Beginner readers can sound out the words “Hooray! I can play today”, with adult help as needed, and identify the “ay” sounds, again with support. Supports phonics-learning and reading, also offering a discussion point. See the others in this series.

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word for the hedgehog, to complete the phrase - This hedgehog…, sounding it out and having a go at the writing. Perhaps prompt for - spiky, shy, prickly, quiet, little, crawly, spiny, brown, hungry, sleepy, friendly, busy or cute. Present the colouring activity as a reward for the writing effort, to ensure children give it a try. This will build their confidence in writing, as well as helping them focus on this animal’s features and natural environment, nurturing an appreciation of the natural world.

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word to complete the phrase - this robin is. Prompt for words such as - red, tiny, fluffy, happy, a baby, soft, hoppy, flappy, feathery, friendly. Encourage emergent writing and sounding out of letters, even if resulting in incorrect spelling. This will build confidence in writing. Present the colouring part of the activity as a reward for the writing, to ensure every child has a go at it.

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word to complete the phrase - This squirrel is…, and writing it (by sounding out) on the line provided. Keen writers can add more below. Colouring fun could be presented as a reward for the writing effort. Word ideas to prompt for, where needed - bushy, furry, grey, red, cute, climbing, skipping, busy, happy, hungry, a baby, young, fluffy, in a tree.

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the phrase - ‘This rabbit has’, and having a go at writing it on the line provided. Colouring in the picture could be presented as a reward for the writing. If word ideas are needed, perhaps prompt for - a tail, ears (or big ears), whiskers, fur, fluff, a smile, grass, flowers (to eat), or 4 paws. Supports literacy, fine motor skills, colour differentiation, creativity and an appreciation of animals and nature. I also have a frog writing + colouring sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/frog-writing-colouring-sheet-1-line-12045415

“Castle treasure can be -” is the lead-in phrase on this attractive picture-poem - or writing sheet, and the accompanying word bank supplies the teacher with easy and harder words to prompt for. Draw out the words from children’s passive vocabulary, rather than handing out this list. There are plenty of other words to contribute too - these are just suggestions. The sheet can serve as a creative writing sheet for younger children, or a launch pad for extended writing, for older or more independent writers. Supports literacy and history.

On this cheerfully illustrated sheet, young children can fill in the gaps to create their own poem, or descriptive writing sheet. Titled, In the Woods, the first line invites a describing word for a robin, and the second line invites a choice of woodland animal (the picture offers ideas) and a describing word to go with it. They can then think up a verb, or ‘doing word’ for the squirrels, and describe the trees too. There’s a spare line for any extra ideas the writer may wish to add. See my other woodland writing sheets too, for harder and easier work. This sheet is fun to colour, interesting to write, and insightful about forests and their wildlife.

The Planet … is as bright as…, as hot as… and as spooky as… Each simile has a line for completion. There’s also a spare line for extras, and a follow-on verse about the aliens who live there - whatever features they may have. Children love this creative writing frame. Confident writers also enjoy the harder version, here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/planet-picture-poem-frame-ks2-guidance-sheet-11886984 See my other space writing resources too.

This attractive writing and colouring sheet will motivate your 6-8 year-olds (approx.) to think up items of different colours and describe them, on the lines given. This will develop literacy skills, also promoting colour sense and appreciation. See my read-aloud ‘Colours’ poem and other colour rhymes (uploaded previously), for further support and embellishment of the activity.

The lively illustrations will draw children to this creative writing sheet, encouraging rich, expressive language. The given text will also inspire imaginative and varied descriptions of these familiar and popular animals. An example version is provided for the teacher’s use, with several suggested versions for each line. Perhaps read out one version and use the others as ideas to prompt for as needed. With the potential for fun and lively input and colouring fun, even less enthusiastic writers will be keen to get cracking on this creative writing sheet (or picture poem frame, if you like). While supporting writing development, the resource will also enhance animal and nature studies. Best for Years 2 and 3, and those in Year 4 needing extra writing support.

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.

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.

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!

Beginner readers will enjoy sounding out the words in this question - “Can you see the bee in the green tree?” and pointing to the bee in the picture. They will also like discussing the picture and the “ee” sounds with an adult. How many "ee"s can they find? Have they ever seen a bee? What can they tell you about them? This resource supports phonics-learning, reading, speaking and listening. See the others in this series. Here’s a related ‘ee’ phonic lullaby, by Rhodri Williams-Wandoch: https://soundcloud.com/rhodri-williams-wandoch/try-to-sleep

Autumn leaves words, similes and colouring fun offered on this beautiful picture poem frame for newly independent writers. Leaves go - sailing, flowing, dancing, spinning, gliding, skipping, drifting… They are as colourful as - jewels, flowers, butterflies, rainbows… Wavy lines to write on, reflecting the wavy leaves. Let children gather and inspect leaves first, spinning and flying them. Discuss their movements and colours, and invite simile ideas. See also my other autumn leaves resources and woodland writing sheets.

Autumn leaves to write in and colour, with similes invited - as red as, as yellow as, as gold as, etc. 5 leaf similes to complete + a line of description. Recommended for Yrs 2-5 approx. Inspiring, fun, calming, nature-themed poetry and art resource. See also my other Autumn Leaves sheets.

Woods are fascinating places, especially at twilight, when it starts to twitch with furtive activity and colours fade and blend mysteriously. Your children may spot an owl, a robin, a fox, a hedgehog, a rabbit and two squirrels amongst the moonlit branches of this wintry wood. The hand-drawn scene will inspire ideas and language for writing, also guiding artwork, promoting an appreciation of the natural world, celebrating leaf colour, illustrating the concepts of evening, night skies, autumn and winter, and providing discussion spurs for your class.

Bring atmosphere and detail to your medieval history topic with this fascinating peep into a deserted (almost) castle. Ignite the imagination of your students, whatever age, with this eye-drawing picture in black and white (drawn with computer software). I originally drew it as an illustration to accompany a poem of mine for a children’s poetry book, now out of print. Now use it to fire ideas for poetry-writing in primary schools.

Robins, squirrels, hedgehogs and other woodland animals feature on this cheerfully-illustrated poem - or creative writing sheet, spurring young writers to think up describing words, action words and a simile to fill the gaps in the given verses. Recommended for Yrs 2-4 (UK), ages 6-8 approx. See my other two versions, mid-level and easier, for younger or less confident writers. This resource supports nature, animal and environmental studies, while developing writing skills and firing imagination and creativity.