Year 4 writing: The kite that waited
Tell a complete story with a clear problem and ending.
Your writing task
Write a story about two friends whose kite will not fly. Give them a problem they can solve together. Show what they try and how the afternoon ends.
Plan before you write
- Who has brought the kite, and why does it matter to them?
- What stops it flying?
- What do the friends change, and what happens next?
Write on paper or in your own document. Try a first draft before reading the model responses.
An opening you can try
The kite lay on the grass while the clouds hurried past.
Use this opening or write your own. A useful opening gives your reader something to follow.
A small word bank
- hasty
- Done in a hurry, often without enough thought.
- sturdy
- Strongly built and not easily broken.
- relief
- A feeling of comfort after worry, pain or danger has passed.
Choose a word only when its meaning fits. You do not need to use every word in the bank.
Build a learning plan
Create a parent account to organise your child's learning alongside these free writing activities.
Compare three model responses
These are three ways to develop the same task. They are teaching examples, with notes linked to the English national curriculum. They are not exam grades or a prediction of a mark.
A starting point
The kite lay on the grass. Ben pulled the string, but it did not fly. He tried again and fell over. His friend Asha picked up the kite.
They moved away from the trees. This time Asha held it high while Ben ran. The kite rose above them. They took turns holding the string until it was time to go home.
Teaching notes
Organise related ideas
They moved away from the trees.
The second paragraph shows the friends changing their plan, so the ending follows their action.
Write for a reader and purpose
They took turns holding the string
Both friends take part, which answers the task about solving a problem together.
Try next: Show how Ben feels when the kite will not fly.
A more developed response
The kite lay flat while Ben tugged at its string. He had painted it orange so his little sister could spot it from the picnic blanket. Now it looked more like a leaf than a kite.
Asha watched the branches above them. They hardly moved. "Let's try the open field," she said. Ben gathered the string while she carried the kite.
Out beyond the trees, a gust lifted Asha's hair. She held the kite up, and Ben ran. Its orange wings climbed above the hedge. From the blanket, his sister waved both arms.
Teaching notes
Choose useful details and words
He had painted it orange
This detail gives Ben a reason to care about the kite, rather than adding colour alone.
Organise related ideas
They hardly moved.
Watching the branches explains why Asha suggests a different place.
Try next: Add one spoken line that shows Ben reacting to Asha's idea.
A further developed response
Ben gave the string another hasty tug. The orange kite hopped across the grass and stopped beside his shoes. From the picnic blanket, his little sister asked when it would reach the clouds. Ben pretended not to hear.
Asha crouched beside the sturdy frame. Nothing was broken. Above them, the leaves hung still, although clouds were moving beyond the trees. "It needs wind, not a harder pull," she said.
They carried the kite into the open field. When the next gust arrived, Asha raised it and Ben ran. The string tightened in his hand. Slowly, the orange shape rose above the hedge.
His sister cheered. Ben let out a breath of relief, then passed the string to Asha. "Your turn," he said. This time he watched the wind before he watched the kite.
Teaching notes
Choose useful details and words
Ben pretended not to hear.
The action shows embarrassment without needing to name it.
Organise related ideas
This time he watched the wind
The ending returns to what Ben has learnt, connecting the solution with a change in the character.
Try next: Check the commas and speech marks in each spoken sentence.
Read back and improve
- Can the reader tell why the first attempt fails?
- Does each friend help with the solution?
- Check that the story stays in the past tense.
Where the teaching notes come from
Our notes apply the published writing guidance for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. The prompts and model responses were written originally for Trace Learn. Reviewed 2026-10-01.
Read the Department for Education English curriculumChoose another writing task
Questions parents ask
What should I plan before I write?
Who has brought the kite, and why does it matter to them? What stops it flying? What do the friends change, and what happens next?
How can I improve my first draft?
Can the reader tell why the first attempt fails? Does each friend help with the solution? Check that the story stays in the past tense.
Will this page mark or save my writing?
No. Write on paper or in your own document. The models and notes are teaching examples. This page does not collect your writing, save it to a profile or award a score.
Find topics to practise next
The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning. Use it to explore the skills your child could practise alongside writing.