- 1). Play the name game, which can be accomplished in several ways. Ask students to rearrange the letters in their first and last names to create a funny title, then have them write a short poem using the title. Another take on this game is to use the each of the letters of your name to start a line of your poem. This can result in funny lines of poetry.
- 2). Write nonsense: Ask your students to write a short poem. Each line of the poem should be the first thought that pops into their minds. The trick is to write without thinking about what they will write. Each line may make sense in and of itself, but when taken in context with the entire poem can create some humorous results. If you want to encourage students to write around one theme with this game, suggest a topic to get them started. It can be as simple as suggesting "clowns" as the topic. Students can still write the first thing that comes to their minds, as long as it fits the theme you suggest.
- 3). Have the children examine a funny picture and make up a poem about it. A cartoon image of a crocodile eating a banana can inspire a different funny story in each child's mind. Use the same picture for an entire class and compare the resulting funny poems created by the same image.
- 4). Assign a funny word to your students and ask them to use either that word or a word that rhymes with it at the end of each line of their poems. A word like "baloney" might result in some funny rhymes. This also challenges students to strive to find new rhyme words.
- 5). Engage your students in a poetry race. Ask them to write a five-line poem on a funny topic you choose, then see who can finish first. Trying to finish first forces students to use whatever lines of poetry that come to mind, which can result in funny combinations.
- 6). Give your students a poem with several blank spaces for them to fill in their own word choices, then allow students to take turns reading their poems to compare them. The students can then vote on which poem made them laugh the most.
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