Best poetry apps for kids
The apps reviewed are not produced or distributed by TheSchoolRun. All details were correct when we reviewed them, but please note that some apps can be very short-lived and may become unavailable to download. We are unable to guarantee that the app listings we provide are completely up-to-date at all times.
Best for inspiring creativity
Word Creativity Kit, £4.99, Apple
A finalist in the prestigious BETT education awards 2017, Word Creativity Kit is a brilliant all-round app that will help your child create poems and other creative writing.
It’s based on the concept of random stimulus, giving your child prompts to inspire their writing. They start with a selection of randomly generated words from seven different categories, then let their imagination run wild, creating poems, limericks, jokes, stories and even complete books.
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- KS1 & KS2 workbooks
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There are also lots of interactive features to make poetry-writing fun, including stickers, backgrounds, colours and customisable fonts, and your child can ask Siri to read their poem so they can hear how it sounds when spoken aloud.
Best for generating rhymes
Furious Rhymes, free, Apple
If your child is struggling to find the right rhyme for their poem, Furious Rhymes is the app they need.
The fast and powerful rhyming dictionary contains over 100,000 words for your child to use in their poems. They simply type in the word they want to rhyme with, and the app produces a list of suitable words including perfect rhymes, half rhymes, vowel rhymes, consonant rhymes and more (to access the full database, you’ll need a paid subscription at $3.99).
There’s a pronunciation playback feature so your child can check how the rhyme sounds, and they can look up the definition of a word, too. They can also use the inbuilt notepad to compose their poems. Just bear in mind that the app is in US English, so some spellings and definitions vary.
Best for pre-schoolers and Foundation Stage
Playful Poems, £1.99, Apple
This interactive app is aimed at children of pre-school age, introducing simple poems that relate to their everyday lives.
The collection of 30 short original rhyming poems covers topics such as pets and siblings and day-to-day tasks like tidying up, with clear, British English narration and colourful illustrations. It also includes instructions for finger games and actions, building fine motor skills.
For parents, there’s an extensive information area which includes tips for sharing poetry with children and details about how their vocabulary and comprehension skills should develop according to their age and stage.
Best for Key Stage 2 kids
Instant Poetry 2, £2.99, Apple
Remember those magnetic poetry sets that you used to use to compose masterpieces on the fridge door? Instant Poetry 2 is the digital equivalent, and although it’s not designed specifically for kids, they’ll have a lot of fun coming up with their own creations.
The app generates a random selection of words in a word bank at the bottom of the screen. Your child can choose the ones they want to use and drag them to the top of the screen to compose their poem. If they don’t like the words they’ve been given, they can refresh them as many times as they like. They can upload their own photo to use as a background for the app, or opt for a randomly generated picture.
The basic version of the app is free, but upgrading to Super Poet allows you to customise font and colour, add your own words, and more. You can also unlock different word themes, including pirates and LOLcats, for 99p each.
Best for writing rhyming poems
Poetreat, 99p, Apple
Poetreat may not be intended for children in particular, but it’s a great app for helping them write their own poems, tracking the syllable count of each line and suggesting words that rhyme.
First, your child can choose the rhyme scheme for their poem (for example, ABAB, AABB or ABABCC). They then compose their first line. As they start each new line, the app suggests words that rhyme with the words they used – such as stay, way, sway and bay to rhyme with ‘play.’ Your child can tap the word they want to use, and it will insert it in their poem.
The app also tracks how many syllables your child has used in each line, to make sure it scans properly.
The free app allows your child to create three of their own poems. To write unlimited poems, you can buy the full version for 99p.
Best for writing haiku
FiveSevenFive Haiku, free, Apple
Primary school children are often taught to write haiku – short Japanese poems that have three lines of five, seven and five syllables – as part of the English curriculum. This simple little app is great for helping them practise writing haiku at home.
Your child starts by selecting an image to use as inspiration, choosing from the stock images or uploading a picture of their own. They can then write their own haiku on top of the image, with the app tracking how many syllables they’ve used on each line.
Finally, they can save their haiku, and the app will convert it to an image with text overlay that they can share or print: perfect for sticking in their homework book.
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