A narrative essay tells a story, an ideal essay format for students with an active imagination and a love for storytelling. A writer can write in the first, second or third person---the "I"-voice, you-voice or he-she-they-voice. A student can tell a personal or non-personal narrative, as long as the essay keeps track of time and progresses to a conclusion. For example, a child may write a narrative about when the ancient Mayan civilization first encountered the Spanish explorers, or she may opt to write the story of how her parents met and married.
In a persuasive essay, a writer gives an opinion and persuades others to believe his perspective is the right one. A persuasive essay needs a specific audience, which teaches younger students about tone and the use of diction in writing. A young child might write an essay addressed to her parents, in a sophisticated tone, persuading them to let her have a later bedtime, for example. An older kid, in third or fourth grade, may write an essay persuading other students to help save the manatees in Florida or to be kind to new kids at school.
A creative essay is an ideal format for kids because it invites individual style, keen observations and experimental writing. Kids can write about a journey, adventure, a favorite memory or any other topic, as long as the paper is descriptive and full of imagery and observations. The use of similes and metaphors, if the child has learned about comparative descriptions, also makes a successful essay.
In a process, or instructional essay, writers give a step-by-step approach on how to accomplish a task. Before starting the essay, asking questions such as how many steps there are in the process, and why each step is important, is an ideal technique, suggests Heidi Everett from St. Cloud University. Using clear, precise language while writing in this format, kids practice the importance of unambiguous sentences and chronology. A young student may write an essay on how she makes her bed each morning, how to stack the best ham and cheese sandwich, how to safely get off from a ski-lift or how to construct a homemade bird feeder. The essay should read smoothly like a story, without any numbers or sections.