Holiday Poetry

Choose a holiday that you really like, and write a poem about it. Here is the format:

Line 1: Name of holiday
Line 2: Something you see on this holiday
Line 3: Something you smell on this holiday
Line 4: Something you hear on this holiday
Line 5: Something you taste on this holiday
Line 6: Something you touch on this holiday
Line 7: Name of holiday

Example:

Fourth of July
Flags of red, white, and blue
Barbecued chicken on the grill
Sparkly fireworks and noisy firecrackers
Red juicy watermelon
A bright shooting sparkler in my hand
Fourth of July

When is Halloween?

Here is an example:

When is Halloween?
When scary pumpkins glow,
And spooky witches fly
When ghostly mummies dance,
And black cats lurk in the shadows,
Children go trick-or-treating
While ghosts are haunting houses!
Then it's Halloween!

Here is the pattern:

When is Halloween?
When ___(adj., noun, verb)
And ____(adj., noun, verb)
When ____(adj., noun, verb)
And ___(adj., noun, verb, prep. phrase)
____(noun, verb)
While ___ (noun, verb, noun)

Then it's Halloween!

I am Waiting

This is somewhat like the last one, but it can be adapted to any holiday or even a child's birthday! Here is one written by a second grader:

I am waiting for . . .

doors to squeak open
bowls filled with candy
ghosts to pop out and say "Boo!"
witches to ride across the sky on their brooms
skeletons to rattle in their graves
trick-or-treating night with LOTS of candy

Then I'll know
Halloween is here!

A-Haunting we will go

Write two or three verses to this old song using Halloween words. Here is an example:

A-haunting we will go,
A-haunting we will go,
We'll catch a ghoul
And throw him in the pool
A-haunting we will go!

A-haunting we will go,
A-haunting we will go,
We'll catch a witch
And throw her in a ditch

A-haunting we will go!

Halloween Countdown

This is simply a rhymed countdown using Halloween symbols. Below is an example:

There are ten spiders in the kitchen drawer,
There are nine bats flying in the sky,
There are eight skeletons dancing on the floor,
There are seven witches flying ever so high,
There are six pumpkins sitting by the door,
There are five cats chasing some poor guy,
There are four monsters going to the store,
There are three goblins waving good-bye,
There are two ghosts waiting for cider to pour,
There is one vampire who might cry.

The Week Before Halloween
(Could also be used for other holidays)

This is somewhat like the poem above only using days of the week to start. Here is an example:

I knew Halloween was coming because. . .

On Sunday I saw one bat flying in the sky,
On Monday I saw two witches repairing their brooms,
On Tuesday I saw three vampires at the dentist,
On Wednesday I saw I saw four black cats stalking some mice,
On Thursday I saw five jack-o'-lanterns grinning in the dark,
On Friday I saw six werewolves in the moonlight,
On Saturday I saw seven skeletons dancing down the street.

I told you Halloween was coming!

Thanksgiving Song of Thanks

This is simply a song of praise in which the child finishes statements with phrases of his/her choice. Here is the form:

Thank you for eyes that see . . .
Thank you for my ears that hear
Thank you for my mouth that tastes
Thank you for hands that feel
Thank you for my nose that smells
Thank you God for everything!

Here is an example: (shortened - 4 or 5 phrases are asked but this may be modified)

Thank you for eyes that see . . .
my loving family,
all my friends,
my teachers at school
and a lovely sunset.

Thank you for my ears that hear. . .
birds singing in the trees,
rain dancing on the roof
my baby sister giggling,
and mother and daddy singing.

Thank you for my mouth that tastes . . .
pumpkin pie with whipped cream
the many flavors of ice cream
steak on the grill
and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

Thank you for my hands that feel . . .
my mom's soft hands
the pages of a long book
a soft warm bed at night
and my new puppies.

Thank you for a nose that smells. . .
roses in the backyard,
brownies baking in the oven
brand new shoes
and the outdoors after the rain.
Thank you God for everything!

I Like the Colors of Christmas

The world is filled with colors during this season. Red and green always come to mind, but there are many others! Below is an example of a Christmas color poem. It can be adapted in any way to meet your needs.

I like the colors of Christmas,
Red for the nose on Santa's face,
Blue is the ribbon on a package,
Green is the tree so tall and bright
Silver is the tinsel hanging down so low
Gold is the treetop angel,
I like the colors of Christmas!

An Old Rhyme
(suitable for Valentine's Day)

Read the following poem:

I love you little.
I love you lots.
My love for you would fill ten pots,
Fifteen buckets,
Sixteen cans,
Three teacups,
And four dishpans.

Note the special rhyming pattern of this poem. Here is one written by a student using the same pattern:

I love you little.
I love you lucky.
My love for you would fill Kentucky,
Six jugs,
Seven cars,
Twenty buildings,
And a hundred concrete bars.

Mother's Day
(can be adapted to Father's Day)

My Mom

This is a simile poem where a child has the choice of which similes to use. It can be just a couple of verses or many. Here is an example:

My mom

as sweet as a Hershey chocolate bar,
as energetic as Richard Simmons,
as smart as Albert Einstein.

She has

hair as red as a beautiful sunset on the beach,
eyes that sparkle like stars,
a smile as broad as the Grand Canyon,
cheeks as rosy as a bright new day!

My mom

Mother by the Numbers

This is simply a count to ten about things that Mother does.
Here is an example:

One little mother
Two children to watch over
Three beds to make
Four loads of laundry to do
Five errands to run
Six pairs of pants to hem
Seven rooms to clean
Eight bills to pay
Nine shirts to iron
Ten groceries to buy
Then she does it all over again!

The ABC's of Mother

Simply use the alphabet to write phrases about Mother. This would make a nice card to send to her for Mother's Day. Here is a partial example:

A lways on the go
B est cook in the world
C an do almost anything
D oes five things at once
E xcellent organizer
F ixes things around the house, ( etc. through the alphabet )

My Mother and Me

There are things that we wish our mother would do, but on Mother's Day, we certainly can think of things that we should do for her! This is one child's example:

Sometimes I wish my mother would . . .
let me stay up as late as I wanted,
wouldn't make me clean my room,
not say,"Eat your broccoli!"
or remind me to do my homework.

On the other hand, I could . . .
go to bed on time without complaining,
clean my room without being asked,
eat all the food on my plate,
do my homework with a smile.

Well, at least on Mother's Day!

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