This blank comic strip template printable is a great out-of-the-box way to ignite kids’ enthusiasm for writing and story-telling. Share this with your young artists and writers and watch them create sagas to display in their own library and proudly share with others.
This page contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure and privacy policy here.
Even if they’re too young to write, they’ll enjoy this free-style opportunity to create their own characters, give them superpowers, decide on a mission, and draw their adventures.
This is a comic strip template that I created for my own kids. My 5 year old has been loving Calvin and Hobbes(TM) books (and recently discovered the joys of Peanuts(TM) comics as well) – it’s the first thing that turned him from an “I can read” reader into an “I love reading!” reader … and he has hardly put the books down since!
This love for comic style books has inspired him to create his own comics – and I wanted to do anything I could to foster that enthusiasm (and add a touch of “gentle direction” to the desire to read/write/create things, without taking over the creative process and displacing his own initiative).
So I made a few different templates for him to draw his own comic story.
I also made “Story Board” and “Character Sketches” pages to help him think through the characters he wanted to create before he jumped in and starting drawing superheroes saving the day (by defeating the bad guys, naturally). All the stories ended up being about superheroes beating the bad guys and saving the day anyway, but at least we got some good think time about
- what he wanted his heroes to look like,
- what their special superpowers would be,
- what they were fighting for (their Mission!),
- who the bad guys were and what their mission was, and
- how the problem would be resolved.
I didn’t want to take over his idea, so I delicately walked the line between offering ideas for structure and letting him take the lead.
But I was encouraged to see that helping him think through these big picture ideas (ha, no pun intended!) added fuel to his flash of inspiration and kept the whole project burning longer than I expected.
We got several mini-stories out of this story board, with different versions of … well, battles … lol – he is a 5 year old boy after all. But the pictures had recognizable characters with specific traits and a distinct story line emerged based on the overall all mission he had set up, so I was pretty happy with it :).
My 3 year old wanted to get in on the action too, and he very studiously drew all kinds of good guys and bad guys in his comic strip template. It had no overarching theme, but it helped him feel involved and practice his stick figure drawings … which can’t be a bad thing, right? 🙂
You can get your own copy of this blank comic strip template printable here and adapt it as you see fit to suit the abilities of your own learners. Young kids may need help with the actual writing part, but encourage them to think through the content and conversations between characters on their own.
NOTE: This is a new product and will be FREE until May 31, 2019.
Keep the masterpieces in your portfolio, or “bind them” into a comic book that your very own authors and illustrators can share with others!
Happy story-making!
You may also like these related posts:
- Helping our children and students learn to love Reading and Writing
- Helping your kids (of all ages!) write creatively – for fun!,
- More ideas for easily working in some creative writing exercises throughout your day,
- More storytelling activities that are fun for all ages (this post), and
- Five reasons to encourage your kids to tell stories.
A Writing Curriculum for grades K – 12
If you’re looking for a high-quality writing program for your kids, I highly recommend checking out the award-winning WriteShop curriculum (for grades K – 12)! This is the most creative and inspiring writing curriculum I have seen and it lays a solid foundation for successful and enjoyable writing experiences through its detailed lesson guides, engaging and creative activities, and beautifully designed student workbooks.
Learning Resources for Teachers, Tutors, and Parents
If you’d like to visit my store to see my library of learning resources (focused on Pre-K – 3rd grade Math, Reading, and Writing, and High School Algebra and Geometry), you can check it out here:
INSTAGRAM * PINTEREST * FACEBOOK
