Engaging rhymes are great for introducing phonics, and for re-inforcing and making them meaningful. I’ve made up these 3 rhythmic, rhyming poems to enhance phonics teaching for the sounds ‘i’ as in ‘mice’, ‘ar’ and ‘er’. The rhymes feature mice (and their ice cream and rice slices), farm yard charms (cows in barn, chicks in yard, cat in cart…), and an action rhyme, twirling, whirling, swerving… like various moving things. Early Years and KS1 children will all enjoy and benefit from these rhymes, which can be listened to, chanted, clapped and enacted.

These 6 little pictures will bring text alive for a child, triggering ideas and enthusiasm. All are home-produced, originally as book illustrations. They comprise: candle (coloured), plume & ink jar (coloured), cobwebs, ghost, turrets, castle window (black/white - potential for colouring fun). Suitable for all ages.

This home-made creative writing frame is in the form of a snake, in a jungle setting. The starter phrase, ‘This snake is’, invites describing words on the line through the snake. The task could be presented as poetry-writing or just as a description. WARM-UP - Motivate and inform your group first through other snake- and jungle-themed activities, such as pretending to be making your way through a jungle, encountering creatures, fallen trees, swamps and other hazards, and discussing pictures of snakes. WORD IDEAS - Elicit words that could be used in this writing activity, such as ‘long’, ‘twisty’, ‘scaly’, ‘fast’, ‘dry’, ‘slimy’, ‘twirly’, ‘poisonous’, ‘shy’, ‘hungry’, ‘loopy’, ‘curly’ and ‘hissing’. SEE ALSO - Harder version **- https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/snake-picture-poem-frame-yr-2-11885186 JUNGLE writing + colouring sheet - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/jungle-writing-colouring-sheet-1-line-12045631 .

This resource comprises a picture-poem frame and a one-page guide for the teacher’s use. Both are in PDF format. The picture-poem frame features a huge ladybird (hand-drawn). Above it is an opening phrase: ‘This ladybird is’, inviting describing words on the short, thick lines in and around the insect. Below it, there is a line for a simile, with the starting phrase ‘He is as red as’. The sheet is designed for emergent writers and newly independent ones, also providing colouring opportunities. The guidance notes offer tips for preparing children for the activity, followed by lists of words and simile ideas to prompt for. Some thoughts about the colouring aspect are also included. Although principally a Literacy activity, this resource supports other areas of the EYFS curriculum too, such as Understanding the World and Expressive Art & Design. It has been been successfully tried and tested in classrooms.

These 3 simple rhymes bring the mini-beast world alive for young children. Each offers rhyme, rhythm, descriptive words and scope for multiple activities: clapping, enacting, language-building, physical movement, performance, and preparation for any follow-on writing. The rhymes could also be set to music or percussion, or sung to a made-up tune. I made up the rhymes and have found them effective in my poetry workshops for Early Years and KS1. (Illustrations also mine.)

This resource comprises a picture-poem frame and a one-page guide for the teacher’s use. The black-and-white picture-poem offers creative writing and colouring opportunities for young children, with a snail as the subject. The huge, hand-drawn snail allows plenty of room for describing words, to follow from the given phrase above, ‘This snail is’. They can be written inside the curls of the shell or anywhere else in or around the picture, except on the line below. Below, the starter word ‘He’ invites further description, statements or even a story. The activity helps children to process any recent learning about ‘creepy crawlies’ , ‘mini-beasts’ or their natural environment, while developing literacy skills, fine motor skills and artistic expression. The accompanying guidance notes (or ‘Guide’) lists suggested words and phrases to prompt for. There are also a few notes about the colouring aspect.

These two poetry frame sheets have lively, idea-triggering illustrations, and are designed to be fun and accessible to use. Both invite creative input, in terms of ideas and choice of words. ‘Watch Out for the Giant’ is easier, being shorter and simpler, with the chief focus on description and some giant meal possibilities at the end - suitable for Yr2-3, or as a starter-sheet for older writers to build ideas. ‘The Giant Went…’ sheet is more challenging, though clearly structured, requiring action-words and accompanying similes, as well as description and settings. Onomatopoeias, alliteration, rhymes within lines, and other poetic techniques can also be employed, and there is scope for all sorts of crazy, giant-themed possibilities in each frame. The Examples for Use (one sheet per poetry frame) provide whole-poem examples for teachers’ and pupils’ guidance. Suggestions for extending the activities are provided at the end of each.

These larger-than-life spider pictures are fun to write on, and the Guide offers word prompt ideas for each section. Both writing sheets invite describing words and action words for spiders, though the pictures are different. On the ‘Spider’ sheet, words can be written on the eight legs; on the ‘Speeding Spider’ sheet, they can be written along the zigzag line of its route over the… floor/grass/path/step? That’s for the child to decide. The first offers colouring opportunities; the second, space for imaginative drawing or shading. Both sheets are hand-drawn and home-produced, and have been successfully tried out in my workshops.

Older children and teens can explore feelings - their own and those of others - by completing this thought-provoking poetry frame, ‘Fragile Feelings’. The sheet, which comes with an example completed version, is designed to help youngsters understand that other people have feelings like theirs, and that they are vulnerable and easily hurt, likewise. It will help develop awareness and empathy, while also providing reassurance that they are not alone in feeling down or upset sometimes. The sheet invites description and similes for feelings, starter lines for suggestions of when care is needed, and a free line and space for further writing. Will support anti-bullying drives and other social problems, individually and for the whole class.

Haiku poems are easy and fun to write when you know how, and your class will love the syllable-counting fun, too. This 2-page, 10-step guide will see you through the process of introducing the format, practising it with the class and helping them produce their own haiku. There are also suggestions for topic, approach and follow-on poetry-writing. I use the process myself in my workshops, and am always amazed by the fascinating and powerful lines produced. Recommended for Year 5 upwards - ideally Year 6 and above.

Young children love colouring, and these ready-started sheets inspire critical and creative thinking as they work. The light dabs of colour provide spurs and guidance, drawing attention to detail, shape, pattern and colour-scope, as well as the interesting picture itself. The 3 sheets represent natural summer themes: a blooming, buzzing meadow, a beautiful butterfly, and a sailing boat on a wavy, fishy sea. Recommended for ages 4-7.

This dramatically illustrated writing sheet invites onomatopoeias (or ‘sound words’) and nose-linked verbs. Suggestions for these are listed on the Guide sheet, along with suggestions for embellishments and developments. It is best suited to Yrs 3-6, as a starter sheet for a poem or story on the theme. The humour and drama depicted in the illustrations, and the chaotically scattered writing lines, will motivate children to have a go. Thinking up sound words and how to spell them can be tricky, so for best results, build a word bank together first, and prompt as necessary as they write. The Guide will provide plenty of ideas. This is a home-produced sheet with hand-drawn illustrations, and has been successfully tried and tested in my poetry workshops. Both sheets are black-and-white, in PDFs format.

This intriguing poetry-writing theme, and the accessible, attractive worksheets, will motivate writers of all ability to think up imaginative description and similes. The Ideas Sheet, titled ‘City Lights’, is fun to use, with a spider diagram and scattered lines for adjectives and images. The poem frame, titled ‘Night Lights’, has plentiful space for writing, with clear, supporting structure, though able writers may prefer to use it as a launch pad for an individual approach. Both sheets are excitingly illustrated, with details to spark ideas. The Guide provides prompt suggestions for each and development ideas for the poem. The resource is home-produced and has been successfully used with Yr 3-6 classes. Black and white, PDF.

A lively, familiar town scene, with mum, child and dog, for young children to colour. The varied items in the picture are clearly represented and outlined, and will engage your Early Years or KS1 class. It also encourages critical thinking about colour choices and helps develop fine motor skills. Will support cross-curricular topics to do with the environment, family, transport, houses and more.

This serene scene will appeal to your children’s imagination, as they put themselves in the place of the happily gliding children. With the ocean, palm trees and setting sun below, and the soft, clear sky around them, this fantastical image will inspire your class to write, draw, discuss or enact the concepts conveyed. It could be used in combination with my magic mat poetry-writing sheet, for instance, available in my shop here. It will also brighten up a dark corner, of course!

An imaginary castle can be any sort you like - fairy-tale pink or iron grey, for instance, so your children can have fun with this sheet, thinking what their castle could be like as well as thinking up effective similes for them. The two blank lines at the end are for totally free expression. Some children might like to add further similes, others might like to add a warning, or a comment about the castle’s inhabitants, or a rounding-off rhyme, or even a metaphor (the castle is a …). The example sheet can be read out to demonstrate the simile concept and trigger ideas. Recommended for lower juniors, and older writers as a starting point for individual poem-crafting.