Story types · Tip 58 of 82 · 5 min read
Writing Your First Poem
Poems don't have to rhyme! Play with sounds, shapes and feelings.
Poems are like stories squeezed into a tiny space. Every word matters! The good news is that poems can be about anything: your cat, your socks, the rain or a big feeling.
Poems don't have to rhyme
Many people think a poem must rhyme, but that's not true. Sometimes trying to rhyme makes you pick silly words that don't fit. Focus on painting a picture instead.
Try an acrostic poem
Write a word down the side of the page. Each line starts with one of its letters.
Rattling on the windows, All the puddles giggle, Inside, I'm warm and cosy, Nose pressed to the glass.
Try a shape poem
A shape poem is written in the shape of what it describes, like a poem about a snake that wiggles across the page!
Try a list poem
A smooth grey stone from the beach, half a biscuit (don't tell Mum), a shiny button, a note from my best friend, and one very surprised beetle.
Use your poet's toolkit
- Senses: what can you see, hear, smell, feel and taste?
- Similes: "the snow is like icing sugar"
- Sound words: splash, crunch, whoosh
- Repetition: repeating a line makes a poem feel like a song