An inspiring seascape with gaps to write words and phrases in, for Yrs 2-6, as a starter sheet for poetry or creative writing, or a picture poem in its own right, use adaptable for different aims, ages and abilities. Also provided: the picture free from word gaps; guide sheet for teachers. The 15 white writing slots in and around this inviting scene offer scope for expressive describing words, similes and phrases. GUIDE: the accompanying teacher’s guide sheet provides a comprehensive list of word and simile ideas for use as spurs and examples for students. USES: Literacy - building vocabulary, simile-writing, preparing for poetry or descriptive writing; Topic enhancement: a simple, effective way to enthuse pupils in topics, e.g. seaside, ocean, seasons, weather, water, coastlines, sea pollution or global warming, while also enhancing literacy. Time filler: offers learning through fun for any spare 10 minutes. See my other words-in-gaps sheets too.

Sea-themed haiku poetry - lesson plan, including 3 frames with gaps to fill, 3 starter lines, information about haiku and how they work, warm-up tips, and a whirl of ocean thoughts to spur discussion and writing ideas. The sea has wonderful potential as a poetic theme, possessing such a wealth of features and variables, including many contradictory ones: it can be both deep and shallow, warm and freezing, colourful or grey as iron, gentle or savage. It’s fresh, yet ancient, fun, yet formidable. It offers up a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds and moods. A haiku looks so small and simple, yet it can convey any concept you like, with impact. For more themes, see my Trees, Birds, Butterfly, and Dragon Haiku sheets too.

Rhyming couplets to celebrate the end of the school year with your class. Pick and build together, perhaps adding in your own contributions too. Set to music? Perform in assembly? Lots of fun and food for thought as well in these two pages of specially crafted rhymes. I’m a well-published children’s poet, and use my rhymes with children in my school workshops. They bring lessons and learning alive for children, also building self-confidence and PSHE skills. Please note: rhymes presented in random order. Here’s a summery video-poem, with music & pictures: https://youtu.be/wdQJtlPJpeQ

These punchy, fun rhymes each celebrate a colour, listing and describing different items of that colour in ways that bring it to life for children. The ‘green’ one is an action rhyme; the others are best read aloud. Invite further item suggestions for extra verses - they don’t need to rhyme, provided you can sustain the rhythm. Pick one of these to start a phonics, poetry or descriptive writing lesson. Children from Early Years to upper KS2 will find them thought-provoking and stimulating.

These 5 simple, rhythmic rhymes focus on everyday concepts. Their titles are: Busy Street, In the Park, Windy Day, Taller and Smaller, and School is for Me. Each rhyme sheet includes guidance notes. Suitable for clapping, enacting, word-swapping and performing with embellishments (such as percussion, a tune, or extra actions). They support the learning areas Understanding the World, Expressive Arts & Design, Literacy, Communication & Language, and Physical Development. The rhymes (and illustrations) are my own.

Let your class fly with these inspiring picture poems! Able writers can set their ideas sailing round a winding, looping line, developing ideas about the mat and its moods on the follow-on sheet. Younger or less confident writers can express their flying and floating concepts on straight lines, with structure to prompt and encourage. A 2-page teacher’s guide, with example poems to read out, is also included. This resource will melt away anxieties about writing, especially with the recommended warm-up discussion and enactments. Able writers, meanwhile, can use the light-touch frames to explore poetic techniques and approaches, letting their talents fly too! The sheets are hand-drawn and home-produced, so please expect spontaneity rather than computer-perfect lines.

Young children will enjoy picking an item or more from this exciting jungle scene to complete the given phrase below - I can see…, sounding out the word and having a go at writing it. If help is needed in getting started, help children identify and select an item from the picture (e.g. tiger, flower, spider), and clarify the first sound and letter. Able writers could add a describing word or extra items. Colouring could be presented as a reward for the writing effort. This resource promotes an understanding of the natural world, including plants, animals and mini-beasts, and the concept of jungle or rain forest, supporting related studies. It also promotes literacy, fine motor control, colour sense, shape and pattern appreciation, and more. See my other wildlife writing + colouring sheets for a variety.

These 3 punchy rhymes bring the past alive. Their titles are: Who Lived in the Castle?, Bowing and Curtseying, and My Castle is Old. Each contain rhyme and rhythm, while offering scope for alternative words to be slotted in (notes below provide ideas for these). There is also scope for acting-out, adding sound effects and enhancing with percussion. Suggestions for all of these are provided. They serve to prepare children for writing about castles, also enriching their vocabulary, developing their sense of rhyme and rhythm, and providing a window on the past. In addition, they promote physical development: the actions involved are fun and imagination-triggering, encouraging creative expression and physical exertion. The rhymes and illustrations are my own. 3 sheets in total -PDF.

A space project is never complete without a few aliens, and children can let their imaginations go wild with this simple writing frame. The starter phrases and illustrations will all trigger ideas, motivating even reluctant writers to have a go. The accompanying sheet of guidance notes provides all sorts of suggestions to prompt for, line by line, should any children be stuck for ideas. Follow-on rhyme ideas are also included in the Guide, with examples. This hand-illustrated, home-produced, black-and-white sheet has been used successfully in classrooms. Recommended especially for Years 2-3.

Bring fun and laughter into your space studies with this two-page, quick-fire roll of crazy, snappy rhymes about aliens, rockets, stars and more! Most are couplets, with a few 4-line verses too, and all are bonkers! They’ll inspire variations and brand new rhymes from your class, boosting their literacy skills. The rhymes are my own, and I’ve used some in my space poetry sessions. TIPS for class rhymes - I recommend starting with “space”, eliciting a list of single words that rhyme with it to write below. Then fill up the line leading up to “space”, e.g. I saw an alien up in space, and finally think up a line to end with your rhyming word, e.g. She was doing up her lace. Have fun! **SEE ALSO ** - PLANET poetry frame (Yrs 2-4) - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/planet-poetry-frame-ys-2-4-12018025 + Planet picture-poem frame (KS2) - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/planet-picture-poem-frame-ks2-guidance-sheet-11886984

This beautiful, exciting seaside writing sheet invites describing words and similes to express ideas about sea, sand, sandcastles and shells, writing ON THE WAVES in this hand-drawn picture! Popular in my seaside poetry workshops. See my simpler versions too: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-r-y1-12099509 and** https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-colouring-sheet-simple-12099515** .

A fun, attractive, seasonal writing and colouring sheet for creative expression and language-stretching, celebrating autumn leaves - their movements and colours. Similes, action words and description are invited on the lines, which wave like the floating leaves. Preparation: let children watch leaves flying and falling, and gather some to inspect and spin. Discuss the leaves’ movements through the air - gliding, floating, darting, whooshing, dancing, skipping, cartwheeling, etc. Also discuss the colours, eliciting exotic ones - lemon yellow, crimson, bronze… Think up similes together too, before handing out the sheets. See also my easier versions, and other leaf and tree writing resources, for a wide range.

Phonic short ‘a’, shown here in ‘cat’, with some extra little a’s to write over, too. Your emergent writers will enjoy writing over the pale orange letters to make the word ‘cat’ twice over, and on the three extra 'a’s in their attractive red loops. They’ll love colouring in the charming, black/white cat picture, too. For more, similar phonics activities, see my Phonic ‘o’ reading/writing sheets and my many other resources for sound/letter recognition and writing practice.

This writing sheet features the letter and phonic ‘e’ in ‘hen’ and ‘red hens’, with attractive pictures to illustrate and enhance understanding. Children can colour in the white hen, and also count the 3, adding the ‘1’ and ‘2’ given. Supports phonics, handwriting, reading, spelling, numbers, adding, and also nature and animal studies. The colour red is also highlighted, supporting colour work, and fine motor skills are developed in the colouring. If you like this sheet, see my others for different vowels, in my catalogue/shop. Click ‘newest’.

p, f and d are shown next to familiar pictures starting with their letters: pig, fish, dog. The words are not written out, but just brought to mind, with meaningful association. Extra copies of the letters follow the pictures, reinforcing the link. Children can write over all the pale letters. Help them sound them out as they go. See my other phonics sheets for young children, all attractively illustrated, some free.

Halloween fun! A sheet of magic spell rhyming couplets to complete - all guided towards happy, innocent wishes. Four couplet frames + two blank lines for an independent one. Example: Wind, rain, snow and sun - Let today be __ and fun! PS: See my new Poetry How-To Videos, featuring Fireworks, Dragons & Space - so far: Kate Williams - YouTube

This is a punchy, fun, rhyming poem that raises awareness of, and concern about, the climate crisis. I wrote it with schools in mind and am offering it free, as with all my climate crisis poems. (More to come.)