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Holiday haiku

Skills
Use the short-form Japanese poem, haiku, to help kids master their syllables.

You'll Need

  • Paper
  • pen or pencil
  • colored markers or crayons

Time

30 minutes

Learning Stages

Haiku are 3-line poems with a specific number of syllables: 5 in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third (remember 5-7-5). Listening for syllables helps children understand the concept of individual sounds in words (phonemes), essential for learning how to read.

In Japan, haiku poetry is used to describe nature and things in the natural world. Help your child select a winter or holiday theme, and then compose a haiku about it. Ask your child to draw a picture to accompany the poem.

Here are a couple examples to get you started. Share yours below!

Restless children bounce
Waiting for Santa to come
Christmas Eve is long

Noses pressed to panes
Neighborhoods covered in white
It’s the first snow day