central to the story you want to tell. This word serves as a guiding light for the entire writing process. For example, if we take the idea of the ninja above, ‘ANGER’ might be our ONE KEY WORD. By keeping ANGER at the heart of your story, all the details we include can be connected back to that central emotion.

This approach makes decision making simpler. For instance, when describing the weather in our story, we could choose stormy skies or fierce winds to reflect the character’s anger. When describing our enemies, we could use language that makes the reader feel anger toward them as well—showing their cruelty or injustice. Even small choices, like the colour of clothing or the setting, can be guided by our ONE KEY WORD. In this case, we might choose red for our enemies, as red is often associated with anger and danger.

From this focus, a theme naturally starts to emerge. The story isn’t just about a ninja—it’s about ANGER, or more likely, how people respond to anger. Does the ninja’s anger lead to destruction, or does it give them strength to seek justice? This kind of focus makes the story more meaningful and gives it emotional depth.

This approach works best with emotions, because emotions are at the heart of great storytelling. Readers connect with stories when they can feel what the characters feel, whether it’s joy, fear, sadness, or anger. By anchoring a story in a strong emotion, writers can create a more powerful, focused narrative that draws the reader in and helps them care about what’s happening.

ONE KEY WORD doesn’t just help with theme—it makes writing easier. With a clear emotional focus, young writers don’t get lost in a whirlwind of competing ideas. Instead, they can channel their creativity into a story that’s both imaginative and cohesive. And because emotions are universal, this approach encourages young writers to think deeply about how their characters—and their readers—feel, which helps build empathy and understanding.

This simple strategy is a great way to help kids organise their thoughts, but it’s also a tool that can grow with them as they become more advanced writers. As they practise focusing on a single emotional theme, they’ll find that they can apply this skill to more complex stories.