Alice in the Wonderland Shape Poetry Writing Activity

Poems can be such a joy to write and are one the quickest and easiest writing activities out there! Not everyone can write a 500 words story every day, but you can write a short poem, like a haiku or a Clerihew poem. Today we decided to look at one of the most creative forms of poetry, shape poems! And because today is also Lewis Carroll’s birthday we decided to take inspiration from Alice in the Wonderland. So, carry on reading if you want to learn the rules of shape poetry and find some examples of Alice in the Wonderland shape poetry! For more writing activities, check out these Alice in Wonderland writing prompt ideas.

You might also like this list of over 85 inspirational Alice in Wonderland quotes from the books and movies!

Shape Poetry Tips

Before we begin with the Alice in the Wonderland shape poetry activity, here are some tips for writing shape poems:

1. Before jumping in, the first thing you should do is decide on the shape of your poem and theme. For example, if you are writing a poem about vampires, you probably will want to use a bat as the shape of your poem.
2. Don’t over-complicate your shape with shadows and details. Keep it simple, only use outlines and basic shapes (you will see some examples below relating to Alice in the Wonderland).
3. Plan your poem out before writing it into your shape. You can use a separate piece of scrap paper to do this. When you are ready, you can then write it in a shape format.
4. Using a pencil, lightly outline or draw your shape onto your paper. Then write your words matching the outline. This will provide a neat guideline for your poetry.

Alice in the Wonderland Shape Poetry Activity

Now we know the rules of the game, let’s begin the activity! Using Alice in the Wonderland (books or movies) as a source of inspiration, can you write a shape poem using the following objects?

• Teacup
• Cat
• Clock
• Rabbit
• Hat
• Now think of your own shape.

You get points for getting the following correct:

• Following the shape of the object in your poem.
• Using words connecting to the shape of your poem.
• Using ideas and details relating to the Alice in the Wonderland story.
• Using descriptive or emotional words that create a picture in your readers head.

If you need some inspiration or ideas below are some examples of Alice in the Wonderland shape poems, that you can use as a guideline.

Teacup shape poem

Tea Party in the murky woods.
Creatures from all over are invited.
Wear your best hat and bring your favourite dessert.
Hooray!
There’s plenty of tea for everyone, rabbit, mat hatter…
And even those little birds.
So, come and join us for a fun time.

Chesire cat shape poem

Chesire cat with a smile the size of the moon.
Watching my every move.
One minute you’re here.
The next your gone.
Please, come back when I really need you!
I love your bushy tail and big wide eyes.
Are you my imagination or real?
I hope to find out!

Clock shape poem

Time ticking away. Tick tock, tick tock.
Cant go back.
Don’t want to go forward.
I’ll just jump down a hole.
Enter a whole new world.
Where cats talk and rabbits wear clothes.
But don’t eat the cake!
And when I come back.
I’ll be whole!

Rabbit shape poem

Go run little rabbit, run!
Time is running out!
Save wonderland.
Watch out for the beasts that lurk in the woods.
And don’t let the mad hatter scare you.
Find Alice before it’s too late!
Now go RUN!

Mad Hatter’s hat shape poem

Hats of so many colours, sizes and shapes.
Have your ever deen a collection so big and bold?
I love them all!
Hats for every occasion…
Winter, summer and even Halloween!
But which one today?

Share your Alice in the Wonderland shape poems!

Now it’s your turn! We would love to see your Alice in the Wonderland shape poems! You can share them with us either using the comments below or on social media using #imagineforest. In the meantime, why not check out our other fun writing activities for kids and writing prompts.