The Pobble blog

Before children write well, they need time to think, talk, and explore ideas without pressure.

That is why Pobble starts with talk.

A few minutes of shared discussion, sparked by a brilliant image and a simple prompt, can shift the energy in a room. It can settle a busy class after lunch, warm brains up at the start of the day, or bridge the gap between subjects when you need a calm reset. 

Pobble makes this easy by giving you a free image and prompt every day, ready whenever you are.

Why talk helps writing feel easier

Many writing struggles do not begin with writing itself. They begin earlier, when children are asked to write before their ideas feel ready.

Talk gives children a low pressure way to:

• explore ideas out loud
• hear different perspectives
• borrow vocabulary from each other
• rehearse sentences before they write
• build confidence through shared thinking

When children have already spoken an idea, writing it down feels less risky. When they have heard others share ideas, they have more to draw from. When they have tried language out loud, they are more likely to have a go on the page.

Talk is not “time away from writing”. It is often the part that makes writing possible.

A simple Pobble routine that works in any classroom

You do not need a full lesson. You do not need to plan ahead. You do not need a special slot on the timetable.

Try this as a quick routine, whenever you need it.

1) Put an image on the board
Choose an image that invites curiosity. The best ones make children ask questions before you even ask them.

Give them a few seconds to look quietly first. You will often see the moment their brains switch on.

2) Read a short story starter
A story starter is not a task, it is a doorway. It gives children a shared “way in” without telling them what to think.

Keep it light. One read through is enough.

3) Ask one good question, then let the talk happen
You only need one question to get momentum.

Try one of these:

• What do you notice first, and why?
• What might have happened just before this moment?
• What could happen next?
• What can you infer about the character, without being told?
• What is the mood here, and what makes you think that?

Then pause. Let children build on each other. Let them disagree politely. Let them change their minds.

A good rule of thumb: if children are talking, wondering, and listening to each other, it is working.

4) Stop there, or invite a few sentences
Some days, talk is the whole win. Other days, someone will ask, “Can I write this?”

If you have time, invite a short burst of writing, not a big piece.

For example:

• Write one sentence that captures the mood
• Write a line of dialogue you might hear in this scene
• Write the next three sentences of the story starter
• Write a single thought from the character’s point of view

No marking pressure. No expectation to “finish”. Just a small step from talk into writing.

How this supports every learner

Talk first works well because it is naturally inclusive.

It helps:

• reluctant writers, because they can join in without committing to the page straight away
• vocabulary development, because children hear and borrow language in real time
• confidence, because ideas are shared before anyone writes alone
• EAL learners, because discussion provides modelling and repetition
• busy teachers, because it builds writing readiness without extra planning

It also builds something schools care about deeply: children who can explain their thinking.

If you want to make it a habit

The easiest habit is the smallest one.

Pick a regular moment, even two or three times a week:

• as children come in
• straight after lunch
• as an afternoon starter
• at the end of the day, as a calm finish

Keep it short. Keep it consistent. Keep it pressure-free.

Over time, something shifts. Children begin to arrive ready to look, ready to speak, and more ready to write.

A final thought

Writing does not start with a pencil. It starts with an idea.

Give children a few minutes to think and talk first, and you will often find the writing comes more easily, with more confidence, and with better language.

That is the quiet power of a good image, a simple prompt, and talk.