National Poetry Day is the biggest mass celebration of poetry in the UK and a chance for all of us to share in the pleasure of poetry. This year it takes place on Thursday 3rd October and as my next Reading Matters round-up is due on 5th October I thought that it deserved its own special Reading Matters. So here for your enjoyment and to help with any activities you may be hoping to plan linked to poetry are a range of resources, news and bits and bobs to assist you.

Celebrate the joy of poetry with Michael Rosen’s Big 50 Year Show! – Michael Rosen and The Children’s Bookshow are releasing the recording of Michael’s Big 50 Year Show, performed at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich earlier this year, for teachers, parents and children to watch on National Poetry Day 2024. Watch Michael perform some all-time favourite poems including Hot Food, No Breathing and of course, Chocolate Cake! The link above will take you to a trailer for the show and the show itself will be available on Michael Rosen’s YouTube channel here from 0.01 on 3rd October. There is a fabulous range of resources, articles and videos available on the Children’s Bookshow website for you to access and download.

Forward Arts Foundation: Resources and Poems – The free classroom-ready worksheets and resources on the Forward Arts Foundation official National Poetry Day website are all approved by curriculum experts for KS1 to KS5, to help make this year’s National Poetry Day as easy as possible. So you can just download, print and go. It is possible to search by age group or by theme; this year’s theme is Counting, last year’s was Refuge.

Poetry By Heart 2025 – this year’s Poetry By Heart competition launches on National Poetry Day at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe with a live event full of poetry, and a special guest, Imtiaz Dharker who will be sharing her poems. The date of this year’s Grand Finale at Shakespeare’s Globe will also be announced. If you haven’t taken part for a while, you can register now to access the free poetry resources. If you registered last year, all you will need to do after the official launch is login with your existing credentials to activate your 2025 competition entry. Everyone who registers to take part will be posted the free 2025 competition kit with posters, calendar and competition resources as soon as it’s ready. 

National Poetry Day: Virtual School Visit with Eilish Fisher – Schools are invited to join Waterstones (free of charge) online for a very special virtual event on National Poetry Day (3rd October 10.30am) with author and poet Eilish Fisher as she presents new verse novel, Fia and the Last Snow Deer, which is illustrated by Dermot Flynn. Recommended for years 5, 6 and 7.  

National Poetry Day: Laura Mucha to attempt world’s largest school poetry lesson – Children’s author and poet Laura Mucha is to attempt a Guinness World Records title for giving the largest poetry lesson, with more than 200,000 children from 1,200 schools already signed up. The lesson, which will take place at 10am on National Poetry Day will bring together students around the UK and beyond to contribute to writing one collective poem, based on this year’s theme of counting. The poem will then be displayed on billboards across the country. The lesson is for students aged seven to 12 (Y3-Y7/P4-P7). Schools need a minimum of 25 participating students to take part. To sign up, click here.

BBC: Poetry Teaching Resources – A collection of teaching resources for primary and secondary schools, for bringing poetry to life in the classroom.

Books For Topics: Primary Poetry Book List – On this booklist the Books for Topics review team have picked a selection of poetry suitable for primary school classrooms. You can find their best children’s poetry collections recommended for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.

Just Imagine: Poetry Renaissance – this is an excellent article by Nikki Gamble on the Just Imagine website showcasing both established and new poets and poetry collections. There are suggestions for every year group from Early Years to Year 6 and encourages us all to realise that “poetry should not be reserved for a single day in the year.”

National Literacy Trust National Poetry Day – there are many links here to resources, workshops and articles on this website suitable for a wide age range which are curriculum-linked and support the development of skills and confidence in writing, storytelling, working together and performance.

HFL Education: Raising the profile of poetry – What’s the best way to make poetry part of school life? Could reading & writing poetry unlock creativity in your classroom? In this new blog, Kayleigh Valentini dives into ways to share, enjoy and embed poetry in school, with some great ideas for Poetry Day and all year round.

Finally, here are some of my personal recommendations for poetry for children published in the last few years. A Passing on of Shells by Simon Lamb illustrated by Chris Riddell would be wonderful for use in schools and with its embossed hardback cover and stunning illustrations it would also be a special gift to treasure. Fifty poems of fifty words each on subjects ranging from family to nature, offering hope and humour, wisdom and insight are gathered together in this clever debut collection. When Poems Fall From the Sky by Zaro Weil and Junli Song is a simply glorious collection of poems, stories and plays encouraging us all to slow down, to take notice and to appreciate the wonderful world around us. For Every One by Jason Reynolds, for slightly older readers, is told in the form of a letter and this is poetry that simultaneously inspires and comforts the reader. The prose is passionate, direct and rousing presented in an accessible pocket sized format.