The day a bird flew into our kitchen.What did everyone do with their arms?
The day I answered the phone and it was for me.What did the voice say first?
The minute the lights went out and we found the flashlight.Who spoke first in the dark?
The moment I finished the puzzle and one piece was missing.Where did you look first?
The moment my baby sister took her first step toward me.What did her hands do?
The moment the cat jumped into the box before I could.What did the box do?
The morning I got the last pancake.What did it look like on the plate?
The morning I made my own breakfast.What did you reach for first?
The night I woke up and it was snowing.What did you press against the window?
The second I blew out my candles.What did the smoke smell like?
The second my tooth came out in the apple.What did you see first, the tooth or the apple?
The second the bath water went cold.Which part of you noticed first?
When dinner burned and we all smelled it at once.What did the smoke alarm sound like?
When Grandma let me crack the eggs.What did the shell feel like in your fingers?
When I dropped the egg and it did not break.Where did it land?
When I found my lost shoe in the strangest place.What was next to it?
When I heard the garage door and knew Mom was home.What did you do in the three seconds before she came in?
When I hid behind the door, waiting to say boo.What could you hear while you waited?
When I spilled the whole box of cereal.What sound did it make on the floor?
When my block tower leaned and I held my breath.Which block went first?
When my brother and I both grabbed the remote.Whose hand was on top?
When the dog stole my sock and ran.Which way did he go first?
When the popcorn started popping and I could not see it.What did you picture happening inside the bag?
When the toast popped up and made me jump.What were you doing just before?
At school 24
The day I found my name on my cubby.What did the letters look like?
The day I was line leader.What did you see that only the first in line gets to see?
The day I was picked to feed the fish.How much food was in the pinch?
The moment I dropped my lunch tray.What hit the floor first?
The moment I got all the way across the monkey bars.What did the last bar feel like?
The moment I tied my own shoe at recess.Which loop gave you trouble?
The moment the teacher held up my drawing.Where did you look?
The night I had to say my one line in the play.What did the lights do to the faces?
The second I raised my hand because I knew the answer.What did your arm feel like up in the air?
The second the ball came to me in kickball.What did everyone shout?
The second the paint spilled across my paper.Which color went where?
The second the recess bell rang too soon.What were you in the middle of?
When I could not find my class after the assembly.Whose backpack did you spot first?
When I opened my lunch and found a note.What did the paper look like before you unfolded it?
When I read a whole page out loud without stopping.What was the last word?
When I traded my apple for a cookie.Who held theirs out first?
When my best friend and I came to school in the same shirt.Who noticed first?
When my friend saved me a seat on the bus.How did she show you it was yours?
When my name was called for the first turn.What did your feet do?
When my pencil broke in the spelling test.Which word were you on?
When the class hamster ran across my hand.What did its feet feel like?
When the fire drill rang in the middle of art.What did you leave on the table?
When the substitute said my name wrong.What did the class do?
When the teacher read the last page and nobody moved.What was the room like for that one second?
Outside and on trips 24
The day I fed a goat out of my hand.What did its lips feel like?
The day I walked to the very end of the dock.What did the boards feel like under your feet?
The day my ice cream fell off the cone.What was still in your hand?
The day the swing went so high the chains went loose.What did your stomach do?
The moment a ladybug landed on my arm.What did you do with your breath?
The moment I caught the ball in my glove.What did it sound like?
The moment I found the perfect shell.What made you pick up that one?
The moment the train went into the tunnel.What did you see in the window then?
The second I jumped off the diving board.What did your toes do at the edge?
The second I let go of the kite string by accident.Where did the kite go first?
The second my bike stopped wobbling.What did you look at once you stopped looking at the wheel?
The second the firefly lit up inside my hands.What color was the light between your fingers?
When I skipped a stone and it bounced twice.What did you say?
When I stepped in a puddle that was deeper than it looked.How far up did the cold come?
When our car went through the car wash.What did the brushes look like coming at you?
When the airplane left the ground.What did you see out the window right then?
When the fish pulled on my line.What did the rod do in your hands?
When the ride clicked its way up to the very top.What could you hear?
When the sled started moving before I was ready.What did you grab?
When the snowball hit me in the back.Who was laughing when you turned around?
When the tent zipper closed and it was dark.What was the first sound from outside?
When the thunder came right after the flash.Where were you standing?
When the wave knocked me over.What did you taste?
When we got to the top of the hill and I could see our house.How small was it?
Firsts 24
The first egg I cooked.What did it do when it hit the pan?
The first goal I ever scored.What did the net do?
The first night I slept at a friend's house.What was different about the ceiling?
The first time I climbed a tree higher than my head.Which branch did you trust?
The first time I held the baby.Where did they tell you to put your arm?
The first time I lost a game and shook hands anyway.What did the other hand feel like?
The first time I opened my eyes under water.What was the first thing you saw?
The first time I ordered my own food.What did your voice sound like?
The first time I paid at the store with my own money.What did the coins feel like leaving your hand?
The first time I rode the bus by myself.Where did you sit, and why there?
The first time I saw the ocean.What did you hear before you saw it?
The first time I swam with nobody holding me.When did you know nobody was holding on?
The first time I walked the dog on my own.What did the leash do at the corner?
The first time I went down the big slide.What did it look like from the top?
The first time I whistled.What were you trying when it finally worked?
The first time I wrote my whole name.Which letter was the hardest?
The first tomato I picked that I grew myself.How did you know it was ready?
My first day wearing glasses.What looked different first?
My first haircut at the barber.What did the clippers sound like next to your ear?
My first library card.What did you check out, and how did you carry it?
My first loose tooth.What did your tongue keep doing?
My first time on ice skates.What did your ankles do?
My first time staying up until midnight.What did the clock look like at 11:59?
My first wobbly cartwheel.Where did your feet land?
Big feelings in a small minute 24
The first night at camp, when the cabin went quiet.Which sound from home did you miss?
The moment I finished the race last and people still cheered.Whose voice did you hear?
The moment the big dog ran toward me.What did your legs do?
The night thunder shook my window.What did you pull over your head?
The recess when nobody picked me.What did you look at while they were choosing?
The second before I opened the biggest present.What did the paper feel like?
The second I could not see Dad in the store.What did you look for: his coat, his shoes or his voice?
Waiting for my turn in the spelling bee.What were your hands doing?
Waiting to be picked up when everyone else had gone.What did you count while you waited?
When everyone jumped out and yelled "Surprise."What did you drop?
When I broke my brother's model and he walked in.What was in your hand?
When I called the teacher "Mom" by mistake.Who laughed first, and did you?
When I gave back the toy I had taken.What did it feel like leaving your hand?
When I had to say hello to the new neighbors.What did you look at so you would not have to look at their faces?
When I handed Mom the card I had made.What did her face do first?
When I said the mean thing and saw her face.What do you wish your mouth had done?
When I taught my little sister to tie her shoe.What did she say when the bow held?
When I told the truth about the broken vase.What were your first three words?
When I went down to the dark basement for the jar.What did you say to yourself on the stairs?
When my friend and I laughed so hard we could not stop.What started it?
When my friend got the part I wanted.What did you say out loud, and what did you think?
When my sandcastle was kicked over on purpose.What did your hands want to do, and what did they do?
When the lost library book turned up.Where was it, and what did you do first?
When the whole class clapped for me.What did you do with your own hands?
How it works
These small moment story ideas are 120 moments of real life, said the way a child might say them. Each has one question that zooms in. Press Pick 3 new small moments until one makes you think: that happened to me.
Read the full guide
What makes a moment small
One place, a few minutes and one feeling. A whole day at the beach is too big. The second the wave knocked you over is small. If telling it needs the words "and then" more than once, cut it down to the best part.
Use the question to zoom in
Answer the question under the moment before you write anything else. It asks for one thing you saw, heard or felt. Put that detail in your first sentence. A list under the button sorts the moments: At home, At school, Outside and on trips, Firsts, and Big feelings in a small minute.
The list is for remembering. Swap the moment for one of your own that is like it.
Tell it to someone first. The part you slow down for is the story.
Questions and answers
How to get ideas for small moments stories?
Think of a time you felt one big thing: proud, scared, sorry or surprised. Then keep only the minute when you felt it most. The five groups here are places to look: home, school, outside, first times and big feelings.
What is a small moment story?
A true story about a few minutes of your own life, told slowly, with lots of detail. It stays in one place and follows one feeling. Losing a tooth in an apple is a small moment. Your whole birthday is not.
What if nothing on the list happened to me?
Use the list to remember. A lost tooth might remind you of a lost shoe, a first haircut or the day the dog got out. The moment you write about should be your own.
Can I make the story up?
A small moment story is true, so choose a moment like one of yours and write what really happened. For a made-up story, the story prompt generator for kids gives you a first sentence.