Haiku Poems: How to Write a Haiku (Haiku Examples Included)

Poetry is a medium through which humans express their deepest thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It can be a great way for children to channel their emotions too, and what better way to teach young children poetry than teaching them all about haiku poems?

But what is a haiku poem? How do you write one? Well, today, on International Haiku Poetry Day, let’s talk about what haiku poems are, tips to teach children to write one, and a few haiku poem examples.

What are Haiku poems?

Haiku poems are Japanese short-form poetry with unrhymed lines and consisting of only 17 syllables.

There is a unique way to write a haiku poem. Haiku poems consist of only three lines with 17 syllables—five in the first, seven in the second, and five in the third line. So when you check for haiku poems, you’ll get haiku examples with 5-7-5 rules.

Traditionally, haiku poems were written as descriptions of nature and life. One would go out in nature and pen down their feelings in three lines. But today, as modern poetry has evolved, haiku poems encompass anything that catches the poet’s eye.

Because of the simplicity of haiku poems, they can be one of the easier and simpler forms of poetry that parents could help teach their children.

Also read: World Poetry Day | Creative ways to introduce poetry to Kids

Tips for teaching Haiku poems to children

• Teach them about the concept of syllables
• Read a few haiku poem examples to your child
• To have a fair understanding of haiku poems, talk to them about the purpose behind poetry
• Haiku poems are not limited to nature and life anymore, so encourage your little one to write about anything close to their heart
• Ask them to list out words that are suitable for their topic
• Emphasize on the 5-7-5 rule 
• Let them hash out a few samples before writing a haiku poem
• Tell them that haiku poems need not rhyme and should only sound natural
• After a topic has been decided, ask your little one to write a few short lines about the topic
• Ask them to write a haiku poem in the present tense
• After writing a haiku poem, let your child read it out loud and hear how it sounds
• Your child can connect haiku poem lines with dashes, ellipses, and commas to guide the rhythm
• Ask your child to illustrate their haiku poem with a simple drawing, or make a drawing first and write a haiku poem on it

Although haiku poems can be read in a breath and seem too easy to understand, it’s not the same when it comes to writing them. Don’t expect your child to master haiku poems within a few trials; even adults need years to master the art of haiku poems.

Also read: 20 questions to spark your child’s curiosity | Free printable

Haiku examples

When your child is learning to write haiku poems, let them begin with something funny or silly, like spilling food in the kitchen. The haiku poem could be something like—

Splat! Sauce on the ground,

Noodles scattered all around,

Oops, clumsy me, sigh.

A haiku poem on homework

Pencil in my hand,

Homework waiting on my desk,

Learning every day.

A haiku poem on soccer

Kicking the soccer ball,

Running fast across the field,

Goal! Danced a little.

A haiku poem on cat

Smooth and velvety,

Purring for milk on the step,

Loyal kitty cat.

A riddle haiku poem on frog

Hopping in the mud,

Croaking loudly, jumping high,

Who am I, do you know?

Isn’t it fun to read haiku poems? Your child can write fun and silly haiku to begin with. This can help ignite the desire to write more similar poems or poems in general. Poetry can be a great medium for young children to express themselves when mere, simple words fail to do so. 

With a little practice, your child will know how to choose topics and sensory words and write the haiku in the present tense to tell about one special moment and construct poetry they’re proud of. So let learning and writing haiku poems be a fun task you do with your child to expand their imagination and enhance their creativity.

Head over to byjuslearning.com to learn more about our Active Learning approach to Math, Language, and Reading for children between Pre-K and Grade 3.