Early Years Poetry Fun Poetry Activities for Early Elementary
Poetry can be super fun for young kids. Here are some simple ways to get little ones excited about poems and rhyming.
Reading Poems Out Loud
Kids love hearing fun poems with rhymes and rhythm. Try reading nursery rhymes, Dr. Seuss books, and simple poems about animals or silly things. Let kids clap along or move their bodies to the beat. They’ll giggle at funny words and start to remember their favorites.
Rhyming Word Games
Make rhyming fun with easy games:
- “I say cat, what rhymes with cat?” (hat, bat, rat)
- Sing songs that have lots of rhymes
- Play “I Spy” but only with rhyming words
- Match picture cards that rhyme together
These games help kids hear the sounds in words, which helps them learn to read later.
Drawing Pictures for Poems
After reading a poem, have kids draw:
- What they think the poem is about
- Their favorite part of the poem
- A silly character from the poem
Display their artwork next to the poems that inspired them.
Easy Fill-in-Blank Poems
Help kids make their own poems with simple templates:
I like _________
It is _________
It makes me _________
Or:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I like _________
And _________ too!
Kids can say their answers and write them down. These activities make poetry fun and not scary.
3 Comments
Kandas Rodarte
Great tips! You don’t have to homeschool to engage with your kids this way.
Jodi
I appreciate your comment! And you’re right—any parent can enjoy poetry with their kids. This post was written especially with homeschooling families in mind, where parents are often balancing multiple roles and looking for creative, affordable ways to enrich learning at home. My hope is to share ideas that make those early years feel both joyful and doable—on a shoestring.
Barbara
I wasn’t a very academic child, but I always loved doing poetry assignments. Sadly, as I grew older, I never kept it up.