Teach your child how to write an acrostic poem as a simple introduction to the world of poetry. In this poetry form, kids get to play with words without the added pressure of rhyming lines. Kids of all ages can enjoy writing an acrostic poem.
What is an Acrostic Poem?
An acrostic poem is a poem of words or phrases that describes a topic word. The topic word is written vertically, and each line of the poem starts with the letters of the topic word, making this a fun, unique poetry form for kids. The illustration below is an example of an acrostic poem.
How to Write an Acrostic Poem
- Think of a topic word and write it vertically in upper case letters. For young writers, start with 3-4 letter words. Older kids may want to choose longer words.
Example:
O
W
L
- Brainstorm words and phrases for each letter that describe your topic. Think of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs depending on the ability of your child.
Encourage the use of a children’s dictionary to find words that can relate to the topic. Your kids can learn some dictionary skills in the process.
Example:
out at night
oak tree
observing below
old
one
only
wise
wings
wild
who-who-whoo
waiting silently
watching
leave
looking
lonely
lantern eyes
lunges for prey
lulls me to sleep
Notice that not all these words pertain to owls. Sometimes you have to creatively combine words when there’s no obvious word to describe the topic.
- Choose words and phrases that fit together.
- Write the words and phrases next to the letters they begin with.
O ut at night
W ho-who-whoo
L ulls me to sleep
Here’s another example of an acrostic poem about an owl. Using different words from the brainstorm, I changed some verb tenses and added new words to make longer phrases that flowed together better. This is where the word play gets fun.
O bserving movement below
W aits silently before
L unging for its prey
- Draw an illustration. This step is optional, but most kids love this part.
Acrostic Poem Ideas
Acrostic poems can be written about anything, but here are some ideas to consider.
- an animal
- a season
- a person’s name
- a holiday
- a place
- a sport
- a favorite food
- something you don’t like
Conclusion
Teach your kids how to write an acrostic poem, because it’s a fun, easy way to introduce poetry writing. They can choose a topic they like and play with words without any pressure to use rhyme or rhythm.
Your Turn
Have your kids written acrostic poems? What did they enjoy about writing this form of poetry? What was challenging?
Resource:
Schnur, Steven. 2001. Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic. New York, NY: Clarion Books
