Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Diary of a Lost Glove: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Diary of a Lost Glove is a free printable English worksheet for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Children write three diary entries as a glove that has gone missing. They use the first person, keep to the past tense, open sentences with a time or place phrase and describe a place in detail. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown up notes, help, a stretch idea and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children imagine they are a glove that has slipped away from its owner. They write three diary entries on the lines provided. A checklist on the sheet reminds them what to include: writing as the glove, keeping to the past tense, starting a sentence with a time or place phrase and a comma, and describing one place with an expanded noun phrase. They tick each box only when they can point to the evidence in their writing.
- I wrote as the glove, using I, my and me.
- I kept to the past tense, such as I tumbled.
- I began a sentence with a time or place phrase, then a comma.
- I described one place with an expanded noun phrase.
How to build a good diary entry
Be the glove
Decide how your glove feels. Is it worried, curious or cross? Hold that mood across all three entries so the diary sounds like one voice.
Plan the journey
Before writing, jot down three places the glove might be on three different days. A quick list or small map is enough.
Open with where or when
Start at least one sentence with a time or place phrase, then add a comma. This tells the reader where the glove is or when something happened.
Check with the tick list
Read your entry back slowly. Point to the evidence for each checklist box. If you cannot find it, add it, then tick.
Why write a diary as an object?
Writing as an object gives children a clear voice to hold on to. A glove cannot speak, so the writer must decide how it feels, what it sees and what happens to it. That choice makes the first person feel natural. Diary form helps too, because each entry belongs to a fixed moment, so the past tense has a clear reason.
Fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases can feel like grammar rules when they are taught on their own. In a story they have a job to do. A phrase at the start of a sentence tells the reader when or where. Extra detail in a noun phrase helps the reader picture a place. Writing for a purpose helps children notice these choices in their own work.
Skills and curriculum link
- First person diary writing
- Fronted adverbials
- Consistent past tense
- Expanded noun phrases
- Planning a narrative
- Checking your own writing
Grammar helpers for grown ups
- First personThe writer says I, my and me. A diary is a good place to practise because it is a personal account.
- Past tenseVerbs describe things that have already happened. Keep them in the same tense from the first sentence to the last.
- Fronted adverbialA word or phrase at the start of a sentence, followed by a comma. For example, Later that evening, or Beside the gate,.
- Expanded noun phraseA noun with extra detail added, such as a cracked blue flowerpot. It helps readers picture what the writer sees.
Key words
- Diary entryA short piece of writing about one day, told by the person or character who lived it.
- First personWriting that uses I, my and me, as if the writer is telling their own story.
- Past tenseThe form of a verb that shows something has already happened.
- Fronted adverbialA word or phrase at the start of a sentence that tells us when, where or how something happens.
- Expanded noun phraseA noun with extra describing words added to give more detail.
- CommaA punctuation mark. It goes after a fronted adverbial to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the checklist aloud. Make sure your child knows what each tick box is asking for.
- Let your child plan three places for their glove, then write in pencil, one entry at a time.
- Ask them to tick a box only when they can point to the evidence in their writing. Then check against page 2.
- Come back another day to improve an entry or write a new one. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give a sentence starter for each entry and let your child say their ideas aloud before they write. Write the glove's three places on a sticky note as a plan. Focus on one checklist box at a time, then add the next.
To stretch confident children
Add a fourth entry from the point of view of the person who finds the glove. Change the voice and the mood. Then ask your child to explain which words they changed to make the new writer sound different.
Make it a game
Swap diaries with a friend or family member. Read the entries and use the clues to guess where the glove ended up. The writer scores a point if the guess is right. Then try again as a lost sock.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forThe diary slips into he or it halfway through, so the glove stops sounding like a person telling their own story.
Try thisCircle every I, my and me in the entry. Where there are gaps, check whether the writer has changed voice and rewrite those sentences.
Watch forVerbs change between past and present, such as I rolled under the bench and now I see a spider.
Try thisUnderline every verb. Say each one aloud and ask if it has already happened. Change any that do not match.
Watch forThe comma is left out after the time or place phrase at the start of a sentence.
Try thisRead the sentence aloud and listen for the pause after the opening phrase. Put the comma where the voice pauses.
Talk about it
- How does your glove feel about being lost? What in your writing shows that?
- Where is the strangest place a glove could end up?
- What could your glove see from where it was lying that its owner could not?
- How would the diary change if the glove was found on the second day?
- Which sentence is your best? What makes it work?
- How would a lost scarf tell the same story differently?
Take it off the page
Lost property detective
Gather a few ordinary items and pretend they are in a lost property box. Choose one, then tell its story aloud in the first person.
Map the journey
Draw a simple map of the places your glove visited. Label each place and add a short caption using a time or place phrase.
Act it out
Use a real glove or a drawn one as a puppet. Narrate its adventure in the past tense while a partner listens for tense slips.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first entry, then let them lead. Praise the ideas and the effort before you look at spelling or punctuation. Let them tell the story aloud first if writing feels like a big step.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a homework task. The checklist works well for self assessment, and pairs can swap diaries to look for the evidence behind each tick. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a story or diary style book, then talk about how the writer sounds. The sheet can be reused for brothers and sisters or revisited later by writing about a different lost object.
Where this fits in children's writing
Before this sheet, children practise writing in full sentences, choosing the right tense and adding detail with adjectives. They also meet time words such as first, next and later, which prepare them for fronted adverbials.
After it, children can write other first person pieces, such as letters, recounts and stories told by a character. They can also practise choosing a voice and mood for a reader, and revisit these grammar choices when they edit their own work.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Diary of a Lost Glove for?
It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Children in nearby year groups may also enjoy it, with extra support for younger writers or a stretch task for confident ones.
- What will children practise?
They plan and write a narrative in diary form. They use the first person, consistent past tense, fronted adverbials and expanded noun phrases, so their three entries sound like the same glove telling its story.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or another class, and it works well in black and white on plain A4 paper.
- How do I use it?
Read the checklist aloud first. Children write in pencil, then tick each box only when they can point to the evidence in their writing. Check against the notes and answers on page 2.
- What if my child finds it hard?
Give a sentence starter for each entry and let your child say their entry aloud before writing. Tackle one checklist box at a time, and praise the ideas as well as the accuracy.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it suits quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Writing by hand also gives children time to think about each sentence.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.