How to Write a Poem for Kids

The activity of writing poems cannot be taught as such in the real sense. Poetry comes from within and it first needs some kind of inspiration to pen down thoughts and express feelings. The technique of writing can however, be taught. Activity of learning the basic technique can trigger the creative process and prove to be an inspiration in writing poems. The activity of writing poems for kids is not as easy as seems to be. If a poem is written specially for kids, it has to be presented in simple words. Ideas that one wants to communicate to children should be presented in a manner that is appealing to them. It is given that you as a poet cannot (and should not) use heavy or flowery language if it is meant for kids. On the other hand the manner in which it is written should not be too boring or overly simplistic. It is said that creativity in literature is the process of making difficult things easy for the readers. Only then can you think of communicating your ideas to readers (in this case, kids) in a way that teaches them and also entertains them at the same time. The basic technique of writing a poem for kids is given below.

Writing Poems for Kids

Here's some useful information on how to write poems for kids. Guidelines on how to initiate the process of thinking and some other pointers that may be useful also are listed below. The different aspects of poetry and the manner in which one should present the poem can be found in the article.

Rhythm
This is an important factor which influences the process of writing a poem. Getting into a rhythm allows in letting the words flow with ease. We have seen that people tend to learn or memorize a paragraph/set of words by reciting it rhythmically. Similarly, a poem can be written by following a set rhythm. This makes it easier for kids to recite and memorize a poem. They like it more when they can 'sing' it!

Subject and Characters
The subject on which the poem for kids is based, should be something they can relate to. Choose topics that children are normally familiar with. Try to introduce characters and objects they are aware of; cartoons or animals they are familiar with, objects they use everyday, names of people or places they are familiar with. This will make the poem interesting. It will also be a learning aid for them. For example, a poem which includes names of different birds or a poem that include flower names, or a poem introducing kids to the letters of the alphabet or the first 50 numbers, combines fun with learning. These topics make some of the best ones for poems for kids.

Rhyming Words
The rhyming words are useful to make a poem appealing to the reader. It becomes easier to catch a rhythm with the use of rhyming words. A list of rhyming words related to the topic should be made for easing out the whole process of writing poems. Go for simple words that children can quickly grasp. Choose words that are easy to spell and pronounce. Putting these words together in a meaningful way can be a bit difficult in the beginning. However, with some practice, it becomes really easy to arrange words in a proper way. As the writer gets used to gathering and putting together rhyming words, it becomes an interesting activity. This way, the process of writing becomes enjoyable. Start with a simple rhyme scheme, thus making it easier for the kids to understand and interesting for them to recite.

Haiku's Easy
There are many types of poems that one can learn to write, and haiku is one of them. In fact, the haiku is one of the easiest ones to start with. Haiku poems are made up of three lines and each of these lines contains a set number of syllables. The syllables are speech sounds which help us pronounce a given word. For example, the word 'water' contains two syllables i.e. 'wa' and 'ter'. The first line in a haiku poem should have 5 syllables, while the second line need to contain 7 syllables. Third and final line should again have 5 syllables.

A subject should first be chosen for writing a haiku. Choosing you favorite subject should act as an inspiration to find words that fit properly in the lines of haiku. After selecting a subject you should think about things related to this subject. If you can list down these facts/related things about the subject, writing a haiku would become much easier. Although rhyming is not mandatory, one can learn to pick out rhyming words associated with the topic initially, even before the process of writing begins.

With all the necessary pointers given above, the activity of writing poetry for kids should become easier. Kids poems are written in a manner that children find them enjoyable and also learn something from them. Profound ideas can also be presented in an interesting and easy to understand manner for kids. So, go ahead write poems for kids. And don't forget to tap the budding poets in them!