What is World Poetry Day?
A poem is a piece of writing that expresses a thought, a feeling or a story.
World Poetry Day is a day that celebrates poems and all things poetry!
It is celebrated every year on 21 March.
World Poetry Day is about encouraging people to read, write and learn about poetry all around the world.
Watch - Poems
Poems can be about anything. Poems can be serious or silly, happy or sad. They can explore feelings and tell amazing stories.
Watch this video to learn more about the wonders of poetry!
What sort of poem will you write?
What do you know about poetry?
It's like a song, but only the words. It can be spoken or written down, it can take you to different worlds.
Lots of poems love to rhyme, it's a fun way to pass the time.
You could write about a clever fox, who keeps his treasure in a box.
And some poems have a beat that can move your feet. A da-dum da-dum. That's fun to repeat.
They can also be silly, to give you a great big giggle. Like, what if your favourite teacher was secretly a giant wobbly pickle?
But they're not always for laughs. Some poems can be dramatic, or even a little bit sad.
They can help you explore big, important feelings you've had.
And some poems tell a story, like "The Owl and the Pussycat who went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat".
I think everyone's a poet, but some just don't know it.
So, what will your poem be about ? A friend or a pet?
Or simply, the best day you've had yet?
English
Poems can rhyme or use rhythm, but they don't have to.
Rhyming words are used in lots of poems.
Have a look at the information and activities below to learn more about rhyming words.
Rhyming words
A rhyme is when different words have the same sound.
Words can rhyme, even when they don't have the same spelling pattern.
For example:
- socks and box
- keys and cheese
Watch - Rhyming words with Radzi
Watch this video and dance with Radzi while he explains rhyming words.
Hello! My name is Radzi and I am very excited because I love to rhyme and we're going to get to do some right now!
Are you ready? It's rhyme time!
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
If two words end with the very same sound, then a rhyme is what you've found.
You can usually see it in the letters when you read it, so let's see if you can spot these rhymes…
How. Cow.
Cat. Hat.
Trumpet. Crumpet.
But they don't always have the same spelling pattern.
Hair. Pear.
Box. Socks.
Saw. Door.
Lion. Hawaiian.
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
Rhymes can be found all over the place, from songs to poems, rhymes are really ace.
Here's another rhyme to test your skills. See if you can spot all the words that rhyme.
I had a fat cat, who sat on my hat, who sat on my hat, who sat on my hat.
So the words that rhymed were FAT, CAT, SAT and HAT.
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
How about you come up with your own rhymes?
Here are some words.
Bread, bread.
Week, week.
Frown, frown.
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
I like to rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme! All of the time!
Ahh how much fun was that?
I love giving rhyming a try.
Now it's time for me to say goodbye.
Ha-ha another rhyme.
I do it all the time.
I never mime!
Activity - Match the rhyming words
Have a go at this activity sheet to see if you can spot the rhyming pairs.
Can you think of any other words that rhyme?
Rhyming word pairs activity sheet
Topic packs
Discover more on KS1 English
Take a look at these articles to learn more about poems and improve your writing skills.
Maths
There are many different types of poems.
One type is a counting poem.
These poems contain some sort of counting, usually counting backwards or forwards, from one to ten.
Have a look at the information and activities below to learn more.
Counting poems
There are lots of famous poems that have counting in them.
Here are some you might have heard of:
One, two, buckle my shoe
Have a look at this slideshow to read another counting poem that you might know.
1 of 5
Activity - Perform a poem
Choose a favourite poem and perform it to your friends, family or even your teddies!
To help you practise, you could:
- read the poem a few times
- speak the poem out loud
If you are feeling really confident, you could have a go at memorising a few of the lines!
Discover more on KS1 Maths
Practise your counting skills and more with these articles.
Quiz
Put your rhyming knowledge to the test and see if you can spot the rhyming words.
Where next?
Play Bitesize Primary games. game
Fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art and design, computing and modern languages.
More on Poems
Find out more by working through a topic
- count1 of 6
- count2 of 6
- count3 of 6
- count4 of 6
