Poetry resources for every age group
In the toy box is a lovely poetry writing activity for reception and year 1. Children work in small groups to find adjectives to describe toys and then use the writing frame to compose a poem.
Reception and year 1 teachers might also like Alphabet song - poetry analysis. Written by Trevor Millum, it's a great way to explore rhyming patterns with young learners.
Year 2 children will enjoy this poetry writing activity from Angela Topping based on her poem 'Did you wash your dirty neck'? Children work in pairs to create their own version of the poem. Or try Space poetry by Lol Browne to get children thinking about what they might find on a new planet.
Write a football poem is another great activity from Lol Browne aimed at football-loving children in year 3 or 4. Others might prefer Animal poetry which is based on a poem inspired by Alexander McCall Smith's Akimbo and the Elephants.
Mystery guest metaphor poem by Jennifer Jenkins is an interesting way to explore metaphor in poems at year 4 or 5. Children choose a famous character and follow the prompts to write metaphors to describe them. And if you're looking to explore using metaphor in poetry at years 5 and 6, our resource by Alli Baldwin, If you were a sailboat, is a great starting point.
Question poems by Caroline uses a traditional Irish poem and a poem by Christina Rossetti to look at the use of repeated questions to create dramatic effect. Year 6 will also enjoy another activity from Trevor Millum, Poetry by stealth - creating a descriptive poem.
Finally, try the ideas in cross-curricular writing - poetry to inspire poetry-writing in a variety of subjects and year groups. Or, download our whole school teaching pack, Poetry for all, which features poems and related activities for every year group.
This article first appeared in Editor's pick on 11 March 2022.
