How to Write Nursery Rhymes
Choose a favorite nursery rhyme., Print out the nursery rhyme or write it in pencil on a piece of paper. , Cross or erase the name in the nursery rhyme., Underline the rhyming words in the first verse., Look at the last word of the second line of...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose a favorite nursery rhyme.
Possible choices include "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Bah, Bah Black Sheep" and "Humpty Dumpty," among others. ,, Find all instances that it appears in your poem and erase them too.
Pick a name with the same number of syllables and write the name in place of the original name throughout the poem.
A syllable is a way of dividing a word according to the number of speech sounds it contains.
Each unit is usually a combination of vowels and consonants.
You can figure out the number of syllables in a word by sounding out how many sounds you make as you say it.
For example, say "flower" very slowly.
There are 2 syllables, "flow" and "er."
Look at the last word of the first line and comb the rest of the verse for words that rhyme with it.
Put an "A" to the right of all the words at the end of lines that rhyme with the first word. , Put a "B" to the right of all words that rhyme with this word, unless it rhymes with the first line of the poem. , Many nursery rhymes have this very simple rhyming structure that is described by denoting which lines rhyme with each other.
The ABAB structure describes a poem where the first and third lines rhyme and the second and fourth lines rhyme.
The AABB structure describes a poem where the first 2 lines rhyme and the second 2 lines rhyme. , They don't need to rhyme with the original words that were used in the poem. , You will most likely want to brainstorm a new verb and word at the end of the line at the same time. , , Depending upon the rhyme that you are using, you may need to make sure the last word rhymes with the last word of the first line.
Alternately, you may be able to pick up a different word and rhyme it with other lines.
For example with an AABB structure, you might write something like, "Jacky Wacky went to a ranch.
Jacky Wacky climbed on a branch." With an ABAB structure, you might write "Jacky had a big red barn.
Where roosters always crow."
Use a rhyming dictionary, if you are having trouble finding words that rhyme.
With the AABB structure, your poem could be "Jacky Wacky went to a ranch.
Jacky Wacky climbed a tall branch.
All through the day and into the night, Jacky Wacky climbed up to such a great height." With the ABAB structure, your poem could be "Jacky had a big red barn.
Where roosters always crow.
Every morning Jack woke up, when the sun began to glow."
Nursery rhymes are fairly informal, so they do not have to have the exact structure of the original poem.
Add or subtract words as needed to create your final version of the poem. ,, Use your children, friends or family as muses for your nursery rhymes.
Replace each line with a rhyming line that describes the person. , Then, get more creative as you continue to write rhyming poems.
Start to write them as they flow out of your imagination, instead of just replacing words, as you develop your skill. -
Step 2: Print out the nursery rhyme or write it in pencil on a piece of paper.
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Step 3: Cross or erase the name in the nursery rhyme.
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Step 4: Underline the rhyming words in the first verse.
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Step 5: Look at the last word of the second line of the poem.
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Step 6: Repeat this process with any other lines that don't rhyme with the first 2 lines.
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Step 7: Replace the "A" rhyming words with another set of rhyming words.
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Step 8: Replace the verbs and prepositions in the first line to suggest another action.
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Step 9: For example
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Step 10: "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall" can be rewritten as "Jacky Wacky went to a ranch."
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Step 11: Repeat with the next line of the poem.
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Step 12: Continue rewriting the final lines of the poem's verse
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Step 13: paying close attention to which words need to rhyme with the first 2 lines.
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Step 14: Read your nursery rhyme aloud to make sure there are approximately the same number of syllables in each line.
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Step 15: Type and print out the final version of your poem
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Step 16: or write it by hand.
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Step 17: Repeat this process with other poems for practice.
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Step 18: Learn the common nursery rhyme structures.
Detailed Guide
Possible choices include "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Bah, Bah Black Sheep" and "Humpty Dumpty," among others. ,, Find all instances that it appears in your poem and erase them too.
Pick a name with the same number of syllables and write the name in place of the original name throughout the poem.
A syllable is a way of dividing a word according to the number of speech sounds it contains.
Each unit is usually a combination of vowels and consonants.
You can figure out the number of syllables in a word by sounding out how many sounds you make as you say it.
For example, say "flower" very slowly.
There are 2 syllables, "flow" and "er."
Look at the last word of the first line and comb the rest of the verse for words that rhyme with it.
Put an "A" to the right of all the words at the end of lines that rhyme with the first word. , Put a "B" to the right of all words that rhyme with this word, unless it rhymes with the first line of the poem. , Many nursery rhymes have this very simple rhyming structure that is described by denoting which lines rhyme with each other.
The ABAB structure describes a poem where the first and third lines rhyme and the second and fourth lines rhyme.
The AABB structure describes a poem where the first 2 lines rhyme and the second 2 lines rhyme. , They don't need to rhyme with the original words that were used in the poem. , You will most likely want to brainstorm a new verb and word at the end of the line at the same time. , , Depending upon the rhyme that you are using, you may need to make sure the last word rhymes with the last word of the first line.
Alternately, you may be able to pick up a different word and rhyme it with other lines.
For example with an AABB structure, you might write something like, "Jacky Wacky went to a ranch.
Jacky Wacky climbed on a branch." With an ABAB structure, you might write "Jacky had a big red barn.
Where roosters always crow."
Use a rhyming dictionary, if you are having trouble finding words that rhyme.
With the AABB structure, your poem could be "Jacky Wacky went to a ranch.
Jacky Wacky climbed a tall branch.
All through the day and into the night, Jacky Wacky climbed up to such a great height." With the ABAB structure, your poem could be "Jacky had a big red barn.
Where roosters always crow.
Every morning Jack woke up, when the sun began to glow."
Nursery rhymes are fairly informal, so they do not have to have the exact structure of the original poem.
Add or subtract words as needed to create your final version of the poem. ,, Use your children, friends or family as muses for your nursery rhymes.
Replace each line with a rhyming line that describes the person. , Then, get more creative as you continue to write rhyming poems.
Start to write them as they flow out of your imagination, instead of just replacing words, as you develop your skill.
About the Author
Anna White
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in DIY projects and beyond.
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