How To Find A Theme?

Finding a theme is like finding the main idea in your favorite story, it’s what everything else is about.

Imagine you have a box full of toys: cars, balls, blocks, and dolls. If you pick out only the cars, that’s one theme, moving things. But if you pick out all the toys that are soft, like the ball and the doll, that’s another theme, soft things.

A theme is like the main color in a painting. If you're drawing a picture of a forest, green might be your main color, or theme. All the trees, grass, and leaves are green, but maybe some flowers are red. That’s okay! The theme is still mostly about green.

Look at what happens most in your story or your drawing. What do you see over and over? That's probably your theme. If you're telling a story, think: What is this all about? Is it about friendship? Adventure? Growing up?

Just like how you know the main toy in your box, that’s your theme! Finding a theme is like finding the main idea in your favorite story, it’s what everything else is about.

Imagine you have a box full of toys: cars, balls, blocks, and dolls. If you pick out only the cars, that’s one theme, moving things. But if you pick out all the toys that are soft, like the ball and the doll, that’s another theme, soft things.