Image: iStockphoto
Cinquain poems for kids were first introduced in the early 20th century by a poet from America, Adelaide Crapsey. These five-lined poems are popular among children because they have just a few words that do not have to rhyme in every line, making them easy and fun to remember. Cinquain poems have been inspired by Japanese poems, haiku, and tanka. It also resembles limericks because of the five-line structure.
Learn more about children’s cinquain poems in this post.
What Is A Cinquain Poem?
Cinquain, pronounced as sin-cane, is an easy-to-write poetry style as it has only five lines, with few words in each line. The first and the last lines have only two syllables, whereas the middle verses have a few more words. This writing style gives a diamond shape or a tree-like shape to the poem. It is usually written in iambic meter. Thus, it could be said that cinquain poems are similar to haiku poems for kids with a few differences.
The most common type of cinquain is the American cinquain. A variant of the American cinquain, known as didactic cinquain. These poems can be used to teach or introduce poetry to kindergarten or primary school students.
Though they are only five lines long, cinquains tell us a story. Not just description words, they also have action words or conclusions.
Karen Liebert, a librarian, shares her experience of teaching children how to write Cinquain poems. She says, “I tried something new this year with third graders for National Poetry Month. We tackled writing cinquain poems… After explaining what a cinquain poem was, I had a graphic organizer for each student and dictionaries and thesauri on hand at each table. We worked on the poems for three library visits. During the first two sessions, the students used the graphic organizer to brainstorm and refine their writing. At the last session, they rewrote their poem on a new sheet of paper and added artwork. They were proud of their poems (i)!”
How To Write Cinquain Poems?
There are different methods of writing a cinquain. Here we share the traditional style as defined by Crapsey. While writing a cinquain poem, there are a few basic rules to follow.
- Cinquains should have five lines.
- They should have two syllables in the first line, four syllables in the second line, six syllables in the third, eight syllables in the fourth, and two syllables in the last line.
- Cinquains need not necessarily have rhyming words. It is up to the writer to include them or not.
Did you know?Let your children follow these simple and easy steps to learn how to write cinquain poems.
- Set your imagination free and then choose or decide the topic you want to write about.
- Brainstorm for some words and phrases that are apt and suit your topic.
- Think about the suitable short story you want to tell using those words.
- While making sure that your syllable count matches the cinquain form of writing, jot down the words and phrases you have decided for forming a cinquain poem.
10 Examples Of Cinquain Poems For Kids
Listed below are a few examples of some simple cinquain poems. Make learning literature fun for your children and let them read these to get some inspiration.
1. Life
Life
A journey
Enjoy it today
Like there’s no tomorrow
Precious
– Kavya
2. The Days Of School
Image: IStock
School Days
Crazy, boring
Work! Work! Work! Too much work!
The last days are always the best
All done.
– David Kulczyk
3. Water
Water
To drink
And to clean
An ambrosia for life
Paramount
– Chandra Thiagarajan
4. Drifting Clouds
Image: IStock
Clouds
Slowly drifting
Across the horizon
Looking for a dry
Place
– Heather Burns
5. Existence
Existence
Joyous, melancholy
Creating, flowing, demolishing,
Energy that is life and death
Vitality
– Anita Sehgal
6. Seal Pup
Seal pup
Color of snow
Camouflage will not be
Enough to fool the nose of great
White bear
– Kim Barney
Point to consider7. Ice Cream
Image: IStock
Ice cream
I love ice cream
I could eat it all-day
But it always gives me toothache
Not fair
– David Wood
8. Rainbows
Rainbows
Span endless sky
Through distant lands and seas
Colors connecting you and I
With peace.
– Cynthia Buhain-Baello
9. The Sky
Image: IStock
The sky
Grows light and pink
As the sun rises and
Warms the sleepy mountains with a
Soft kiss
– Maria Herron
Do remember10. Backtrack
Backtrack
As you try to take back harsh words
Spoken far too quickly;
It’s hard to say
Sorry.
– C Richard Miles
Illustration: Best Cinquains Poems For Kids And How To Write It
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are cinquains usually about?
Cinquain poems can be used to give a vivid image of anything, be it a person, place, food, or scenery.
2. Where do cinquain poems come from?
The origin of cinquain poems dates back to medieval French poetry and has examples in the European languages book (1).
3. Why is it called cinquain?
The term “cinquain” is derived from French, where the word “cinq” means five. These poems or stanzas are therefore composed of five lines.
Like acrostic, ode, and ballad, cinquain poems for kids are fun and easy to write. You just have to remember a few basic rules, such as it should have five lines, the first and the last lines should have two syllables, and the second, third, and fourth lines have four, six, and eight syllables, respectively. These free verse poems for kids are easy to create. Your children may pick up any topic of their choice and create a cinquain poem based on it. So, let them read the poems provided here and understand the concept. Then, they can be imaginative and start creating their own verses. They may also try their hands on other poetry types such as acrostic, ballad, ode, couplets, and sonnets.
Infographic: Rules And Steps To Follow When Writing A Cinquain Poem
Cinquain poems are a beautiful style of poetry writing, with limited phrases, which makes it interesting yet challenging to write. So, if you are thinking of introducing your child(ren) to these poems, check out the infographic below for some rules and steps to follow when writing a cinquain poem.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Key Pointers
- Cinquain poems are five-line poems with an irregular structure, easy for kids to learn and write.
- They were first developed by American poet Adelaide Crapsey, inspired by limericks and Japanese haiku and tanka.
- Cinquains have two syllables in the first and fifth lines and four, six, and eight syllables in the second, third, and fourth lines, respectively.
- Because of their fixed syllable structure, they are great for teaching kids how to count syllables and write poetry.
- These poems are normally centered around a noun but can have any theme, such as seasons, moods, food, people, or places.
Poems are a great medium to introduce a variety of emotions, human experiences and imaginations in children. Teach your child how to write cinquain poems through this video.
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. Cinquain poetry with third grade.https://thelibraryteacher.wordpress.com/2019/06/07/cinquain-poetry-with-third-grade/
References
- Cinquain.
https://poets.org/glossary/cinquain
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