One of the best ways to introduce poetry is to write an acrostic poem with your children. There is no pressure to rhyme. They get to play with words. It is easy to choose a topic. Writing acrostic poetry is something that kids (and adults) of all ages can enjoy!
We started poetry teatime recently and one of my children’s favorite books is a book of acrostic poems by Brian Cleary. So, I thought, why not take a stab at writing our own?! Even my reluctant writer was excited to try!
What is an Acrostic Poem?
An acrostic poem is a form of poetry where certain letters in each line spell out a word or phrase. Let’s look at a few examples of acrostic poems, so you can get an idea. Here is a fun monster acrostic poem:
Here is a short and sweet acrostic poem about the sun from Crayola:
How to Write an Acrostic Poem
One reason that writing an acrostic poem is a great activity for younger children is because is it so simple and straight-forward. In just a few easy steps, they’ll have written their poem! Here are the steps to follow to write an acrostic poem:
1) Think of a topic.
This can really be anything. A common word to start with is the child’s name because, well, most kids LOVE writing about themselves! Other popular topics include animals, colors, seasons, sports, or family members. The ideas really are endless, but I suggest starting with a short word if this is your first acrostic poem, the child is pretty young (kindergarten/preschool), or he or she is a reluctant writing. For our example, I’ll choose DOG.
2) Write the letters of the word vertically.
D
O
G
3) Brainstorm words and phrases that have to do with your topic.
The words you brainstorm can start with any letter – don’t limit yourself to just the letters that spell your chosen word. You will need connector words, so even some words that you might think are totally off topic will come in handy later. For our DOG poem, here are some of my words:
fur
ears
dedicated
digging
owned
outside
bones
treats
sit
stay
snuggle
kisses
licks
pet
ears
tail
wag
play
bark
growl
soft
furry
companion
best friend
Try to think of lots of different parts of speech, too. This will make it easier to create phrases and sentences in the next step! I have nouns (ears, tail, pet, treat, bones, fur), verbs (wag, play, bark, growl, pet), and adjectives (dedicated, owned, soft, furry). You can use a dictionary or thesaurus to help you find words, too! This is a great time to work in a few dictionary skills.
You can also try to work in other literary devices like alliteration or metaphors for older kids or those comfortable with writing. My nine year old loves using alliteration in her writing and it adds a bit of fun, so just play around with it and have fun!
If you are working with a younger child, feel free to do all the writing and just let them call out words and phrases. The idea is to have fun and let them see that writing and poetry can be silly, fun, and enjoyable.
4) Choose Words that Go Nicely Together
Now that you have your list, choose some words and phrases that you think go nicely together and writing them out for each letter of your word. Here is my example for our DOG poem:
dedicated companion and best friend
outside for fun, but loves to snuggle up on the couch
gives kisses to those she loves!
You can do more than one acrostic poem for the same words and see how the poem changes with different words. This is a great opportunity to talk about the images that words create and how the image changes for each poem with a different set of words.
If your kiddo is an artist you could have them draw a picture for their poem and write the poem underneath – totally optional!
Acrostic Poem Ideas
Do you need some ideas to help you get started writing your acrostic poem? Here are some fun ideas that are generally popular with kids and easy to brainstorm words and phrases for:
seasons
names
animals
places
colors
food
holidays
something you don’t like (perfect for a picky eater – ha!)
Acrostic Poems are Great for Kids
Teaching children how to write acrostic poetry is a great way to introduce poetry and poetry writing. They can easily choose a topic that interests them and the structure of the poem makes it simple for children. Even children who find “write a poem” intimidating can find success with acrostic poetry – there is just enough structure to make it easy, but not too much that it gets frustrating. Your budding poet gets to choose a topic, play with words, and have fun without any pressure to rhyme or count syllables! Magnetic poetry kids are also great for creating acrostic poems without writing or for help with brainstorming!
Have Fun!
So much of a child’s attitude about a topic is based off the parent’s vibes, so have fun with this poetry activity! Gather some books, read a few examples (here is a great funny book!), and get started! You can do one together if you child is nervous or doesn’t like writing.
Did you write one? Share it on IG and tag @surya_teachmeimyours !