KS2 Adjective & Adverb Word Banks for Poetry 📝 | Free A4 Mats for Classroom Writing

KS2 children love writing imaginative poems — but many struggle to choose the right words.
These adjective and adverb resources give pupils the vocabulary they need to write with detail, confidence and flair.

This post includes:

✅ Two FREE A4 Word Mats (PDF downloads)
• One Adjective Mat and one Adverb Mat
• Designed, grouped and ready to print for classroom use

✅ Extended KS2 Word Lists inside this post
• Much larger collections of adjectives and adverbs
• Organised by theme (colour, emotion, nature, movement, sound, etc.)
• With model sentences and poetry examples

✅ Text-Only Versions for Exercise Books
• Simple copy-and-paste lists for pupil notebooks

Plus:
✨ Quick warm-ups
✨ Classroom activities
✨ Differentiation ideas
✨ Assessment suggestions

Perfect for Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6.

If your pupils enjoy creative writing, you can also book me for an Online Poetry Workshop or In-Person Poetry Day.

🌟 Why Use Adjective & Adverb Word Banks in Poetry?

Good poetry depends on precise vocabulary choices.

• Adjectives help children create imagery.

• Adverbs help them add detail, movement and tone.

Word banks support pupils when they:

• build stronger descriptions

• use figurative language

• add emotion or atmosphere

• perform poems with expression

• edit and improve their writing

These mats work brilliantly for:

• whole-class modelling

• guided writing

• independent tasks

• SEN scaffolding

• greater-depth extension

🔗 Related Posts

• KS2 Poetry Vocabulary Mats

• Teaching Figurative Language KS2

• Teaching Powerful Verbs Through Poetry

• KS2 Poetry Comprehension Worksheets

✨ KS2 Adjective Word Bank (FREE A4 MAT)

Use these adjectives to help children paint pictures with words.
They are grouped so pupils can quickly find the right idea.

🎨 Colour & Light Adjectives

vibrant • shimmering • pale • glowing • misty • luminous • shadowy • icy • golden • dazzling • hazy • silver • smoky

Sentence starters:

• “A luminous glow filled the valley…”

• “The shadowy forest waited silently…”

🌳 Nature & Environment Adjectives

rustling • tangled • towering • brittle • rugged • rippling • swirling • windswept • ancient • earthy • wild • delicate

Poetry idea:
Describe a tree using only adjectives.
Then remove one word at a time until the description becomes “bare”.

This activity helps pupils understand how adjectives build imagery — and what happens when you strip them away. It’s quick, visual and works brilliantly across KS2.

Step-by-step guide:

1. Choose a simple noun:
   Write “tree” on the board (or choose a season-themed object like “forest”, “mountain”, or “snowy field”).

2. Ask pupils to describe it using only adjectives.
   Challenge them to write a single line or list made up entirely of adjectives.
   Example:
   “twisted, ancient, mossy, hollow, brittle, shadowy”

3. Discuss how the adjectives create an image.
   Ask:

   • What kind of tree does this sound like?

   • How do these adjectives affect the mood?

   • Which words feel strongest?

4. Now remove one adjective at a time.
   Rub out or cross out one word from the list.
   Read the line again.
   Keep repeating until only one adjective is left.

5. Talk about how the image becomes “bare”.
   Pupils will notice:

   • The description becomes less detailed

   • The mood weakens

   • The picture in their mind becomes less clear

   • The remaining words take on new significance

6. Extension for writing:

   • Pupils rewrite the image as a two-line poem using their best adjectives

   • OR write a contrasting version by switching adjectives (e.g., calm, soft, peaceful…)

7. Greater Depth challenge:
   Ask pupils to choose one final adjective and explain why it is the strongest, or rewrite the noun using a metaphor based on the adjectives they selected.

This activity clearly demonstrates how adjectives build imagery — and helps pupils think carefully about which words truly matter.

Great for teachers looking to save time!

😄 Emotion & Character Adjectives

anxious • triumphant • restless • gloomy • furious • hopeful • bold • joyful • curious • nervous • determined • proud

Sentence starters:

• “A restless shiver crept down my spine…”

• “The class stood proud and ready to perform…”

🌦️ Weather & Atmosphere Adjectives

blustery • eerie • peaceful • tense • freezing • oppressive • calm • dramatic • gloomy • swirling • icy • thunderous

Short writing prompt:
Write a two-line poem describing a storm using one weather adjective and one emotion adjective.

🧪 Texture, Shape & Sensory Adjectives

prickly • velvety • jagged • smooth • gritty • spiky • crisp • sticky • fluffy • hollow • dense • slippery

Model sentence:
“The jagged cliffs cut into the gritty shoreline.”

👉 Download the KS2 Adjective Word Mat 

Hundreds of FREE poetry ideas, activities and resources-ready to download!

⚡ KS2 Adverb Word Bank (FREE A4 MAT)

Adverbs add precision, movement and performance detail to poetry.

🏃 Movement Adverbs

swiftly • cautiously • suddenly • boldly • gracefully • silently • rapidly • steadily • wildly • tirelessly

Model line:
“The leaves danced gracefully in the breeze.”

🔊 Sound & Performance Adverbs

softly • fiercely • loudly • rhythmically • quietly • proudly • dramatically • playfully • boldly

Teacher tip:
Use these during performance poetry.
Ask pupils to read a line in different “adverb styles.”

🎭 Emotion & Tone Adverbs

sadly • joyfully • nervously • hopefully • urgently • confidently • anxiously • bravely

Simple exercise:
Give a neutral sentence.
Pupils rewrite it three times using different emotion adverbs.

🌬️ Weather & Nature Adverbs

gently • violently • steadily • endlessly • lightly • forcefully • slowly • fiercely • calmly

Sentence starter:
“The river flowed steadily through the valley…”

✍️ Writing & Thinking Adverbs

carefully • thoughtfully • creatively • precisely • quietly • deliberately • curiously

Perfect for reflection, editing and metacognition.

👉 Download the KS2 Adverb Word Mat 

🎒 Classroom Activities (Quick & Effective)

1. Adjective Upgrade

Give pupils a dull sentence:
“The dog walked along the street.”
Children rewrite it using three adjectives.

2. Adverb Challenge

Give an action (run, whisper, dance).
Pupils choose an adverb to change the tone.

3. Poetry Dice

Make two dice:

• Dice 1 = adjectives

• Dice 2 = nouns

Roll both and write a four-line poem using the pairing.

4. Show, Don’t Tell

Give emotions like anger, fear, excitement.
Children describe a scene using adjectives and adverbs only — no emotion words allowed.

5. Sensory Expansion

Use adjective lists to describe:

• a room

• a forest

• a celebration

• a mysterious object

Then turn the description into a poem.

📄 Text-Only Version for Exercise Books

Use this simple, black-and-white list if you want pupils to copy vocabulary into their books or for low-ink printing.

Adjectives (Full List):
vibrant, shimmering, pale, glowing, misty, luminous, shadowy, icy, golden, dazzling, hazy, silver, smoky,
rustling, tangled, towering, brittle, rugged, rippling, swirling, windswept, ancient, earthy, wild, delicate,
anxious, triumphant, restless, gloomy, furious, hopeful, bold, joyful, curious, nervous, determined, proud,
blustery, eerie, peaceful, tense, freezing, oppressive, calm, dramatic, gloomy, swirling, icy, thunderous,
prickly, velvety, jagged, smooth, gritty, spiky, crisp, sticky, fluffy, hollow, dense, slippery.

Adverbs (Full List):
swiftly, cautiously, suddenly, boldly, gracefully, silently, rapidly, steadily, wildly, tirelessly,
softly, fiercely, loudly, rhythmically, quietly, proudly, dramatically, playfully, boldly,
sadly, joyfully, nervously, hopefully, urgently, confidently, anxiously, bravely,
gently, violently, steadily, endlessly, lightly, forcefully, slowly, fiercely, calmly,
carefully, thoughtfully, creatively, precisely, quietly, deliberately, curiously.

👉 Download Full Lists here

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👩‍🏫 Teacher Pedagogy Notes

Curriculum links

• vocabulary building

• figurative language

• expanded noun phrases

• performance poetry

• editing and improving writing

Differentiation

• Support: highlight 10–12 words to choose from

• Challenge: pupils create their own adjective/adverb mini-mat

Assessment

• Do pupils choose vocabulary that enhances meaning?

• Can they explain why an adjective or adverb works well?

• Can they edit to improve word choice?

🌈 Final Thoughts

KS2 children produce their best poems when they have exciting vocabulary to choose from.
These adjective and adverb mats give them confidence, structure and creative spark.
They make poetry more accessible — and far more enjoyable — across Years 3–6.

If you’d like me to inspire your pupils to write and perform their own poems, you can book a Poetry Day or Online Poetry Workshop.

📅 Book your school here: Poets in Schools – Ian Bland