Tired of hearing groans when you announce it’s time for some poetry? Poems can be hard for kids to connect with, so it helps to have some clever poetry games and activities up your sleeve. These poetry activities help kids learn about poetry in general, connect with specific poems, and even write their own!
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Poetry Worksheets Bundle
Click the button to receive our bundle of printable poetry activities for haiku, limerick, ode, and more.
Poetry Activities With Free Printables
Every one of these interactive activities includes free printable worksheets you can use with your students, making your poetry lessons easier and more fun!
We Are Teachers Poetry Month
1. Climb a hill with Amanda Gorman
Young poet Amanda Gorman took the world by storm when she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration. Kids can really relate to her and her words, so try this roundup of poetry activities to introduce Gorman in your classroom.
Acrostics are simple enough for beginning poets, but even Edgar Allan Poe used this style to create beautiful works. Writing an acrostic poem is like putting together a puzzle!
Haiku poems with their standard 5-7-5 syllable structure are fun to write. With just a few short lines to work with, kids can really take the time to polish their word and structure choices, making a big impact with very little.
Kids love limericks—and really, who doesn’t? Their biggest challenge is usually coming up with the rhymes they need. This cool poetry activity creates a bank of rhyming words students can pull from as they craft their own lovable limericks to share.
Many students feel overwhelmed at the idea of composing poems: “I don’t know where to start!” This worksheet makes it easy for any student to compose a simple poem about themselves.
Couplets are some of the simplest building blocks of poetry, made of up two rhyming lines. Our free worksheet starts with the rhyming words, helping kids work backward to create complete couplets.
Similes, metaphors, idioms, alliteration … poetry thrives on figurative language. Help your students understand poetic devices with our big free bundle of printable worksheets.
Games and Activities for Reading and Learning About Poetry
Use these ideas to learn about poetry in general and for exploring specific poems and styles. Looking for more poetry roundups? See all of our poetry resources here.
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12. Watch poetry videos
Let YouTube do some of the work for you with this roundup of poetry videos for elementary students. Watch authors read their own poems, learn about poetry terms, and more.
Help kids find more meaning in poetry by reading novels told in verse. When they have a story to follow, they’re more likely to be engaged and open to learning about the poetic elements. Here are some of our favorite novels in verse for students of all ages.
Our favorite poetry websites have poem databases, reading and writing activities, and much more. You’ll find lots of poetry games and activities for all ages.
Try different poetry games or activities each day throughout the week to help students make a connection with one specific poem. Not sure what to feature? Use our favorite poems for sharing with elementary students and middle and high school students to get started!
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16. Read poems inspired by the seasons
After love, the seasons might be the most popular poetry topic of all. Try these poetry roundups to explore poems for each of the four fantastic seasons:
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17. Go on a poetry speed date
This is a cool way to introduce older readers to a poetry unit. Gather up all the poetry books you can find, and invite students to bring their favorites too. Students spend the class period “speed dating” the books—they simply browse and skim, looking for poems and authors that catch their eye. Encourage them to make notes of their favorites for further reading.
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18. Choose poems to read aloud
Invite students to find a poem that they truly love and share it with the class by reading it out loud. Many kids find free verse poems easier to read aloud, since the rhythmic flow of the lines feels more like natural speech. Check out our big collection of free verse poems here.
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19. Celebrate graduates and graduation
Ask students to find poems that would be perfect for graduation ceremonies or celebrations. You can use them to make posters or cards, or even vote to choose one to be read at an upcoming commencement. Get started with this roundup of graduation poems.
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20. Cross the curriculum with math poems
Poems about numbers and math? What a perfect way to bring learning full circle! Read some of these math poems for inspiration. Then ask students to create their own, based on whatever they happen to be learning in math right now.
Poetry Games and Activities for Writing Poems
Writing a poem doesn’t have to be as hard as many students think it is. Try these entertaining ideas for helping students craft their own creative poetic compositions.
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21. Take inspiration from nature
Nature has always provided inspiration for poets, and it can help your students find their own way to a love of poetry. Find out how poet David Harrison uses nature to help kids tap into their poetic sides.
Found poetry is likely to become one of your students’ favorite poetry games. Give them a stack of magazines, newspapers, or books to look through, along with a pair of scissors. Have them cut out words and phrases they like, and then arrange them into a brand-new poetic masterpiece!
These are so cool! Haikubes are perfect for all sorts of poetry games. Roll the cubes and create a haiku, or draw a handful from a bag and use them to make your poem. You can use these for other poetry activities too.
Round off your poetry unit with a poetry slam! These events are a combination of recitations and poetry games, like freestyle rhyme battles. This is the ultimate event for poetry lovers of any age. Hold it in person, or stream it on Zoom so anyone can easily attend.
Pull some books off the shelves and stack them so their titles create a poem. Kids can take a pic, write the titles down as they are, or use their stack as inspiration for a more fleshed-out masterpiece.
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26. Play Poetry for Neanderthals
This silly game requires you to make poetry with just the words available on your cards. Throw grammar and syntax out the window, and simply create clever constructions to get your message across. (It’s up to you whether you use the inflatable “club” to bonk other players when they lose; that part of the game might work best in older classrooms!)
This is easily one of the most popular poetry games, and for good reason. Colors are so easy to relate to and evoke lots of feelings and memories. Paint chip poetry works for every age group, too, and makes for a neat classroom display.
Magnetic Poetry
28. Make magnetic poetry online
Speaking of poetry magnets, did you know you can play with them online? Really! This clever site gives you new words every time, so there are always fresh new ideas to explore.
We love using sticky notes in the classroom, and they’re fantastic for poetry games. Have kids write a selection of words of their choice and stick them to the wall or whiteboard. Then let each student select words to use for their own verses.
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30. Take inspiration from metaphor dice
The right metaphor is the gateway to a unique and meaningful poem. Roll these dice to find a metaphor that will inspire and challenge your young poets.
One of the easiest ways for many students to connect with poetry is by linking it with song lyrics. Choose a popular song with strong lyrics, then analyze it as you would a poem. Look for literary devices such as alliteration or metaphors, talk about the meter and rhymes, and discuss ways in which poetry and music are similar and different.
More Poetry Games and Activities
Here are more fun ways to bring poetry to life for your students.
32. Pair up songs and poems
Ask students to look for songs and poems that complement one another, perhaps by covering the same topic or using the same types of literary devices. Students can use songs you’ve analyzed in class or take inspiration from their own favorites.
33. Illustrate a poem
Let each student choose a poem they love, then illustrate it any way they like. Gather all the poems and artwork together and assemble them into a book you can share with future classes.
34. Create poem posters
In a similar vein, turn poems into big posters you can hang in school hallways. Students can work on their own or in pairs to choose a poem, letter the poster, and then add illustrations and other decorations to make their poem really stand out.
35. Set a poem to music
Whether your students compose their own tune or make a poem fit a melody they already know and love, this poetry activity really encourages creativity and artistry.
36. Translate a poem to another language
Try this with students in advanced world language classes. It’s fairly easy to translate a poem word for word, but often the rhythm, rhyme, and meter are lost. Can your students find a way to translate a poem while keeping it true to the author’s intention?
37. Try paper bag poetry
Introduce poetry to little ones with a paper bag filled with several items of different sizes, shapes, textures, etc. Kids reach into the bag without looking and describe what they feel in a few words. These words make their first poem. This is one of the best poetry games for younger students.
38. Add another verse
Have students choose any poem they like, then try to write another verse in the same style as the original. This could be another ending or a new verse in the middle to add more details. Be sure to follow the original poem’s meter, rhyme scheme, and general tone.
39. Memorize and recite a poem
A poem really takes on personal meaning when you can recite it by heart. It’s important to let students choose their own favorite poems for this assignment, ones that they’ll recall for years to come. Once everyone is ready, hold a poetry recital where each student shares their memorized poem with their classmates, and offers a few words about why they picked that particular composition.
40. Write vocabulary word poems
Sneak in some vocabulary or spelling practice during this creative writing activity. Ask students to use some or all of their current vocab or spelling lists to create a clever poem. To use the words properly, they’ll definitely have to know the meanings!
Get my free printable poetry worksheet bundle!
Ready to share these activities with your classroom? Download our activities bundle to pair with your poetry lessons! We have templates for eight poetry styles including haiku, limerick, ode, and more.
