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Jungle Kennings Poem Maker: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 3
- ForYear 3
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Jungle Kennings Poem Maker is a free printable poetry worksheet for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8). Children describe jungle animals in two words, without naming them, and then use their kennings to build a short poem. It needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children fill in a table with two columns. One column is for the jungle animal and the other is for their kenning. A kenning is a two word description, made by thinking about what the animal does or what it looks like. There is an example to read aloud first. Then there are lines for writing, where children can put their kennings together as a short poem.
- Jungle animal
- My kenning
How to build a kenning
Make a kenning for a clock. A clock is not a jungle animal, so this only shows the way of thinking.
A kenning describes something without using its name. Here are two ways to find one.
Method 1: start with what it does- Say the thing: clock.
- Ask what it does. It tells you the time.
- Turn the action into a doer word. Tell plus er makes teller.
- Add a word to say what it tells. That gives time teller.
- Look at the clock in your mind. It has hands that go round.
- Pick the action: turn.
- Add er to make turner, then add a naming word. That gives hand turner.
How to make a kenning
Choose the animal
Say the animal's name aloud. Picture it moving, eating, resting or hiding. Pictures in the mind give the best ideas.
Find an action
Think of one thing the animal does. Put it as a doing word, such as climb, creep or roar.
Make a doer word
Many kennings join a naming word to a doing word that ends in er. Try tree plus climber, then say it aloud to hear if it sounds right.
Check it is two words
A kenning is short. Count the words on your fingers. Make sure the animal's own name is not hiding inside it.
What is a kenning?
A kenning is a short description made of two words that stands in for a name. Instead of saying the animal, the writer gives a clue. Kennings are a very old kind of poetry. Poets who wrote in Old English and Old Norse used them, and one well known example calls the sea a whale road.
Kennings work well in Year 3 because they are short but ask for careful thinking. Children must pick the most important thing about an animal and say it in very few words. Many kennings are compound words or word pairs, so they also build vocabulary. Reading them aloud as riddles makes the poem fun to share.
Jungle facts to spark ideas
- Rainforests grow in warm, wet parts of the world.
- The canopy is the layer of treetops. Many animals live up there.
- Animals move in different ways. Some climb, some fly, some swim and some creep.
- Some jungle animals have bright colours or patterns on their bodies or feathers.
- Jungles are full of sounds, from calls and chirps to buzzing.
Skills and curriculum link
- Writing kennings
- Compound words
- Descriptive vocabulary
- Poetry
- Imagination
- Writing by hand
Ideas to help you guide the writing
- Do or lookAsk two questions about each animal. What does it do? What does it look like? Either one can lead to a kenning.
- Doing word plus erMany kennings end in er, as in swimmer or runner. Say the action, then add er and a naming word.
- Say it aloudKennings are meant to be heard. Read each one aloud and ask if the listener could guess the animal.
- Keep it to two wordsShort is the aim. If a phrase gets long, ask your child to pick the strongest word and drop the rest.
Key words
- KenningA two word description that points to something without saying its name.
- Compound wordTwo words joined to make one new word, such as sunshine.
- VerbA doing word, such as climb, jump or hide.
- NounA naming word for a person, place, animal or thing.
- DescribeSay what something is like, so someone else can picture it.
- PoemA piece of writing that uses carefully chosen words, often short lines, to share an idea or feeling.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the example aloud and say the animal. Then think together about what the animal does or looks like.
- Work through the table together the first time. Talk about each choice, and say each kenning aloud.
- Let your child write their kennings on the lines as a short poem. Then check against the notes and answers on page 2.
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Start with what the animal does, such as swings or flaps. Say the action, then add a word like swinger or flapper. Do one animal together and talk it through. Let your child say ideas aloud before writing them down.
To stretch confident children
Write a whole kenning poem about one animal. Use a different kenning on each line and never say its name. Then ask a grown-up to guess the animal. Try adding a kenning for the place where the animal lives.
Make it a game
Read your kennings aloud one at a time and let the family guess each animal. Give one point for each correct guess. If nobody guesses, the writer adds a second clue and tries again.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forThe child writes a whole sentence instead of two words.
Try thisAsk, 'What is the most important thing it does?' Pick that doing word and one naming word, and cross out the rest.
Watch forThe animal's name is hidden in the kenning.
Try thisRead it aloud and ask if it gives the answer away. Swap the name for a clue about what the animal does or looks like.
Watch forThe kenning describes the animal but is not made of two words, such as a long list.
Try thisCount the words on fingers. Choose the best two and keep the rest for another kenning.
Talk about it
- Which animal would be hardest to describe in two words? Why?
- What is the most interesting thing this animal does?
- Could someone guess your animal from your kenning alone?
- Which kenning is your favourite and what makes it work?
- How would the kenning change if the animal was asleep?
- What other things could you describe with a kenning, like a place or a person?
Take it off the page
Kenning riddle cards
Write a kenning on one side of a card and draw the answer on the back. Swap cards with someone and guess.
Garden or park kennings
Go outside and spot a bird, tree or insect. Make a kenning for it, then read it to someone and see if they can guess.
Animal charades
Act out an animal without making a sound. The guesser then says a kenning for what you were doing.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first animal, then let them lead. Say kennings aloud together, as it is easier to hear what works. Praise good ideas, even if they are not the ones on page 2.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a table activity. It fits a poetry unit or a lesson on compound words and word choice. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a library book about jungle animals or a visit to a zoo. Children can then write kennings from what they have seen. The sheet can be printed again for brothers and sisters or used later for revision.
Where this fits in learning
Before kennings, children usually practise naming words and doing words, and they meet simple compound words. They also learn to describe things with careful word choices, so this sheet pulls those ideas together in a short poem.
After kennings, children can try other short poems, such as riddles and poems that use comparisons. They can also write kennings about people, places or objects. Over time this supports clear, vivid writing.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Jungle Kennings Poem Maker for?
It is written for Year 3 (ages 7 to 8), in Key Stage 2. Younger children can try it with a grown-up writing for them. Older children can use the stretch idea on page 2.
- What is a kenning?
A kenning is a two word description that tells you about something without naming it. Children make up their own for jungle animals. The sheet helps them think about what an animal does or looks like first.
- Do children need to know a lot about jungle animals?
No. They only need to know a little about each animal. If they are unsure, look at a picture or a book together first, then talk about what the animal does or looks like.
- How long does it take?
There is no set time. Children can go at their own pace, and you can stop and come back another day. A short, relaxed go often works better than rushing to finish the whole sheet.
- Are the answers on page 2 the only right ones?
No. Page 2 gives answers as a guide, but kennings are creative, so other ideas can work too. Accept any kenning that fits the animal, has two words and does not use its name.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- Is it free and do I need colour printing?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. No, colour is not needed. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper, and only paper and a pencil are required.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.