A 30-minute writing task for your YEAR 4 child - the cave
10.10.25
Week Four Writing Challenge!
By now, your Year 4 child might have tried our short descriptive tasks from Weeks 1–3 (in the forest, on the beach, and at the market). Each week, we’ve been building writing muscles through quick, playful exercises that feel more like imagination than homework.
TOP TIP: Before writing, encourage your child to say their ideas aloud. If they can speak a vivid sentence, they’ll almost always be able to write it.This week’s theme: The Cave
A mysterious, atmospheric setting that stirs the imagination and invites children to use all their senses. Below you’ll find:
A short practice extract
A writing toolkit (words & techniques)
A practical 30-minute task to try at home
(If you missed Weeks 1–3, links are in the comments )
A short practice extract A writing toolkit (words & techniques) A practical 30-minute task to try at home(If you missed Weeks 1–3, links are in the comments )
Try this at home (about 30 minutes)
Reading prompt:
“Ella and Ravi stepped carefully into the shadowy cave. The air grew cool and damp, and their footsteps echoed against the stone walls. Drops of water fell from the ceiling with a steady drip, drip, drip… In the flickering torchlight, strange shapes seemed to shift in the darkness.”
“Ella and Ravi stepped carefully into the shadowy cave. The air grew cool and damp, and their footsteps echoed against the stone walls. Drops of water fell from the ceiling with a steady drip, drip, drip… In the flickering torchlight, strange shapes seemed to shift in the darkness.”
Task: Describe what it feels like to explore a cave.
Tip: Look at a photo of a cave first to spark ideas (or use the one I’ve shared).
Tip: Look at a photo of a cave first to spark ideas (or use the one I’ve shared).Writing Toolkit
Adjectives: shadowy, damp, echoing, mysterious, jagged, eerie
Verbs: dripped, echoed, crept, shimmered, flickered, whispered
Similes: “dark as midnight”; “shadows clung like cobwebs”
Onomatopoeia: drip, crunch, echo
Personification: “the cave swallowed their footsteps”; “stalactites pointed like silent guards”
Metaphors: “a mouth of stone”; “a maze of shadows”
Alliteration: damp, dark depths; flickering flames; silent stone
Parent tip
Brainstorm a few sentences together using the toolkit. Encourage your child to mix action and description. For example:
“The damp, dark depths echoed with every step, as if the cave itself was whispering secrets.”
Small, playful tasks like this build imagination, vocabulary, and confidence—all essential for writing success.
I hope you and your children enjoy this week’s task!