National Poetry Month

National Poetry Month

Celebrate National Poetry Month

April marks the month where we celebrate the importance of poetry in our lives. National Poetry Month was created in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to bring about awareness and appreciation of this genre. Some of the goals include reading poems, writing poems, and helping teachers bring poetry into the classroom. As the celebration grows year after year, more resources become available to help people explore and promote poetry. How will you celebrate it?

In case you're unsure where to start, here are 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month, one for each day of the month. We hope the suggestions are helpful to discover the poet inside of you!

30 Ideas to Celebrate National Poetry Month

  1. Write poetry each day
  2. Staged: Act out a poem
  3. Poetry By Heart: Memorize a poem
  4. Become a Romantic: Write seasonal poetry
  5. Poiku: Create a Pop Haiku (with examples)
  6. Try performance poetry!
  7. Explore a new form!
  8. Practice Poetic Gift Giving Give a poem as a gift to friends and family
  9. Read aloud poetry to a child
  10. (Re)Discover famous poets
  11. Be an Inventor: Invent a new poetry form
  12. Wake Up with Poetry! Start each day by reading a poem.
  13. Learn how to write an Acrostic Poem
  14. Pictspiration! Try photo-inspired poetry
  15. Create poetic art! Create art from a poem
  16. Build an inspiration jar. Keep a jar of words, phrases, ideas, poetry forms. When you want to write but don't have an idea, pull a slip from the jar and be inspired by it.
  17. Pocket A Poem! Tips for Poem in your Pocket Day
  18. Recite poetry to a pet: Inflection & Projection
  19. Create a book spine poem
  20. Read a poem backward
  21. Set up an event at your library for people to read aloud their favorite poems
  22. Write a Haiku
  23. Introduce children to poetry using games
  24. More Poetry and Pets: Posture & Movement
  25. Turn your favorite movie into a villanelle by writing a Hollywood Villanelle
  26. Write a structured poem
  27. Pick up color swatches from a hardware store and write a color poem, using each new shade as a different line
  28. Cut out words from a newspaper or magazine and arrange them to create a found poem
  29. Write a concrete poem (a poem in the shape of the poem’s topic)
  30. Submit one of your poems to be considered for publication on Family Friend Poems

Bonus Ideas

  • Read a new book of poetry
  • Listen to a poet read aloud his or her poetry
  • Read poems about spring
  • Read short poems by our favorite Instagram poets

National Poetry Month - Resources From Around the Web

  1. Poets.org offers 30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month.
  2. Get inspired by published poems and use these poem templates to try them yourself. 
  3. Poetry Foundation offers a curriculum for teaching African American poetry.
  4. Find a poem on Family Friend Poems that touches you and share your story after the poem where it asks, "Were you touched by this poem? Share Your Story."
  5. readwritethink.org shares a lesson plan for writing a seasonal haiku
  6. Power Poetry provides tips for writing a poem about family or friends.
  7. Poets.org shares a list of 10 poetry books to read aloud to children.
  8. Submit your most popular poem to Family Friend Poems, then rate 10 poems while you wait for 10 people to rate yours.
  9. Gayle Danley (via TED-Ed) shares 5 steps to writing slam poetry.
  10. The Teacher Studio shares questions to consider when studying a poem.
  11. Erin*tegration shares 10 apps to use for creating poetry on the iPad.
  12. Brett Vogelsinger shares 4 reasons to start class each day with a poem.
  13. Check out the Shel Silverstein inspired event kits to celebrate National Poetry Month.
  14. readwritethink.org provides a lesson plan to inspire poetry through artwork.
  15. Explore blackout poetry - a fun way to create poetry without writing and watch a video explaining it.
  16. Be inspired by ThinkWritten's long list of creative writing prompts.
  17. Mrs. Orman's Classroom shares some examples of book spine poems.
  18. Author Marilyn Singer has written many books of poetry, and some of them are compilations of reverse poems (poems that are the same whether read backward and forward). Be sure to check out: Mirror Mirror, Follow Follow and Echo Echo.
  19. The Writing Center shares tips for how to read and understand a poem.
  20. Magnetic Poetry provides a creative space to use their magnetic poetry kits to create your own inspired pieces.
  21. Favorite Poem Project shares videos of people reading aloud impactful poems and sharing how those poems have touched their lives.

National Poetry Month - Writing Prompts

  1. Describe your favorite childhood memory.
  2. Pick a color and use your senses to describe it.
  3. Write an acrostic about your favorite holiday.
  4. Write a limerick.
  5. Write a poem about a family member.
  6. Write a poem about a dream.
  7. Write a poem about weather (rain, snow, wind, sun, etc.).
  8. Write a poem that includes your five senses.
  9. Write about a memory triggered by a smell.
  10. Write a poem about advice for someone.
  11. Write a poem with a repeating line.
  12. Write a poem about a regret.

Need More Ideas? Here are more writing prompts

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