3 Summer Poetry Activities to Keep Kids Learning

With summer in full swing, where parents (and grandparents) find themselves planning all manner of activities for kids, it’s hard to know how to balance fun and play with a little bit of learning. (Be sure to scroll to the end of this post for a FREE download of these 3 activities!)

In this blog post, we cover a few simple poetry activities that will keep kids learning (without even knowing it) all summer long.

‘Falling behind’ is a common concern of parents of school-aged kids. ‘ The good news?  There are simple poetry activities grown ups can do to sneak in some learning disguised as fun during the summer months.

Especially with poetry! 

Simple Poetry Activity #1: Try a Poetry Walk

What if you went for a walk in the park or your neighborhood and, using this little rhyme, asked kids to find rhymes for as many words as they can for what they see in nature? Start out with these lines, just for fun:

What will we find on our walk?

Tick tock, around the block…

Then model an idea for poem-making, like this:

It fills me with glee to spy a tree.

Where’s he at, the neighborhood cat?

Look at that flower, taking a shower!

Those are simple, silly rhymes that can keep kids’ thinking well oiled and also be a seed for more ideas.

Simple Poetry Activity #2: Incorporate Poetry Into an Ice Cream Outing

What if you went out for ice cream and read this together?

Ice cream-chocolate,

Vanilla with bright sprinkles.

Ice cream in a bucket?

Why, I’ll take a sink full!

Again, a silly rhyme but a way to get the wheels turning to think poetically no matter what the occasion.

These activities can also spur on your own thinking while you’re driving to and from the grocery store, washing dishes, sitting on the couch, or setting up a splash pad–where and how can you find some poetic rhymes?

(If you come up with one, please share it in the comments so others can try it too!)

Simple Poetry Activity #3: Read Poetry Aloud

Another simple poetry activity is simply reading poetry to your kids this summer. Attuning kids to poetry begins with training their ears to listen….and reading poems takes only 10 or 15 minutes a day (or a week, if that’s all you’ve got!). 

Where to start your reading? I’ve gathered a list below of 15 poems Every Kid Should Know, all in the public domain that can be found via the search engine of your choice. Find the poem, download and print it to keep in a poetry notebook for reading in the slivers of time this summer. 

More Simple Poetry Activities

To keep kids busy AND learning, even with 15-30 minutes a day (or per week!) I’ve created more FREE simple poetry activities for kids ages 5 to 18, all available via my Resource Library HERE. Activities include printable downloads like these:

• How to “Write” a Poem with Pictures 
• Using a Nonsense Poem to Learn Grammar & Vocabulary
• How to use ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ to write a Rhyming Poem
• 5 Things to Know about Poetry
• 9 Reasons to Read Poetry
• and more!

Happy summer! I hope these simple poetry activities will help keep your kids learning this summer and give you a break from coming up with what to do next! 

PS Want to access these activities as a download? You got it, just click the button below.