National Poetry Day planning picks

Engage students in verse with National Poetry Day activities and lesson ideas

Tes Resources Team

Poetry sign in primary and secondary classroom for National Poetry Day activities

National Poetry Day activities and lesson ideas for performing and writing poetry

National Poetry Day 2025 on Thursday 2 October is on the theme of 'play', encouraging us all to take the opportunity to experience the simple enjoyment of words, sounds, rhythms and rhymes. So, why not explore this range of National Poetry Day resources to ignite your students' creativity and make your classroom a poetry playground for National Poetry Day?

If you are learning about poetry with your Primary pupils, why not try Seasonal poetry for primary?

Looking for even more resources for studying poetry with your Secondary students? Explore the Poetry collection.

Primary resources

Limericks, haikus, sonnets… poems come in many forms. Discover and analyse the different types of poetry with these National Poetry Day activities, before encouraging your pupils to play with words, write and perform some of their own.

Poetry Train
The Poetry Society

Poetry Train

FREE
(43)
Poetry Train is a teachers pack of activities, poems and advice for teaching poetry in primary schools. David Harmer and Roger Stevens share proven approaches for use in the classroom, based on brilliant poems by top poets such as Carol Ann Duffy and Jackie Kay.
KS1 and KS2 English - How to perform poetry
BBCTeach

KS1 and KS2 English - How to perform poetry

FREE
(1)
In [this clip](https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/english-ks1-ks2-understanding-poetry/zdwxbdm) from the [BBC Teach](https://bbc.co.uk/teach) series [Understanding Poetry](https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/english-ks1-ks2-understanding-poetry-with-joseph-coelho/zdhbqp3), poet ...
Boris the Spider Rhyming Poetry worksheets
Hachette Schools

Boris the Spider Rhyming Poetry worksheets

FREE
(16)
This worksheet is based on the funny rhyming poem, 'Boris the Spider' written by Damian Harvey and illustrated by Daniel Postgate, in the Leapfrog Rhyme Time series. There is a sample spread from the book and two activities. The first asks children to fill in the missing rhyming words and the second...
Autumn Poetry Lesson
jojocrow

Autumn Poetry Lesson

£2.25
(1)
This resource is a complete lesson for writing an Autumn poem using verbs, nouns and adjectives. It contains a PDF containing 19 pages including the lesson presentation and printables to go along with the lesson. - title page - Learning Intentions - verb sorting activity - Autumn word brainstorm...
Cinquain Poetry Lesson for KS2
primary texts

Cinquain Poetry Lesson for KS2

£2.50
(1)
A complete poetry lesson based on cinquain poetry. Includes a PPT presentation and comprehension tasks. Also includes activities designed to help students create their own cinquains. These activities are ideal for helping pupils consider word choice, editing, syllables and layout. A flexible resourc...
KS2 poetry - write a poem about the seasons
TygerTygerPoetryMag

KS2 poetry - write a poem about the seasons

FREE
(1)
This free KS2 poetry resource explores the seasons and personification, using the poem What Spring Says by Carys Shannon. Although the poem is about Spring, the whole resource can be used to discuss and write about any season. There are clear prompts for class activities, a class poem, and th...

Secondary resources

Get your students' creativity flowing with the help of these National Poetry Day resources, jam-packed with lesson ideas and imaginative poetry activities.

Poetry Escape Room
EnglishGCSEcouk

Poetry Escape Room

£3.00
(1)
English poetry themed escape room. Students recap structure, language, imagery, language techniques, vocabulary and other key skills and knowledge around English Literature through the stimulus of poetry. Perfect for the end of term or end of unit, students work in groups to solve a range of myster...
Poetry anthology - students create their own!
LikeAnExpert

Poetry anthology - students create their own!

FREE
(3)
A detailed booklet to prompt students to create their own mini anthology of poetry. This would be suitable for key stage 3 but could easily be adapted for older or younger students. It is included as a word document (for editing) and as a pdf (for easy printing and safe formatting). It includes g...
Write Poetry
havetocomment

Write Poetry

£3.00
(1)
These five sheets explore different forms of poetry and how to write them: Write a Sonnet, Write a Ballad, Write a Visual Poem, Write a Haiku, Write a Found Poem. The sheets include information about form and language, examples, further reading and a differentiated task.
Tanka Poetry - Year 7
Online_Teaching_Resources

Tanka Poetry - Year 7

£3.49
(1)
Tanka Poetry - Year 7 Designed for low ability Year 7, this tanka teaching resource is a fun and engaging way of studying and writing poetry. The lesson begins with an example tanka and an explanation of the 'rules' of tanka poetry. Learners are then provided with scaffolding to help them constru...
Metaphor and Simile Lesson- KS3 Poetry
NovelTeachingUK

Metaphor and Simile Lesson- KS3 Poetry

£1.50
(1)
A clearly explained and fully resourced lesson which explores similies and metaphors. Could be used as a stand alone lesson or as part of a poetry scheme of work. Learning Question: Can I understand how similes and metaphors are used in poetry and comment on the effect? **Students are not only en...
Newspaper Blackout Poetry
jamestickle86

Newspaper Blackout Poetry

FREE
(33)
A new type of poetry that involves using newspapers to create poems. The poem is inside the text; pupils must find it. Suitable for KS2, KS3 and KS4 ***You will need newspapers and marker pens***