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Alliteration occurs when two or more words starting with the same sound are used repeatedly in a sentence or phrase. Using this deliberate repetition makes sentences sound funny and may spark giggles. So, here we bring you some alliteration poems for kids that are fun and interesting to learn. While your child recites these poems, you can explain the nuances of alliteration and how it imparts musical structure and rhythm to one’s writing style.
As your child understands how alliteration works, let them make a few sentences, phrases, or poems using this unique technique that works on sounds of words. Scroll down to check out a few examples of alliteration for kids.
How To Write An Alliteration Poem?
Writing alliteration poems is a wonderful creative exercise. It requires thinking of alliterating words and using them to create proper sentences. It is an easy way to write a poem and an excellent opportunity to let the child’s imagination run wild and come up with some fantastic poetry ideas.
Writing an alliteration poem involves a few easy steps:
- To write an alliteration poem, pick a consonant. Keep in mind to exclude the vowels.
- Think of as many words as you can that start with the chosen letter. The words can be adjectives, verbs, or nouns.
- Form a sentence with a few of the words from your list.
- Check if some more sentences can be added to create a small rhyme or a few rhyming sentences.
- Draw an appropriate conclusion to the poem.
Alliteration is the repetition of sounds, not only the letters. They need not be placed precisely next to each other. In prose and poetry, alliteration is often used in commercial writing, such as marketing taglines, brand names, and commercials.
Examples Of Alliteration Poems For Kids
Here are a few genres of alliteration poems that can be read out for children to learn.
Short Alliteration Poems For Kids
1. I saw an ol’ gnome
I saw an ol’ gnome
Take a gknock at a gnat
Who was gnibbling the gnose of his gnu?
I said, “Gnasty gnome,
Gnow, stop doing that.
That gnat ain’t done gnothing to you.”
He gnodded his gnarled ol’ head and said,
“‘Til gnow I gnevergnew
That gknocking a gnat
In the gnoodle like that
Was gnot a gnice thing to do.”
—Shel Silverstein
2. The Football Game
Blitz and blocking, bump-and-run
Drive and dropkick, the other team’s done
End zone, end line, ebb, and flow
Snap, sack, scrambling, I love it so
Football is fun and fabulous too
Let’s go to the stadium, just me and you.
—Alan Loren
3. Peter Piper
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
—Unknown
Quick fact4. Eat Wisely
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Franks and fries, and French fondue
Beans and burgers and biscuits too
Chicken, chili, and cheddar cheese
When I munch too much, I always sneeze!
—Alan Loren
5. Paradise Lost
I leave the plain, I climb the height;
No branchy thicket shelter yields;
But blessed forms in whistling storms
Fly o’er waste fens and windy fields
— John Milton
Famous Alliteration Poems For Children
6. In a Whispering Garden
That whisper takes the voice.
Of a Spirit, speaking to me,
Close, but invisible,
And throws me under a spell.
At the kindling vision it brings;
And for a moment I rejoice,
And believe in transcendent things.
That would make of this muddy earth.
A spot for the splendid birth
Of everlasting lives,
Whereto no night arrives;
And this gaunt gray gallery.
A tabernacle of worth
On this drab-aired afternoon,
When you can barely see
Across its hazed lacune
If opposite aught there be
Of fleshed humanity
Wherewith I may commune;
Or if the voice so near
Be a soul’s voice floating here.
—Thomas Hardy
7. Spoiled Brat
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The spoiled brat put a coat on the cat
The spoiled brat broke a bike with her bat
‘Bout whether a rodent’s a mouse or a rat
The spoiled brat said her sister was fat
— Silverstein
Alphabet Alliteration Poems For Kids
8. A to G Alliteration
Angry apes acting
Beautiful Barbra barking
Creative clowns clapping
Dramatic Diana dancing
Excited elephant entertaining
Funny flamingos flapping
Great guys grooving
—Daniela and Angie
9. Much Madness is Divinest Sense
Much Madness is divinest Sense –
To a discerning Eye –
Much Sense — the starkest Madness –
‘Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail –
Assent – and you are sane –
Demur – you’re straightway dangerous –
And handled with a Chain –
— Emily Dickinson
10. Alphabet Alliteration
Awesome, Allie ate apples
Brilliant Babies buy bananas
Colorful chameleons change colors
Droopy dogs dig dirt
Excellent elephants eat eggs
Funny friends find fossils
Great grandmas grow gardens
Hilarious, Hilary held her hat
Intelligent igloo Inuits iron ice
Jumping jokers juggle jugs
Kind kings kick kangaroos
Lovely, Lacey likes lots of lemurs
Marvelous Molly makes milkshakes
Noisy Noah nibbles nuts
Outstanding octopus ate Oreos
Purple porcupines play with pencils
Quiet Quarry quickly gets quiet
Rough Rufus rides roller skates
Stinky stars stands on stables
Tough Tommy tells Timmy to talk
Understanding us is a U-turn
Vicious likes to play volleyball
Wonderful Wal-Mart sold Whiskers
X-ray play xylophones
Yellow Yox Yo-Yoed yesterday
Zipping zebra zipped zippers
—Unknown
11. L to S Alliteration
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Laughing lions lie
Mad monkey mutter
Not neat jumping
Old orangutan outruns
Prized pencil plays
Quiet quilt quits
Rad rhino rages
Sad Sunday sits
—Zarek
Did you know?Funny Alliteration Poems For Kids
12. Crazy Words
People play poker in a place called Pop’s
While tigers go tramping on treetops
Kids practice canning with Kathy and Claire
As Harold and Helen have fun with their hair
—Alan Loren
13. Betty Botter
Betty Botter bought some butter,
“But,” she said, “the butter’s bitter;
If I put it in my batter,
It will make my batter bitter;
But a bit of better butter,
That would make my batter better.”
So she bought a bit of butter,
Better than her bitter butter,
And she put it in her batter,
And the batter was not bitter;
So it was better that Betty Botter
Bought a bit of better butter.
—Mother Goose Poems
14. Spinning Dry
If I had a choice when it’s time to get clean
I’d like to jump into our washing machine
for sudsing and soaking and rolling and churning
and bobbing and bubbling and twisting and turning.
Next, come my chance to feel just like a flyer
as I get to hop out and spin in the dryer.
I’d roll all around with a fluttering flopping,
just floating and turning with no thought of stopping.
It sounds like such fun, this incredible fling,
that I wouldn’t mind if I got static cling.
—Denise Rodgers
15. The Mess
Bubbly baby Bradley
And Annie’s sister Abby
Made a mess in Mab’s house
And now it’s rather shabby!
Clean it, cleanse it, don’t stand sill
Or you’ll bump heads with her boyfriend Bill.
—Alan Loren
Animal Alliteration Poems For Kids
16. Slithery, Slidery, Scaly Old Snake
Slithery, slidery, scaly old snake,
surely your body must be a mistake.
Your eyes, mouth, and tongue wisely stay on your head.
It seems that your body is all tail instead.
You gobble your dinner; you swallow it whole —
a mouse or a frog or a turtle or mole.
Ugh!
Why don’ you eat ice cream or chocolatey cake!
Oh, slithery, slidery, scaly old snake.
—Kimberly Garcia
17. Slippery Sloppery
Image: IStock
A slippery sloppery slipping snail
Slithered, slimed, and slid on the floor
Feeling hurried, harried, hungry, and helpless.
As starlings screeched, spiraled, and saw.
That slippery sloppery slipping snail
Who slithered slimed and slid on the floor
A fluttering of feathers fell frighteningly fast.
Meant that slippery sloppery slipping snail
Who slithered, slimed, and slid was no more.
—David Williams
18. Betty Boop’s Beaver
The brazen Billy Bailey,
could be such a bad, bad boy.
One day he bopped a beaver
who was busy working by the bay.
The beaver then bit Billy
near the bottom of his butt.
The beaver’s big bright teeth,
left a big bright bleeding cut
Then poor bawling Billy Bailey,
was bouncing by the bay
Just as beautiful Betty Boop
was passing by his way
She said, “It’s best not to bop beavers,
be a gentle boy instead.
Drop by my boudoir later
You can caress my beaver in my bed.”
—Richard Lamoureux
19. Under the Laden Clouds Nursery Rhyme
Listen to the Ladybug laugh;
Lingers and crawls up the giraffe’s
Long legs and neck, holding a staff.
Love to get its lips on the light chaff;
Later delights on a leaf for a late lunch.
Lazy near a log by the lake for a lush brunch,
Lamb, lion, and calf lie and munch
Limiting little for later to the bunch.
—Eve Roper
Creature Alliteration Poems For Kids
20. My Creature Alliteration Poem
This is a Lician.
A Lician lives in lying, lazy, lovely London.
A Lician eats looping spaghetti, lettuce, lollipops and lemons.
A Lician likes laughing, leaping, and looking at locusts.
A Lician is losing games and loving loops.
My Lician left my loose laundry all over the left floorboard.
— vitabugz
21. Rise Up
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Rise up children of the earth
Rise up men of the earth
Rise up women of the earth
Rise up politicians of the earth
Rise up scientists of the earth
Rise up super powers of the earth
Rise up little ones of the earth
Rise up every creature of the earth
Rise up you and me of the earth
Rise up to save mother earth
Rise up today
Rise up now
Arise
Solomon Ochwo-Oburu
22. Dogian
This is a dogian
A dogian lives in dusty dong houses when he digs
A dogian eats dangerous deadly doggie treats
A dogian likes to dive in dusty dog wholes
A dogian is daring determined and dependable
A dogian is drinking dirty water while driving with me
—Unknown
23. Catian
This is a catian
A catian lives in a couch with carrots while creating chaos
A catian eats cat food on a couch in a carrot farm
A catian likes to claw couches an compete
A catian is confident confused aand cruel
A catian drinks coco cola at chucky cheese
—Unknown
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can alliteration be two words?
Yes, alliteration can be two and doesn’t need to be in an entire sentence. Alliteration is when two words have the same initial sound. However, the writer must ensure that a rhyme is made and there is a purpose behind its use.
2. How can alliteration help a poem?
Alliteration creates a musical quality and makes poetry and prose more appealing to readers. It helps add rhythm and musicality to words and underlines the importance of the sound of words as meaning.
3. How does alliteration help children with language development?
According to a study, alliteration can help enhance phonological awareness in children, which is a crucial factor contributing to language skills development. With alliteration, a child may acquire enhanced reading, comprehension, and linguistic skills (2).
Alliteration poems for kids are interesting and engaging. Children find most alliteration poems funny because of the repetition of sounds. Introducing children to such poems helps enhance their vocabulary, thinking skills, creativity, and writing skills. It challenges their minds to think outside the box and have fun with literary devices. Whether it’s a sonnet, quintain, cinquain, or any other form, these poems engage young minds and allow them to have fun with language. So, if your children are beginning to understand and write alliteration poems, you should consider letting them go through the list of poems provided here. They will help them understand how such poems are formulated. Moreover, these poems will be useful for teachers as they teach this unique poetry skill to their students. Furthermore, teachers can also incorporate other poetic forms like odes, haikus, limerick, verselet, or couplet to further enrich their students’ understanding and appreciation of different types of poetry.
Watch this video to sing along and learn alliteration for kids! Fun and catchy alliteration song for children to enjoy and learn.
References
- Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Pepper
https://wordsforlife.org.uk/activities/peter-piper-picked-a-peck-of-pickled-pepper/ - Sylvia Fernandez-Fein and Linda Baker; (1997); Rhyme and Alliteration Sensitivity and Relevant Experiences Among Preschoolers From Diverse Backgrounds
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10862969709547967
