These easy peasy poetry forms will help children unleash their imaginations. Each poem has a simple structured pattern or model to follow; however, the child’s imagination ultimately determines the final content and appearance of the poem. Be creative!
Acrostic Poem
There are three different kinds of acrostic poems. This is the standard acrostic form; a simple poem is formed when the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. I like the idea of using the names of people, places, and holidays or seasons.
Oh, what wonderful food we eat
Hayrides in the fall and apple cider
Indoors and out there are lots of activities
Of all of the places, I love Cedar Point the best
Lover of all dogs
Enjoys pizza and chips
Artistic at heart
Having fun on my bike
Mesostich
In this type of acrostic, the middles of words or lines form a word or a message. Print your name vertically down the center of your paper in bold letters. Then build each letter into a phrase about the chosen topic.
the bluE planet
one And only
in this univeRse of ours
we call iT
our Home
Telestich
This acrostic uses the last letters of each line to spell a word or a message. *Note: this form may be too difficult for younger children.
My teacher is the greatesT
He is very nice, and he is tall like a treE
His classroom smells like vanillA
He teaches me math and is terrifiC
It is easy for him to reach things high abovE
Mr. Mason makes my yeaR
Haiku
A haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry. It is a simple, three-line poem that has a consistent syllable count of 5, 7, 5. I like to have children select one topic and then write three or four haikus about it. Ideas can include places children have been or want to go, poems about stages of life, favorite animals, seasons, or people they love.
Going to Disney
Was my favorite place to be
It was so much fun
Animal Kingdom
Took me to strange animals
I liked the zebras
A trip of my own
After waiting for so long
Finally flying
Skinny-Mini Poem
This is one of my favorite poetry forms for young children. You choose a topic and write; the only rule is that each line must have only two words (including the title). Here are some topics to consider: best vacation, my classroom, the beach, my dog, soccer game, winter fun, my favorite book, my worst day, my hobby, or about me.
Camping Trip
Oh, boy
Family time
Mom’s idea
Hiking forever
Feel hurting
Pine forest
Mountain trail
Rocky ground
Wind blowing
Mosquitos buzzing
Strange noises
Sun setting
Tent up
Owls hooting
Scary stories
Campfire blazing
Burnt marshmallows
Stars shining
Everyone laughing
Great time
A Color Poem
Select a favorite color and then brainstorm a long list of words and phrases associated with it. Write a 5-10-line poem. Be creative! Either print or write the poem using the color and you can even mount it on the same colored construction paper or create a color collage and mount the poem on top of it.
Here are some stems to get children started: …is born, …dies, ….is happy when…., …lives, …knows that, …feels like, …smells like, …tastes like, …is my friend because…
Orange…
…is the color deep inside an angry volcano
…looks like my favorite Tiger’s jersey and the Cheetos in my lunch!
…is as hot as the inside of a lighted Jack-O-Lantern
…feels warm to the touch like a candle’s flame
…tastes like hot tomato soup
…smells like garden mums on my porch
…is happy when the sun rises.
20/20 Poem
This poem is built around a two-word title chosen from a list of 20-adjectives and 20-nouns. In the example below, a randomly chosen word from each list became the title and subject for the poem. There are over 300 different combinations!
*Adjectives: yellow, gigantic, terrible, unbelievable, cheerful, gentle, itchy, angry, endless, hidden, sad, magical, mixed-up, mysterious, silent, tiny, high-flying, fascinating, unforgettable, hidden
*Nouns: blizzard, leprechaun, firefly, underwear, memory, rainbow, spells, thunderstorm, lizard, snowman, book, celebration, sunset, vacation, journey, argument, home, backpack, garden, birthday
An Unforgettable Journey
The leprechaun was tiny and cheerful
The day he left his rainbow behind
And went on an unforgettable journey.
He remembered his book of spells and his backpack.
The journey seemed endless.
After sunset, he ran into a gigantic, angry lizard.
It was fascinating!
But the leprechaun was magical, he took out his book
And said a magical spell.
Poof! The lizard turned into a snowman.
And the leprechaun arrived at his parent’s home
Just in time for his birthday celebration.
A Photo Poem
Select a favorite photograph and then this poem almost writes itself. Use the following questions to help you get started. Who is in the photo? What are they doing? When did it happen? Where did it happen?
Grandpa’s Vegetable Garden
Grandpa working in
His vegetable garden
Wearing his favorite straw hat.
A water fountain surrounds
The colorful vegetables.
He took care of them all summer
He is proud of his work!
Identity Poem
This poem is when the writer writes from the point of view of a person, an animal, or an object. Topic ideas might include a balloon, a sled, a boat, a shoe, a hummingbird, a flower, a shooting star, a rain cloud, a dandelion, or a kite.
Puppy’s First Snow
I crouch in the doorway
Scared to step outside.
The door opens and a snowflake
Dances and lands on my nose.
It tickles.
I step with one paw…
Then another…
Ah, snow!
Cinquain
This is a simple five-line poem. Cinquains are easy and fun to write because they do not require a lot of words. Follow this line pattern: 1-word, 2-words, 3-words, 4-words, and 1-word (a synonym for line 1).
Car
Small, fast
Driving, speeding, passing
Parking in the city
Corvette
Spaniel
Fluffy, small dog
Playing, jumping, running
They are cute and cuddly
Dog
Diamante (Italian for diamond, the poem’s shape)
This is a simple seven-line poem that follows a set pattern and creates the shape of a diamond. They also reinforce some basic grammatical parts of speech. You can write a poem on a single topic, or you can do an opposite diamante wherein you have two contrary topics and use words that highlight each (see example below).
Noun
Adjective, adjective
Verb, verb, verb
Noun, noun, noun, noun
Verb, verb, verb
Adjective, adjective
Noun
Cat
Playful, soft
Playing, leaping, sleeping
Litter, toys, bones, bed
Chewing, running, barking
Friendly, loving
Dog
A Collage Poem
Children draw inspiration from a collage of pictures cut from magazines or newspaper clippings. Choose one topic and write a five-to-ten-line poem. Topic ideas may include babies, clocks/time, candy, trees, dogs/cats, eyes, flowers, or faces. On a piece of construction paper, glue the poem in the center and then use the collage pictures to surround the poem, like a picture frame, or apply the words all over the page. You may want to give children a structured form such as a cinquain or a diamante. Instead of using pictures, another idea for a collage poem is to use only words and phrases.
ABC & 123 Poems
For these simple poems, you make up the pattern for your poem. In an ABC poem, each line begins with a new letter of the alphabet. Children can do one word per line or one phrase per line. A 123 poem is where the first line has 1 word, the second line has 2, and so forth.
Abbey
Baked
Chocolate
Donuts
Every
Friday
The
sunshine
shines on me
in the morning
through my open door
while my cat naps soundly
I hope you have found this post useful. If you want more ways to inspire young writers in your classroom, check out 40 Poetry Prompts For Students. I’d love to hear from you! Fill out the contact form and share any of these ideas that you used in your classroom or tag me on Instagram @teachingwithpoetry and use #teachingwithpoetry.
