“Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina Rossetti. [3] X Research source “The Dentist and the Crocodile” by Roald Dahl. [4] X Research source “Daddy Fell Into the Pond” by Alfred Noyes. “About the Teeth of Sharks” by John Ciardi.
For example, maybe you ended up in the path of an angry pigeon on the way to work today. You may then use your amusing encounter with the pigeon as the source of inspiration for your poem. Children may enjoy a humorous retelling of how you managed to escape a persistent pigeon on a busy city street. You can also tap into your own childhood memories and interests as inspiration. Consider what made you laugh when you were young, and what made you curious or intrigued. Doing this can help you get into the mindset of a child and remember what topics made you giggle when you were young. [6] X Research source For example, maybe you enjoyed playing with plastic snake toys as a child. You may then remember when your brother tried to stuff a plastic snake up his nose and your attempts to help him remove it. This could then serve as the inspiration for a funny poem about plastic snakes in your nose.
For example, you may consider how a child might view going to the dentist for the first time. The dentist may appear to a child as a puffy swan in a white coat and the dentist chair might seem like a time machine. You may then be inspired to write a poem about a trip to the dentist that leads to an afternoon of time travel.
For example, in Christina Rossetti’s poem “Who Has Seen the Wind?”, Rossetti only rhymes a few words in the poem, with “you” rhyming with “through” and “I” with “by”. [9] X Research source This gives the poem just enough rhyme to have a sing song quality, without feeling overdone or too contrived.
You may decide to do a type of shape poem that has a short number of lines, like a cinquain. This is a five line poem that appears in the shape of a diamond. It is often easy to write and fun to read. [10] X Research source
You can also try the limerick form The limerick is a type of children’s verse that is known for being funny, ridiculous, and silly. These qualities make it an ideal option for a children’s poem. [12] X Research source Limericks are five lines long and have a set rhyme scheme. The first two lines rhyme with each other, the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and the fifth line repeats the first line or rhymes with the first line. This rhyme scheme gives limericks a bouncy quality when spoken out loud. Some of the more well known limericks are the Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Often, limericks are meant to be silly and nonsensical, making them appealing to children.
For example, if you were writing a poem about the dentist’s chair as a time traveling machine, you may describe the smells of the dentist’s office and the taste of the plastic dental clamps in your mouth. You may also consider how it feels to sit in the dentist’s chair and the sounds the chair might make as it flies through time.
Alliteration occurs when words with the same consonant sound, and often words that begin with the same letter, appear in sequence. For example, in Roald Dahl’s’ “The Dentist and the Crocodile”, there is alliteration in the line: “He quivered, quaked, and shook. ”[15] X Research source Repetition occurs when the same word is repeated in succession or in the same line. For example, in Christina Rossetti’s poem “Who Has Seen the Wind?”, the title phrase “Who has seen the wind?” is repeated twice in each stanza of the poem. [16] X Research source The repeated phrase acts as a kind of refrain for the poem, almost like a song.
For example, in Roald Dahl’s “The Dentist and the Crocodile”, the twist ending occurs when the owner of the crocodile appears at the dentist. She reassures the dentist, who is by now frightened of the crocodile, “‘Don’t be a twit,’ the lady said, and flashed a gorgeous smile. /‘He’s harmless. He’s my little pet, my lovely crocodile. ‘"[18] X Research source This twist ending is sure to make children laugh with the silliness of having a pet crocodile, at the dentist no less.
If the poem falls a little flat, you may need to revise it so it is more appealing to children. This may mean including more sensory detail or shortening the poem so it is quick, fast, and funny. You may also consider adding in a twist ending to surprise your young audience and make them giggle.
You may also use the feedback from your child audience to revise the poem. Take their constructive criticism seriously, as you want to make sure the poem is appealing to your target audience.
If you do decide to send the poem out for publication, make sure you read a few sample poems in the magazine or journal to get a sense of what they are looking for. Publications are more likely to accept your work if it fits with the style and tone of other poems they have published.
