Acrostic poems are helpful for children because they are written based on one word, written vertically. Each letter is placed below the previous letter.
Then, each line of the poem needs to stem from the letters in the main word. These lines are written horizontally, using the first letter of the main word to start a new word. These lines can contain a full sentence on each line, a phrase or just one word. The only rule is that each line needs to use the first letter supplied by the main word.
This is an easy poem structure that can help children identify letters and words. More about acrostic poem structure can be found at the website Read, Write, Think.
Have the children write an acrostic poem based on a specific topic, like their family, pet or favorite toy. Then have them color in the main word so that it stands out vertically from the rest of the poem.
Teaching children to write rhyming poetry is a useful exercise because it teaches them to pay attention to the sound of words, the lengths of vowels and the flow of a poem. Have the child write a poem that is 10 lines long. In this A-B-A-B structure, ask the children to rhyme the last word of the first and third sentences. They also can rhyme the second and fourth lines as well as all the even and odd lines, or simply keep the rhyme scheme to the odd-numbered lines. This should continue for the rest of the poem.
If there are many children in the activity, have each child contribute one line. This line can be written down as it goes, and the poem can have as many lines as there are children.
Write the foundation of a poem in any structure---it does not matter in this case. Make sure to leave spaces open for words to be filled in by children. The blank spaces should be parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives and other forms with which the children are familiar. Then, have the children fill in the blanks with words of a certain kind. For example, ask them to fill in parts of speech that have to do with seasons or family activities.
Have the children write a poem using onomatopoeias, words that sound like what they mean. Good examples are "drop," "drip" or "boom." These words can be highlighted with colored markers or crayons, and can add a sense of adventure to the poem. Have the children read these aloud, which makes for an entertaining reading adventure.