Hyperbole, or intentional exaggeration, can make writing more interesting—and sometimes give it a little more personality.
Being able to use hyperbole doesn’t come easily to every student, but there are ways to improve this skill with practice and encouragement.
We’ve put together a list of writing prompts to help students work on this skill, whether they’re expert exaggerators or reluctant retellers.
The first few prompts encourage students to explore the meaning of hyperbole and how it can be used, and the rest encourage them to explore their storytelling skills.
Using These Prompts
These writing prompts can be used as writing exercises in class, or separately as homework assignments.
As long as students practice this skill, they’re already on the right track to succeed.
Here are a few ways you can use this writing guide with your class:
- Challenge students to use one writing prompt in their journal every day for a week.
- Have students choose a number between 1 and 41 and use it to choose their prompt.
- Use these activities for students who finish their work early and need something to do while they wait for others to finish.
- Have students add their birth date and month, and use the resulting number to choose their writing prompt.
The Writing Prompts
- Define hyperbole.
- Compare and contrast hyperbole, similes, and metaphors.
- Choose a song that uses hyperbole and explain the true meaning behind the lyrics.
- Think back on the past week. Is there a common hyperbole you’ve recently used?
- What are some places you use or see hyperbole used in everyday life?
- Set a timer for ten minutes and write a story using as many examples of hyperbole as you can.
- Share a time that you exaggerated to make a point. What effect did it have? Did it help or hurt you in getting your point across?
- Give three examples of companies using hyperbole in advertising or slogans. What are the companies trying to say with their language? Does hyperbole make sense in this situation?
- Describe a time when it felt like time was passing very slowly.
- Write about a time when you were extremely tired.
- Write a poem about your school day using hyperbole.
- Write a story about an extremely cold day.
- Finish the story: She was so angry that…
- Write a story about a time when you were confused.
- Write about the best pizza you’ve ever tasted.
- Tell a story about someone who is carrying something very heavy.
- Write about an adorable animal.
- Write about a time when you were extremely excited about something.
- What is your favorite example of hyperbole in a movie or show you’ve seen recently?
- Write a story about being stuck in traffic while you’re on your way to something exciting.
- Write a story about being stuck outside on an extremely hot day.
- Tell a story about someone who has to walk a long way.
- Finish the story: The house was so expensive…
- Write a story about a crowded sporting event.
- Write about a tricky piece of homework.
- Tell a story about someone who is learning a new skill.
- Write about being excited about the holidays.
- Tell a story about an inpatient child who is waiting for dinner.
- Tell a story about being afraid to try something new.
- Write a story about the night sky.
- Tell a story about someone who goes on a difficult hike.
- Finish the story: I was so embarrassed that…
- Tell a story about a time when you felt extremely tired.
- Write about something you find very funny.
- Talk about a time when you enjoyed a meal.
- Finish the story: When the spider crawled across the desk, she let out a shriek so loud that…
- Write a story about finally seeing someone who you haven’t seen in a long time.
- Tell a story about a very messy bedroom.
- Write a story about someone desperately looking for something.
- Tell a story about a student who finds a large amount of something in their locker.
- Finish the story: It was raining so hard outside that…
Looking For More?
We offer an abundance of free writing resources for parents, guardians, and teachers to help give young writers the tools they need to succeed.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you are looking for something specific and can’t find it on our site. We love hearing all of your ideas!
