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Best Kids Poetry Websites

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Interactive Poetry and Poems by Kids and for Kids

As National Poetry Month in April approaches, get kids excited about poetry with these 12 free websites of children's poetry and interactive poem builders. These sites of verse - and dozens more suggested by readers - spark kids' imaginations for writing all kinds of poetry.

Kids love to read and write poetry. But sometimes they struggle to choose the right word. Or they're unsure if they have the right format. How do you write a haiku poem? How about a shape poem or a limerick? Many of the websites described below have wonderful examples and make that task easier.

Then kids can focus on their creativity... on making pictures, music and movement with words. A few of the websites described below also give kids the opportunity to submit their poems and have them published online. Several of the sites also have poetry lesson plans for teachers.

Not enough poetry here for you? Take a look at dozens more poetry sites and activities on the listing of LearningReviews.com Poetry Websites Interactives and Lessons.

Countdown to National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month: April 1, 2012

#1 Poetry Interactives

Step-by-step guide to acrostic, diamante, letter, riddle and shape poetry writing

ReadWriteThink is one of the foremost websites in providing online reading and writing activities for students and lesson plan ideas for teachers. They have several Poetry Interactives kids can use to spark their creativity. Each interactive is accompanied by lesson plan ideas for students at various grade levels. Be sure to print or copy each completed poetic masterpiece! They cannot be saved online.

readwritethink_acrostic_poem

The Acrostic Poem interactive provides a form where you pick your main word, then write words that start with the letters of the main word. After you brainstorm your acrostic words, you type in the ones that best describe your main word. The interactive will suggest other words when you point at a letter in the main word. You can then print your masterpiece or go back and make changes.

readwritethink_diamante_poem

Using the Diamante Poem interactive, kids create a poem in the shape of a diamond. They select a central theme, then use adjectives, -ing verbs, and nouns to "paint" the theme. The interactive has examples to guide the poet. There are also pop-ups on the fill-in-the-blank diamante form to help guide the student through the parts of speech that make up their poem.

readwritethink_letter_poem

Letter Poem Creator is designed for students in grades 3-5. Using the example in the interactive, students learn to use poetic line breaks by turning a narrative into a poem. The model explains the process of breaking a letter into ideas, and stanzas.

readwritethink_riddle_poem

Noted for use by kids in grades 6-8, the Riddle Interactive helps students to make use of simile, metaphor and metonymy. Students design a riddle around an answer, such as a door or grass. They brainstorms words associated with the answer, their synonyms, antonyms. The best riddles use as many of the senses as possible.
ReadWriteThink Shape Poem Interactive

The Shape Poems interactive was designed to help elementary students create fun poems about a object in the shape of the object. This interactive tool provides 19 different shapes around such themes as sports, nature and school to spur creativity.

readwritethink_wordmover_poem

There are two Word Mover interactives. The first uses a passage from the children's novel, Holes. The second uses a passage from Martin Luther King's speech, I Have a Dream,. Kids create a found poem by moving key words, phrases and lines from the passage to the work area.

#2 Giggle Poetry

Huge number of funny poems

Giggle Poetry by Meadowbrook Press offers several poetry activities. Take a poetry class and learn how to write different kinds of poems. Have a poetry tongue twister race. Answer a rhyme-time riddle, or fill-in-the-blank to complete a poem. Perform a poetry play. Read interviews with some well-known children's poets, and email them a question. And, of course, browse through the online library of hundreds of poems for kids.

#3 Rhyming Dictionary

Help finding the right words

RhymeZone's Rhyming Dictionary helps kids in their struggle to find words that express their feelings and ideas. It goes well beyond helping kids to find rhyming words. Use it to find synonyms, antonyms, as well as words with similar sounds or consonants (alliteration). You can even see where Shakespeare has used your word in his works. RhymeZone also has dictionary definitions, homophones, and letter matching

Other resources on this site include the works of Shakespeare, Mother Goose poems, a poetry forum, and several vocabulary games - lots of goodies for young and old poetry lovers.

#4 Instant Poetry Forms

Strength: Variety of poetry forms and themes

Instant Poetry Forms is an award-winning website designed to help kids create dozens of different kinds of poems. There are forms for poems about birthdays, animals, emotions, rhymes and lymericks, to name a few.

The student picks the type of poem he wants to write. A fill-in-the-blank form appears to help him create the poem, along with a sample of a completed poem. He can print it or copy and paste it into a wordprocessor.

The site is authored and hosted by Alysa Cummings & the Educational Technology Training Center. Teachers and homeschool parents, the website has lesson plan ideas for you.

Time for a poem . . .

Crocodile's Toothache (By Shel Silverstein): by aida1350 | video info

141 ratings | 112,573 views

curated content from YouTube

#5 Writing with Writers: Poetry

Strength: Lesson unit resources for poetry writing and submission

Scholastic Writing with Writers: Poetry Writing

Spend some time with writers of children's poetry at Scholastic's Writing with Writers: Poetry. Three well-known poets discuss samples of their work, and give kids advice on their own poetry writing. You'll also find lesson planning resources for teachers and homeschool parents.

There is a webcast of Jack Prelutsky, Children's Poet Laureate, as he amuses us with several of his well-loved poems.

Karla Kushin shares her poetry and offers advice on brainstorming and revising your poetry. Kids in grades K-12 can publish their own poems to the website, and read the poetry of other kids.

Jean Marzollo, the writer of the well-known I Spy riddles, offers advice and tips to kids on creating their own I Spy riddles.

Try the interactive Poetry Idea Engine to create and print a limerick, haiku, cinquain or free verse.

#6 ShelSilverstein.com

Strength: It's so Shel!

Shel Silverstein's Official Site for Kids is all about the fun of Shel Silverstein poems. Every child I know has been captivated and amused by the off-kilter poetic sense of Silverstein and his equally oddball illustrations. His website is very much in the same vein. Be sure to turn on your speakers or headphones so you can fully appreciate and play along with his poetic hijinks.

#7 Poetry Splatter

by Reading is Fundamental - Reading Planet

Reading Planet invites kids to splat a poem at Poetry Splatter. The student picks a poem theme in her age group (up to age 14). When she splats, a group of color-coded words sprays the work area. She moves her word choices to the fill-in-the-blank spots. Voila - instant poem! She can print it or start over and try out other words.

Turn on the speakers or headphones for this one.

#8 Poetry4Kids.com

Funny and popular poems

Poetry4Kids.com From Ken Nesbitt is a poetry playground. Kids read and rate the poems on this website. You'll see funny poems, the newest poems and the most popular poems. There are lessons on writing funny poems, including clerihews and exaggeration poems. And there's a simple rhyming dictionary.

If you register (for free), you can enter poetry contests, participate in a poetry forum, and even keep a poetry journal.

These are the Hands

by Michael Rosen, British Children's Poet Laureate

#9PoetryTeachers.com

Poetry lesson plans and poetry writing forms

PoetryTeacher.com is the sister site of Giggle Poetry. Try one of the ideas for poetry activities with your students. Have your students perform poetry theater. Find instructions for how to teach writing different kinds of poems.

There's advice from Bruce Lansky on how to get kids excited about poetry, and advice from Kathy Norris about how to read poetry in front of the class. Invite a poet or writer to your school via their link to AuthorinSchools.com.

#10 Poetry Foundation

Videos of poetry and author interviews

Poetry Foundation Childrens Poetry Videos

Get some inspirations for a video poetry creation from the beautiful selection on the Poetry Foundation website. In addition to the video poem collection, there are interviews with well-known poets, including the Children's Poet Laureate.

Among their other resources is a Poetry Tool, where you can browse through a selection of poems by age group or category. Teachers and homeschooling parents will find lesson plan ideas in their Learning Lab resources.

#11 KidzPage Poetry

by Emmi Tarr

KidzPage offers a healthy dose of poetry and verse for kids. Take a look at Critter ABCs. In the KidzSing Garden of Song, pick a verse for a sing along from the large collection of nursery rhymes. Read a selection from Homegrown Verse, poems submitted by kids at schools all over the world. Publication to the site ended in 2006, but it remains popular.

#12 Poets.org

by the Academy of American Poets

Poets.org has extensive educational resources for high school teachers to use with students. There are curriculum and lesson plan ideas, a teacher discussion forum, essays and tips on teaching poetry, and an anthology of poems to share with students.

Interactive Poetry Websites & Lessons

from LearningReviews.com

LearningReviews.com list of Kids Interactive Poetry websites

LearningReviews.com Poetry Websites section has a list of more than 40 interactive poetry websites and lessons. They include poetry forms, collections of children's poems, websites for publishing children's and teens' poems and lesson plan ideas and activities. There are also websites for helping kids find rhyming words and synonyms, and printable patterns for shape poems.

You can read and write reviews about the poetry websites listed there.

Important!

How to Eat a Poem

Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that

may run down your chin.
It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
You do not need a knife or fork or spoon
or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no core
or stem
or rind
or pit
or seed
or skin
to throw away.

by Eve Merriam

Tagxedo - Try it for Shape Poems

Great Books of Poetry for Kids

Best Kids Poetry Websites

Interactive Poetry and Poems by Kids and for Kids

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Countdown to National Poetry Month

#1 Poetry Interactives

Step-by-step guide to acrostic, diamante, letter, riddle and shape poetry writing

#2 Giggle Poetry

Huge number of funny poems

#3 Rhyming Dictionary

Help finding the right words

#4 Instant Poetry Forms

Strength: Variety of poetry forms and themes

Time for a poem . . .

#5 Writing with Writers: Poetry

Strength: Lesson unit resources for poetry writing and submission

#6 ShelSilverstein.com

Strength: It's so Shel!

#7 Poetry Splatter

by Reading is Fundamental - Reading Planet

#8 Poetry4Kids.com

Funny and popular poems

These are the Hands

by Michael Rosen, British Children's Poet Laureate

#9PoetryTeachers.com

Poetry lesson plans and poetry writing forms

#10 Poetry Foundation

Videos of poetry and author interviews

#11 KidzPage Poetry

by Emmi Tarr

#12 Poets.org

by the Academy of American Poets

Interactive Poetry Websites & Lessons

from LearningReviews.com

How to Eat a Poem

Great Books of Poetry for Kids

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