This colourful park picture contains ten mini-beast words for children to sound out and identify. The large, bright text and attractive picture make this an appealing challenge for young readers. Support one-to-one or in small groups, as needed. The resource will also support mini-beast studies. Suitable for beginner readers across KS1 and EYs.

This simple game spurs children to read or sound out the 7 words, so they can link them (by pen, pencil or finger) to the correct picture representation below. Some of the words also feature in my ‘Seaside Findings’ phonics game; using both in quick succession will reinforce learning. Suitable for all KS1 and Reception/EY. Able children can add further words and pictures, or write a follow-on sentence about something they have found at the seaside. Younger children can identify initial letters and their phonics, guessing words they can’t yet read, with the help of the pictures. This resource also supports seaside and ocean studies. VIDEO INSPIRATION x 2 (author speaking and reading her poems about seaside wonders): https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9 + https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMarEm9uVBDEGPTykSlkAfT6jdVArKlPen6X5lk1le7dqUc89gEztNjSO7V6qsxUQ?key=X0hIWmdaV1M0Q2lHYURKbDdIVFFPMTVBTWRUdkhn

Your class will love choosing a creature - squirrel, frog, owl? - to describe, using the prompts for rich description, action words and imagery. Then there’s the fun of trying it out on the rest of the class, to see who can guess it first. The children will be motivated to listen to each other’s verses - or riddles - too, and there’s plenty of scope for group interaction as the reader picks volunteers from around the room to try to idenfify their creatures. Tips are provided for writing the answer in code, and there’s an anagram to be written too, below. Great for summer term fun, combined with literacy skills- stretching and creativity. Best for Years 3-6.

If your school has a pond, this picture-poem sheet will provide an excellent way of motivating your class to take an interest in it, while stretching their language and creative skills as well. Children will love writing describing words on the pond itself, and expressing their thoughts about it around the picture. The accompanying guide sheet offers ideas for each section to support discussion and prompting, as needed. This resource supports English, biology, animal and nature studies, outdoor learning opportunities, and celebrations of the school. Best for Years 2-4, able Yr 1 pupils and under-achieving older ones; also as a warm-up sheet for independent writing of poetry, stories or description at all junior levels.

Literacy boost with exciting twists! Fun, inspiring spelling + vocabulary enhancer about pirates, treasure and oceans. Eight questions, including a rhyme, an anagram, a spelling choice, a type of gem, and more, on an attractive, illustrated sheet. Answers on accompanying sheet. Supports multiple topics, e.g. ocean, pirates, weather, journeys, going for gold, the wider world, voyagers, and seaside, and brings literacy alive. See also my other ocean/pirate lit. resources, e.g. Treasure Map: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/treasure-map-alliteration-game-yr1-6-guide-for-use-11887395 and Stormy Sea: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/stormy-sea-poetry-frame-guide-12043779 .

Supports Literacy, PSHE, mental wellbeing and physical exercise, as well as poetry, drama and all-round creative expression. This is a fun writing challenge, involving similes and action words, with scope for enrichment. A monster (s/he) can be any sort you like, with three heads and two tails perhaps, and this one has moods - happy, cross, excited, ?.. How does a monster behave when cross? Do they charge around the monster school, stamping on books like an angry giant? When happy, does s/he glide like an angel, or perform back-flips like a gymnast? The warm-up actions sheet will spur extended ideas. Hand-sketched illustrations. SEE MY SEA-MONSTER FOOD sheet too!

Fascinating creative opportunity for older/more able writers, depicting the sea as different entities or things. Format and starter lines for a sequence of verses are provided, with quality sample poem, written by myself (published poet) for the purpose. Tip: build up to metaphors by (1) discussing sea in different weathers, climates, times and seasons, enacting and sounding out; (2) elicit words and similes for the variations; (3) invite pupils to try taking out the ‘as… as’ or ‘like’ from their similes to form metaphors (e.g. ‘the sea IS a mirror’; (4) read the sample poem; (5) give out the frames and scrap paper for independent writers and let them write their own, personal versions. See also my many other sea poetry frames in my catalogue, with sub-topics such as sea monsters, seabed mysteries, summer’s day sea, stormy sea and a pirate’s treasure map.

Reading/sounding out + learning about shells, seaside, nature and more. Eight describing words for shells for young readers (Reception - Y2), big, bright and clear, around a colourful photo of shells on beach. Words: shells, hard, curly, dry, shiny, hollow, sandy, wet. Help children turn sheet to read the words. Watch my video on seaside shells: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9 See my other seaside and phonics resources too.

Crazy space alien to colour in. Drawn freehand, this whirly, twirly, crazy creature is waiting to leap to life with the first touch of colour. The resource supports Space studies at all primary levels, also serving for pencil control practice, colour sense development and expressive arts and design material. Development tip: after colouring, suggest children design their own alien, then describe it in words. See my many other space-themed creative resources too.

Peeping, creeping; chattering, pattering; barging, charging; flapping, snapping - these are a few of the 24 rhyming action verbs suggested here for rainforest or jungle poems. Examples of completed couplets are also provided. Select, build and edit with your pupils, to create your own vibrant, action-packed class poem! It’ll bring your topic to life, enhancing literacy skills along the way.

Junior pupils will enjoy writing tree-focused poems inside this tree outline. The summery, countryside setting will inspire ideas, while the short lines encourage careful choice of words and a swinging rhythm. Perhaps encourage similes, alliteration and other poetic techniques, while leaving the general approach and content open. Questions to pose in your for warm-up discussion: is the tree a sunshade for a hot day, a statue, standing against the sky, or a reminder that we need to protect our precious natural world, perhaps? Or is the tree a den, hiding place, or climbing-frame in the writer’s mind? Is it as green as fresh lettuce leaves, glittering emeralds or the tall, silky grass?

This simple rhyme invites exciting whole-body actions, with scope for humour, drama, fantasy and expressive, imaginative movement. It includes a simile that can be exchanged for different ones in follow-on verses. The punchy rhythm and clear rhymes will help children develop an ear for rhyming couplets. While focusing minds on stars in space, it also prepares children for any writing task on the subject. The 1-sheet resource includes suggestions for warm-up and development, and lists of words to prompt for when swapping in new ones. The activity supports the learning areas of Literacy, Expressive Arts & Design, Physical Development, Communication and Language, and Understanding the World.

This is a reading, writing and word-picture linking activity for young children, with example sheet. The three animal words, dog, cat, hen, are presented next to jumbled pictures of them. The challenge is to sound out the words and link them, with a pencil, to the correct picture. The pale letters can also be over-written, for hand-writing practice, and to consolidate the sounding out findings. This resource adds extra meaning and fun to early literacy lessons. Fun cat music! Do listen (free) to this delightful, jazzy cat movement music, by a favourite composer of mine - for all ages! https://soundcloud.com/rhodri-williams-wandoch/watching-the-cat

Healthy eating poem, with fun, celebrating bananas. This fun, snappy little rhyme is presented attractively over a photo of bananas in a bowl. The writing is in a curve, just like the fruits! Poem and photo are both by this author, Kate Williams. See also my other healthy eating resources.

This rosy garden apple picture poem celebrates nature, seasons and healthy eating. The 5-line cinquain is simple and attractive to read, view and listen to. Perhaps your class can make up a similar cinquain about apples or another fruit? See my banana poem too, and my other Healthy Eating resources. The poem and photo are by this author, Kate Williams.

Seaside poetry writing on a fabulous seaside photograph! Line starters for free, expressive writing. Example sheet provided, to inspire ideas of all sorts. Flexible for all ages and abilities, written or out loud. Text: In the sea’s sparkly blue I find… In the sea’s soft hum I hear… In the sand’s ______ I feel… Metaphors, description, long or short responses, literal or imaginary - all sorts are welcome here! See also my many other seaside and ocean resources!