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Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetry form that kids can learn to write too. There are three basic steps to teach kids to write haiku. First, expose children to haiku through read aloud. Next, help kids identify the characteristics of haiku. Finally, give children guided practice in composing haiku.
A Brief History of Haiku
Haiku has been around for centuries. It started with a traditional Japanese poetry form called renga. People would create poetry together during social gatherings. One person would come up with a few lines, then the next person would add some. After taking turns writing stanzas, renga could end up a hundred lines long.
The first few opening lines of this lengthy poem, called the hokku, set the mood for the poem. In the 17th century the hokku broke off to become an independent poem, what is known as haiku today.
Famous Japanese Haiku Poets
Matsuo Basho is the most famous Haiku poet. He’s known for refining the haiku poetry form.
An old pond! A frog jumps in- The sound of water.
Other famous traditioanl Japanese haiku poets are Kobabyashi Issa, Masaoka Shiki, and Yosa Buson. Masaoka Shiki gave it the poetry name haiku in the 19th century.
How to Teach Kids to Write Haiku
1. Read haiku to kids
Help children to get familiar with the poetry form by reading lots of haiku first. Read some famous poems from the traditional Japanese poets as well as modern haiku. There are several haiku poetry books written for children. The more exposure, the better.
2. Identify characteristics of haiku
After reading lots of haiku, ask kids to take a closer look at the poetry form and content. Choose a few haiku samples to study in detail. Ask leading questions to help children identify the three main characteristics of haiku.
| Characteristic | Questions |
| Only three lines, seventeen syllables, with 5-7-5 syllable pattern | How long is the poem? What is a syllable? Count the syllables in each line. What do you notice? |
| Written in present tense | Find the verbs. What is the verb tense? Why do you think haiku is written in present tense? |
| Subject is seasonal/nature related | What season does the poem make you think of? What word in the haiku symbolizes or is related to a season? |
Other possible characteristics to discuss
Dive deeper into haiku with older children and teens. Here are things you might discuss about haiku.
- It doesn’t rhyme.
- Can be read in one breath.
- Uses concrete imagery that’s easy to visualize
- Focuses on a brief moment in time
- Sounds natural, not choppy
- Doesn’t need a title
- No fancy adjectives or adverbs, similes or metaphors
- Leaves reader with something to think about
- Can have a surprise ending
- Answers where, when, and what
- Uses words that appeal to the five senses
- When Japanese is translated into English, the number of syllables is often shorter than seventeen (like in the famous frog haiku written by Basho translated above)
- Modern poets don’t always adhere to the traditional 5-7-5 pattern
3. Give guided practice in composing haiku
Walk your children through the haiku writing process. Practice writing one collaboratively first before sending your child off to write one independently.
Choose a topic
Choose a topic from nature that you can observe. Watch the butterfly sipping nectar or the rain falling down. If you can’t go outside, think about a small moment in your life. Close your eyes and remember the details.
Use your senses to observe your subject. How does it look, feel, sound, taste, and smell? You’ll want to use language that appeals to two senses in your haiku. Write down key words.
Work words and phrases into 5-7-5 pattern
Take the words and phrases that came to mind, when you made observations, and work them into the haiku pattern. Use simple language and short phrases that conjure up powerful images. Choose words that appeal to one of the five senses and/or the sense of movement.
Remember to use present tense. You want to the reader to feel like they’re in your shoes, experiencing the moment as they read.
Use punctuation (dashes, ellipses, and commas) to guide the rhythm.
Here’s a haiku my first grader and I wrote together about baseball. He focused on the topic and the syllables. With more experience he’ll learn how to incorporate other important characteristics of haiku, like focusing on one moment in time and using his other senses. I helped him do this by adding the last line.
Read it out loud
Haiku needs to be read out loud to hear how it sounds. Read it to your brother or sister or your grandmother. Ask them how they feel after hearing it. Haiku should require the reader to slow down and contemplate.
Chase Maser, co-founder of PSPoets, puts it like this,
Take a breath, read the poem, exhale, and see how you feel.
Make a final copy
Write each line of the haiku centered on the paper, forming a diamond shape. You don’t need a title, but if you do want one, make it short. Cut out the poem and mount on colorful construction paper. Or print out the haiku on a blank piece of paper, and draw an illustration to go with it.
10 Haiku Activities
- Write a “What am I?” haiku using animal photographs
- Read haiku and follow the instructions to make origami to go with it in Origami and Haiku: Inspired by Japanese Artwork by Nosy Crow (affiliate link)
- Write haiku based on Japanese art idea from Pragmatic Mom
- Play Haikubes Poetry Game (affiliate link)
- Lesson ideas and a free haiku starter printable from ReadWriteThink
- Read haiku and make an illustration to go with it. Experiment with different art mediums and styles.
- Make a haiku tunnel book from TeachKidsArt
- Read haiku written by other kids that won the World Children’s Haiku Contest and consider entering your own in the next competition, or enter the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association Haiku and Senryu Competition for grades 7-12
- Write vocabulary haiku to show understanding of new words from CorbettHarrison
- Sort haiku into categories: Find poems that are funny and some that are sad. Use the five senses to sort the haiku. Which ones help you see, feel, hear, smell, and taste?
It’s fun to teach kids to write haiku. Kids like the challenge of counting syllables and finding the just the right words. With a little practice they’ll know how to choose topics, use sensory words, and stick in the present tense to tell about one small moment and create poetry they’re proud of.
