Poetry and the National Year of Reading 2026 (Go All In!) 📚 How to Make Reading Poetry Fun in Your Primary School (With FREE Downloads)

👉 Want to support the National Year of Reading 2026 in a way children actually enjoy?
👉 Want reading for pleasure to include poetry — not just longer books?
👉 Want practical, low-prep ideas to build a whole-school reading culture?

You’re in the right place.

I also bring these ideas to life through Poetry Days in primary schools and Online Poetry Workshops, helping pupils read poems with confidence, enjoy performance, and fall in love with language.

➡ Find out more and book here: Poets in Schools – Ian Bland

📘 What Is the National Year of Reading 2026?

The National Year of Reading 2026 is a UK-wide campaign led by the Department for Education in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. The campaign theme is “Go All In” — encouraging children and families to make reading a regular part of life and to find books that connect to what they already love.

Schools will hear a lot this year about:

reading for pleasure
building a reading culture
widening what “counts” as reading
helping reluctant readers find a way in

And that’s where poetry shines.

Great for teachers looking to save time!

📘 Why Poetry Matters in the Year of Reading

Poetry is one of the quickest, most inclusive ways to boost reading engagement in primary school.

Because poems are:

short (instant success for reluctant readers)
easy to reread (which builds fluency)
made for reading aloud (confidence + oracy)
brilliant for vocabulary (one strong word can change a whole line)

Most importantly: poetry helps children feel that reading is fun, social and something they can do.

Great for teachers looking to save time!

🧠 Poetry as Reading for Pleasure (Not a “Poetry Unit”)

A big message of the Year of Reading is that reading doesn’t have to look one certain way — and that reading can connect to what children already enjoy.

So instead of framing poetry as:

“Now we’re doing poetry…”

Try framing it as:

“Here’s a brilliant thing to read today.”

That small shift makes poetry feel like:

a treat
a choice
a daily habit

✅ 10 Ways to Make Reading Poetry Fun in Primary School

1) Start a “Poem of the Day” Routine (2 minutes)

Choose a short poem and read it aloud.

Do not analyse it.

Just enjoy it.

Then ask one quick question:

“What was your favourite line?”
“What image stayed in your head?”
“Which word sounded the best?”

🔗 Related: Poems for KS2 Assemblies
🔗 Related: Best Poems for Children to Perform KS2 🔗 Related: Creative Book Spine Poetry Ideas

2) Make Poetry Social: Partner Reading & Echo Reading

Poetry is perfect for paired reading because:

it’s short
pupils can swap quickly
confidence grows fast

Try:

Echo Reading (teacher reads a line, class echoes)
Partner Reading (take turns line-by-line)
Choral Reading (groups read different parts)

3) Use Funny Poems to Hook Reluctant Readers

Funny poetry is a gateway drug.

Children who “don’t like reading” often love:

characters
mischief
surprise endings
gross-out details (let’s be honest)

🔗 Related: Best Funny Poems
🔗 Related: 5 Exciting Poems to Learn and Perform KS2

4) Create a “Favourite Line Wall”

Give pupils a sticky note and ask them to write:

one line they love
one word they’ve never seen before
one line they want to read aloud

Build a wall display called:
Lines Worth Keeping

This is brilliant for:

reading culture
vocabulary
confidence

5) Bring in “Go All In” Themes (Let Children Choose)

The “Go All In” idea is about reading that matches children’s passions.

So let them choose poetry based on:

football
animals
mysteries
space
myths
jokes
winter
superheroes
nature

Then poetry becomes their thing.

6) Make Poetry a Performance (Not a Comprehension Task)

Performance changes everything.

A poem that feels “boring” on paper can become electric when read aloud.

Try:

reading with a whisper voice
reading like a sports commentator
reading like a villain
adding one sound effect

7) Use Poetry to Build Reading Fluency

Because poems are short, pupils can reread them several times in a week.

That builds:

fluency
expression
confidence
reading aloud skills

You can even use poetry for:

guided reading starters
intervention warm-ups
morning work

8) Try Poetry “Taster Menus”

Put 6–8 short poems on a sheet.

Let pupils “taste” them and choose their favourite.

Then ask:

“Which poem would you read again?”
“Which poem would you perform?”
“Which poem would you recommend?”

This builds reading for pleasure without forcing it.

9) Make Poetry Visual (Images, Photos, Art Prompts)

Poetry + pictures = instant engagement.

Use:

a winter image
a mysterious doorway
a storm photo
a character silhouette

Then read a poem that matches the mood.

10) Keep the Pedagogy Strong (But the Joy Stronger)

Yes — poetry supports the National Curriculum:

reading aloud with expression
discussing language choices
expanding vocabulary
spoken language and performance

But in the Year of Reading, your biggest goal is:

children choosing to read again

You can have both:

strong outcomes
and genuine enjoyment

📥 FREE Download: Primary Poetry Reading for Pleasure Pack (Year of Reading 2026)

To help you celebrate the National Year of Reading 2026 with poetry, I’ve created a simple pack you can use straight away.

Included in the pack:

✔ Poem-of-the-Day routine (teacher script + questions)
✔ Poetry Reading Bingo (child-friendly)
✔ “My Favourite Line” response sheet

📥 Download: Primary Poetry Reading for Pleasure Pack

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

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

🧭 Official Year of Reading Resources for Schools

If you’re leading reading in school this year, it’s worth keeping an eye on the official pages and school resources linked to the National Year of Reading 2026 and “Go All In”. National Year of Reading.

🌟 Final Thoughts

The National Year of Reading 2026 is a brilliant opportunity to build a stronger reading culture in primary schools — and poetry is one of the quickest ways to make that happen.

Poetry helps children:

enjoy reading
read aloud with confidence
discover new words
share stories and feelings
feel successful fast

And when children enjoy poetry, they often start enjoying reading more generally too.

📣 Bring the Year of Reading to Life in Your School

If you’d like to make reading poetry unforgettable this year, I offer:

✅ Poetry Days in Primary Schools (whole-school impact)
✅ Online Poetry Workshops (flexible and affordable)

I model reading aloud, performance, shared writing, vocabulary, and confidence-building — helping children feel that reading is something they can do and want to do.