Poetry Writing Tips: How To Write Poems For Kids

First, get to know children well. Find out what encourages, worries, and speaks to kids of all ages -- from preschoolers to elementary school children to teens. Just being around your unique readers will help you to know how to write for that particular age group. Also, research likely areas of interests and typical levels of development.

Read, read, read contemporary and classical poems published for children, including nursery rhymes and limericks, but especially poems written with kids in mind.

The younger the child, the simpler your poem will need to be. For instance, young children love a regular rhythm or bouncy beat. Since they’re just now learning words, toddlers and preschoolers like the sounds of words, such as the sound echoes they can easily hear in lively rhymes and alliteration.

As you repeat the first sound of a word within a line, the resulting alliteration can enliven the sound and tempo of a poem. For example, “Big, bright beads of rain wet down the window.” If you carry sounds to extreme, alliteration creates kid-friendly, time-tested tongue twisters, such as “Suzy sells seashells by the seashore.”

To get the most sound and sense out of each rhyming pair of words, use strong nouns and active verbs to make the rhymes. Each noun will sketch a quick picture of a person, place, or thing that a child can easily envision. Then, the active verbs will move those noun-pictures along. For instance, a rhyme of “bird/ stirred” brings to mind all sorts of possibilities for sounds and sense that you can play with as you revise. However, “of/ above” and “in/ when” do not provide a clear sound, clear picture, or clear meaning for anything, so be aware of such “flaws” as you revise.

Use strong nouns and active verbs to say more in less space. Although brevity works well in poetry writing in general, the effective use of space becomes even more important when you write for children. As you revise, cut back your use of adjectives, adverbs, prepositions or passive verbs that are apt to make a poem too long or wordy. (To learn about or brush up on the parts of speech, see the English grammar sites on the Links For Poets page.)

Develop a sense of play and good-natured humor to appeal to all ages of children and adults. The trick comes in knowing what a preschooler, kindergartner, elementary school child, junior high kid, or older teenager will find amusing, especially since this often changes from one age level to the next or from one mood to the next!

Use a repeated phrase or lively refrain to help children join in the fun. Like the refrain of a song, a poem’s refrain can be the same from one verse to the next. If you repeat a phrase within a verse though, vary a word or two to keep readers interested. This playful use of repetition will help your young readers to get involved in your poem. They’ll also remember information better than if they just hear a bunch of facts.

To check rhythm, read each poem out loud. Tap out the beat. If the rhythm gets too regular, the poem will soon sound like a nursery rhyme. That’s perfect if you’re writing for the nursery school age group, but not if you write for young adults or teens.

Since older children and teens usually want more freedom in their lives, you’ll do well to reflect this in the poems you write for them. For example, as you write free verse for teenagers or adolescents, let your words and lines flow loosely onto the page. Later, go back and change your line breaks, for instance, by mixing line-lengths or going from short lines to long lines and vice versa.

Practice writing free verse for older youth and young adults. Free verse does not mean you have to omit all rhyme and rhythm. Free verse means being free of a regular beat or rhyme design. Feel free, however, to toss in rhymes and an offbeat rhythm. Just avoid a consistent pattern that readers might begin to expect.

Regardless of your reader’s age, read aloud each version and revision of every poem you write. Does anything seem “off” in the poem’s sound, sense, mood, or rhythm? If so, keep playing with words, sound echoes and line breaks until you find what works for that particular poem. If you’re not sure or if you just want a professional opinion of your poems, you’ll get helpful feedback, practical comments, and workable suggestions in a critique.

How To Write And Revise Manuscripts For Children

Get to know children and their stories. Find out what preschoolers, elementary school children, adolescents, and teenagers like to hear about, think about, read about, or experience. Being in the company of your chosen age group will help you to know how to write for that readership, for instance, as you ask about favorite stories and characters

Read contemporary and classical stories, poems, novels, or picture books for children.

Research the typical interests, emotional development, and learning patterns of all reading levels, but especially those for whom you plan to write. Research a variety of topics sure to interest your readers, whether they’re preschoolers, adolescents, or teens. Then pick subject matter that also matters to you.

Choose a single theme and purpose for a children’s picture book. Place that theme and purpose in a thesis statement on the front of a folder or front page of a computer file. Refer back to it if your story gets off track.

Read relevant resources. Especially, read the Bible, again and again. Note biblical topics, Bible stories, and events that appeal to children. For example, read Genesis to get better acquainted with such biblical heroes as Abraham, Isaac, and Moses. Read First and Second Kings or Chronicles to learn more about Bible times and cultures. Read the Gospels and book of Acts to get to know Jesus, the Apostles, and early church.

Read articles, interviews, and books on your subject. Present an objective view of your topic by including facts that interest kids.

Remember your childhood. Use yourself as a resource for research. More importantly, remember the childhood of your readers. By being aware of the persons to whom you speak, you can make the lifestyle, manners, and morals of an earlier era relevant today.

Begin a bibliography. Note the title, author, date, and publisher of each article or book you use as a resource for your research. For Internet resources, note the full URL and date that you downloaded information, so a future editor can easily locate the same file.

Involve your readers. As you begin to write your nonfiction manuscript, immediately get your readers’ attention with a lively statement, interesting fact, or challenging question.

Stay focused on your main topic and your main reader. Include comparisons and examples that children relate to and that also explain, clarify, or illustrate your subject.

Choose words found on spelling and vocabulary lists for your chosen age group. Occasionally toss in words that an elementary school child or teenager might not know, being sure to include a definition if the context of the new word does not readily clarify its meaning.

Revise, revise! When you have completed the first draft of your inspired article, story, or picture book, put aside the manuscript for a while. Later, come back to your work as though someone else had written each page.

The younger the child, the simpler your word choices and sentence structure need to be. A single subject (noun) and single action (verb) presented in straightforward order will create the shortest sentences for the youngest child. Conversely, teens and young adults usually comprehend long sentences and complex thoughts, assuming they have the needed vocabulary, interest, or experience.

Use nouns and active verbs to say more in less space. Brevity works well in writing poetry, children’s picture books, devotionals, and Bible stories, but adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and passive verbs generally add to a manuscript’s wordiness. Don’t worry about it as you write, but do strengthen the use of strong nouns and verbs as you revise.

A good sense of good-natured humor appeals to all ages of children. The trick comes in knowing what a preschooler, kindergartner, elementary school child, junior high adolescent, or older teenager will find amusing, especially since this frequently changes. Don’t worry about it while you’re writing a poem or manuscript, but do add light touches of humor as you revise.

Read aloud each revision of each poem, manuscript, or picture book you write. If anything seem “off” in logic, sound, sense, or credibility, step back. Pray. Then play with words until you find what works. If you’re not sure or just want encouragement or want a professional opinion, you’ll find fees and other important info on the Critique Service page.