Alternate Ending Story Writing

Paper or notebook

Pencil or pen

The original story for reference

Choose a well-known story.

Review the original ending.

Ask: "What if it ended differently?"

Brainstorm alternatives: Goldilocks befriends the bears, or gets lost.

Choose one and plan: what changes, what stays, how characters react.

Write the new ending from the turning point.

Make it at least one full page with dialogue.

Read both endings aloud. Discuss which you prefer and why.

Alternate ending writing requires understanding the original story deeply enough to know where it could plausibly diverge. This is high-level comprehension work disguised as creative play.

The concept of a "turning point" is a sophisticated narrative tool. When your child identifies the moment where everything could change, they're demonstrating advanced plot analysis.

This activity naturally teaches cause and effect in storytelling: if this ONE thing changes, how does everything else ripple outward? That chain of consequences is how plot works.

Try this with real movies too. Kids have passionate opinions about movie endings — channel that energy into writing.

Collect alternate endings for the same story. Compare how different family members reimagined it. No two endings will be alike, which teaches that creativity is personal.