Poetry for Kids Activities

The following post is from Christy of Eclectic Momma:

“I think that were beginning to remember that the first poets didn’t come out of a classroom, that poetry began when somebody walked off of a savanna or out of a cave and looked up at the sky with wonder and said, “Ahhh.” That was the first poem.”

– Lucille Clifton

Poetry can be fun and an exciting way to open up our children to different ways of expressing their  thoughts and emotions.   It also doesn’t have to be TOO  serious!

Here are some poetry for kids activities to get you started:

Concrete Poems

A concrete poem is written by drawing a concrete object like the sun or a dog.  Students brainstorm descriptive words  or statements. Then their thoughts form the outline or fill in the shape they have chosen.

Poetry Readings

The best way to teach children about poetry is to read it to them.  I usually start with lighter poets for younger children-Mother Goose, Prelutsky, Silverstein.

Poet of the Month has worked well for us in the past.  We will study that poet and read his/her works throughout the month. This is a great way to introduce new poets to older students or to add variety into your poetry readings.

Poetry Recitations

Have students choose a poem to memorize and have an old-fashioned recitation.  The length of the poem depends upon your student’s age and their ability to memorize.   Most of the time my children would pick longer poems than I would have chosen for them.

Poetry Books

Using a spiral bound sketch book, make a poetry book.  Every poem your student decides to memorize is typed and glued into their book.  They can add to these books for years with their favorite poems.  It becomes a great keepsake.

Poetry Pictures

Drawing pictures to illustrate the poems in their poetry books came very natural to my children.  The link above has other great examples of poetry pictures.

Collages

Poetry collages are a compilation of several poems written and sometimes illustrated on the same theme.  Small World at Home has done this type of project with great results.

Formula Poems

Formula poems are another great way to get students interested in writing their own poetry.   There is a formula to writing the poem that gives the student structure and direction.  My children have had great success with tanka,  haiku,  and cinquain poetry.

A haiku is a three line poem that is syllable based. Each line has a set number of syllables and the entire poem should be about the same subject.

Line 1- 5 syllables

Line 2- 7 syllables

Line 3- 5 syllables

Tanka poems are similar to haikus, except they are longer.  It is a good way to incorporate teaching the use of similes, metaphors and other literary devises in writing for older students.  Younger students can just keep it simple!

Line 1- 5 syllables

Line 2- 7 syllables

Line 3- 5 syllables

Line 4- 7 syllables

Line 5- 7 syllables

Examples:

Look at the flowers!
Roses, daisies, daffodils
Red, blue, purple, pink
Irises swaying in the wind.
Oh no, please don’t pick those ones!

by Tera

Mazey
Mazey , crazy Maze
He is fun to play, hooray!
Watch out! He might bark
Jumps high, runs fast, likes to dig
What a happy dog, he is!

by Daniel

 Cinquain poems consist of five lines.  There are several ways I’ve seen to do these types of poems.  Here is one example:

Line 1-Subject

Line 2- Two words that describe the subject

Line 3- Three action words the subject would do

Line 4- Write a statement about how the subject makes you feel

Line 5- Restate the subject using a different descriptive word

Magnetic Poetry Sets

I think these magnetic poetry sets are the coolest thing!  We really need to get one for our fridge.

Other resources:

Poetry 4  Kids

Great resource for poetry and writing centers!

Playing with Words:  Make your own magnetic poetry set idea

 Do you have any activities that make poetry fun for kids?  Share them with us in the comments below!  

	Christy blogs about life and homeschooling at Eclectic Momma.  You can also follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.