Summer Acrostic Poetry
This is a seasonal activity that I started when my kids were very young. The beauty of this particular style of poetry is that even young children can successfully compose a poem as they don’t need to know about proper grammar and sentence structure.
What is an acrostic poem?
An acrostic poem is a poem that uses the letters in the word to begin each line of the poem. The letters are written in capital letters down, rather than across, like this:
S –
U –
M –
M –
E –
R –
Each line of the poem must start with the capitalized letter, for instance:
S – sunny days
U – under the trees
M – making music,
M – milkshakes and memories
E – everyone together
R – refreshed and relaxed
Here are some easy tips for creating acrostic poems:
- Have your child brainstorm some ideas (one or two words is fine) about what summer means to them or objects that remind them of summer.
- Encourage your child to use their own handwriting and try not to jump in and correct their spelling as it adds to the charm of the finished poem!
- Sign and date the poem on the back so that you can remember which child wrote it and when.
- Have the entire family participate and read aloud each others poems.
We like to do this activity at the beginning of every season but it could be done any time of year with any word that has meaning to your child. (Star Wars, Cupcakes, Grandma, Seashore, etc…)
It has been fun to look back on my children’s poems and remember what was most important to them at the time and how their thoughts, interpretations and spelling have matured over the years.
You are welcome to use my printable template here to get your child started or allow them to decide how they want to publish their poem – hand written, computer typed, with or without drawings, etc.
Some links to websites that talk about acrostic poetry:
Some books about writing poems with children:
- Writing Poetry with children
- Writing poetry (includes other poetry styles)
Storybooks about poets:
My favorite books of poetry when I was a little girl!
When we were very young / Now we are Six – A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard
