Help a Child Write a Personal Mother's Day Poem

First of all, remember to keep it age-appropriate. For example, try some of these:

For babies, make handprints with washable tempera paint. Then, below the handprints, copy out any sweet poem you make up or find online, and voila! Mom is smiling!

First graders often don't do so well with pencil and paper, but they don't want to do "baby work" either. So try this. Give the children a group of poetic lines whose first letters allow them to spell their mother's names. Then, they place the printed lines vertically, cutting and pasting them onto a construction paper page edged with sparkly hearts and stars or curlicues made with glitter glue. Picture this for a mother named Opal.

O is for outstanding.

P is for patient.

A is for artistic.

L is for lovely.

Second and third graders can come up with their own lines, using your own simply-worded poem with your own mother's name as an example. Paper doilies can be pasted to this as a delicate background. Add a dusting of glitter and it is art!

Older kids can have the chance to express themselves by adapting poems that you provide from simple poetry books. Then, have them make their own background, card, or even a printed creation they invent at home with the poem as a centerpiece. The following poem, for example, came out of the old "Roses Are Red" theme:

Orchids are pretty

Chocolate is sweet

But my mom, Wanda,

Always makes me treats!

Even though many of us groaned at those lines, Wanda, you can imagine, might give a teary smile. Kids know what will please Mom, so spark their imagination and then let them run with it!

If your group generally consists of born poets, be there with encouragement for the few who aren't. Keep these ideas in mind , and the ones who are not as confident as the others can have a chance to blossom!