National Poetry Day 2026

Since 1994 National Poetry Day has engaged millions of people with poetry through a range of live events and web-based activities for people throughout the country. Each year the day is given a new theme in order to highlight particular poets and styles of poetry. This Year’s National Poetry Day is on the 1st of October and the theme this year is 'Wonder' and children are invited to explore 'Through observation, reflection and writing, students will uncover the hidden significance of the places, people and moments that are often overlooked, developing their own unique voice as poets along the way' - National Literacy Trust.

The National Poetry Day website has a range of resources for schools including toolkits and lesson plans and activities for Key Stages 1 and 2, free to download and all related to the theme of choice.

Poetry Resources on Purple Mash

There are also resources in Purple Mash that schools can use to celebrate on National Poetry Day and throughout the year.

We would love to see your poems on the theme of Play and we have created a range of templates that children can use to explore the theme. 

Online Poetry with Purple Mash Library

There is now a wonderful collection of Poetry withing Purple Mash Library! Each poem includes a video recording and a range of activities to go with them. There is a teacher guide that gives an overview of every poem and the activities with a suggested age range for each one.

Poems which fit the theme of 'Wonder and Local Community' include:

• Seaside by Michelle Singleton
• The Thing by Will Hames
• Wishing Stone by Will Hames

We hope that you enjoy  #NationalPoetryDay and we can’t wait to read your wonderful poems - please share your pupils' work on Instagram our Facebook page!