KS2 Character Poems | Fun Examples & Creative Writing Ideas for Primary Schools
KS2 Character Poems are one of the most enjoyable and effective ways to teach poetry in primary schools. Children love creating imaginative characters, exaggerating personality traits and performing their poems with confidence. Character poems also help pupils explore rhythm, tone, figurative language and descriptive detail — all key skills in the KS2 English curriculum.
In this guide, you’ll find:
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✔ What KS2 Character Poems are
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✔ Four fun example poems
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✔ Writing frames and planning ideas
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✔ Performance tips
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✔ Links to more KS2 poetry activities
Whether you’re planning a creative writing lesson, preparing for a Poetry Day or looking for a fun Friday activity, these ideas will help your pupils write exciting, memorable poems. If your pupils enjoy poetry like this, you can book me for an Online Poetry Workshop or a fun, interactive In-Person Poetry Day.
📚 More Ideas: Poetry Teaching Ideas (144+ KS2 poetry activities)
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⭐ What Are KS2 Character Poems?
KS2 Character Poems focus on a single character and exaggerate their personality or behaviour. The character can be:
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a teacher
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a classmate
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a creature
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a magical being
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a villain
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an everyday object brought to life
Character poems work brilliantly because children instantly understand the idea of “a person with a BIG personality”. The exaggeration makes them funny, visual and engaging.
For more inspiration, see:
🔗 Performance Poetry KS2 🔗 Best Funny Poems KS2
🔗 Funny Poems for KS2
🔗 Poems to Perform for School Assemblies
👉 Poetry In The Creative Curriculum 👉 Imagination Poems 👉 Performance Poetry in Primary Schools
🔗 Poetry CPD and Training for Teachers
Get yourself a signed book!
⭐ 4 Example KS2 Character Poems
Below are four poems that demonstrate different structures, tones and performance styles. These make perfect modelling texts before pupils write their own KS2 Character Poems.
1. Miss Bridie — The Teacher Who Has Got To Be Tidy…
Great example of: narrative character poem, exaggeration, humour, rhythm.
She thought she could take it…
She thought she could cope…
But now that she’s seen it…
She’s losing all hope…
It’s ruined her classroom…
It’s blighted her being…
She really can’t fathom…
This schism she’s seeing…
A sinful corruption…
She just can’t ignore…
Why?
SOMEONE HAS DROPPED A PEN LID ON THE FLOOR!
The room began spinning
Her brain caught on fire
This evil before her
Disastrous and dire
She wanted to get away, abdicate, go
Perhaps she could let it be, leave it but
NO!
It sat there defiant
Unaware of its sin…
What?
A SHAVING FROM A PENCIL LEFT BY THE BIN!
She tried to keep calm
To show some resistance
But once seen she just
Could not deny its existence
Heart of her darkness
Blackest of holes
A crack in morality
Seared on her soul
The worst of all crimes — a villainous trick…
What?
SOMEONE HAS LOST THE TOP OF A GLUE STICK!
👉 Word Play Poems 👉 Reading For Pleasure Poems KS2 👉 Christmas Shape Poems 🔗 The Ultimate Guide To Teaching Poetry KS2 🔗 Teaching Powerful Verbs Through Poetry
2. Miss Blake — The Teacher Who Turned Out To Be Fake
Great example of: list poem, repeating structure, classroom humour.
We should have realised when…
she insisted on calling playtime “cocktails!”
We should have realised when…
she went on holiday during SATS week
We should have realised when…
she thought every Monday and Friday was a holiday
We should have realised when…
she always did PE in her high heels and hot pants
We should have realised when…
she always called the headteacher “Daaaaaahling!”
We should have realised when…
she had her nails done… during parents’ evening
We should have realised when…
she told us a thesaurus was a book about dinosaurs
This structure is perfect for KS2 because pupils can brainstorm a character and keep adding lines. Use the ‘Miss Blake’ writing framework below to let your class have a go at writing their own version. New examples could include: Mr Pie- the teacher that turned out to be a spy or Miss Paleon- the teacher who turned out to be an alien etc.
👉 The teacher who turned out to be an… Writing Framework
3. Ms Benedict — The Strict Teacher
Great example of: chant poem, strong rhythm, performance piece.
Move
And she’ll track you
Breathe
She’ll attack you
Laugh
And she’ll whack you
Ms Benedict’s strict…
Smile
And she’ll shock you
Cry
And she’ll mock you
Stare
And she’ll sock you
Ms Benedict’s strict…
Stop
And she’ll push you
Whisper
And she’ll shush you
Defy
And she’ll crush you
Ms Benedict’s strict…
Hide
She’ll uncloak you
Think
She’ll provoke you
Squeal
And she’ll choke you
Ms Benedict’s strict…
Pupils LOVE performing this poem — perfect for assemblies or literacy warm-ups.
4. The Blunder Beast — A Magical KS2 Character Poem
Great example of: fantasy characterisation, descriptive imagery, figurative language.
Deep in the forests of Never-Quite-There,
Lives a creature of chaos, confusion and flair.
It trips over tree roots, it tumbles through air,
It’s clumsy, it’s bumbly, it’s rarely aware…
Its paws are enormous, its whiskers are bent,
Its tail is tangled wherever it went.
It means very well, but it knocks things apart —
The Blunder Beast’s trouble, but kind in its heart.
This gives pupils a model for creating creature characters, perfect for imaginative KS2 poetry.
⭐ How to Teach KS2 Character Poems
Below are simple steps pupils can follow.
Step 1 — Create a Character Profile
Ask children to choose:
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Who is the character?
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What are their exaggerated traits?
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What do they want?
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What do they fear?
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What makes them funny, magical or unusual?
👉 Create a Character Profile Download
For more writing guides:
🔗 KS2 Poetry Starters
🔗 Poetry Warm-Ups
Step 2 — Add Exaggeration
Character poems rely on BIG traits:
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“She faints if someone uses the wrong pen!”
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“He panics every time someone coughs.”
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“The creature explodes into glitter when it sneezes.”
Try linking to figurative language:
🔗 Figurative Language KS2
Step 3 — Choose a Structure
Children can write character poems as:
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list poems
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chant/rhythm poems
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narrative poems
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performance pieces
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description poems
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creature poems
Step 4 — Add Performance
KS2 children LOVE performing character poems. Encourage:
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Voices
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Tempo changes
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Facial expressions
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Pauses
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Group reading
⭐ Character Poem Writing Frame (Printable)
You can include a downloadable PDF here (optional). A simple frame:
I am…
I always…
Everyone says…
But the truth is…
One day…
And that’s when…
Great for scaffolding KS2 writing.
👉 My Character Poem Writing Framework Download
⭐ More Poetry Ideas for KS2 Teachers
You may also like:
🔗 Christmas Poems for KS2
🔗 Anti-Bullying Week Poetry Activities
🔗 Creative Art Poems KS2
⭐ Final Thoughts
KS2 Character Poems are fun, flexible and perfect for teaching performance, creativity and descriptive language. With the examples above, pupils can create imaginative characters, build strong voices and write poems they are proud to share.
If your school would like a high-energy, interactive poetry workshop, you can book:
🔗 In-Person Poetry Days Across the UK
🔗 Online Poetry Workshops (KS1 & KS2)
