Kate Williams

Hi, and welcome to my Teach Poetry series – and all the rest of my children’s poetry site!

Today’s idea: list poem

Why a list?

A list poem offers a simple and compelling format that children of all writing abilities can get to grips with. Able writers can take it as a springboard to more exciting waters, and those less confident can still be encouraged to embellish or refine their input, and try a twist or development of their own at the end.

Here are some other list starter ideas:

Monsters are too big for ….
Dragons eat ….
I wish I could …
What we found at Tidy-Up Time:
Red is the colour of …
Where could Teddy be? Could he be ….
I can …
Under the sea there could be ….

You’ll find many more examples of list poems in poetry books for children, but you may prefer to make up your own for your class, perhaps based on a theme they’re studying.

Have fun!

While I’m here – a cheeky little reminder of my animal poetry collection, Squeak! Squawk! Roar! It’s available for pre-order now from all good bookshops (UK and some beyond), and from Amazon.

Kate