Diary of a character: a perspective writing activity for kids

Children who can explain how a character feels understand a story far more deeply. A diary entry makes that natural, and it gives quieter writers a voice that is not quite their own.

• Ages: 8–14
• Time: 30 minutes
• Skill: Voice, empathy and comprehension

What you need

• A book or story your child knows well
• Paper or a notebook
• A pencil

Step by step

1. Choose a character. Pick a character from a book, a film or a well-known story, not necessarily the hero.
2. Choose a moment. Pick an important day in the story for that character.
3. Write the date and "Dear Diary". Set the scene as the character would.
4. Write what happened. Describe the day from the character’s point of view, in the first person ("I").
5. Write how they felt. This is the important part: what were they worried about, hoping for, or hiding?
6. Read it back. Does it sound like that character? Would they use those words?

Make it easier or harder

• Easier: write three sentences: what happened, how I felt, what I will do next.
• Harder: write two diary entries from two characters about the same event.

What your child learns

Perspective, empathy and first-person voice, and a much deeper understanding of the book. Our Sherlock Holmes and Tales and Telling courses build these reading skills further.

This activity is a taste of our free StoryCraft workshop (ages 7–10). For year-round writing, see Creative Writing for ages 8–10.