Games – Poetic Car Ride – Youth Activity Archive

Activity Description: Youths create and share short, fun poems aloud to amuse themselves during a car ride.

Items Needed:

None (just the group and their creativity!)
(Optional) A phone or notebook to record favorite poems later

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 10–15 min):

Explain the challenge (1–2 min)
- Each Youth will make up a short poem based on the chosen challenge (see list below)
Take turns sharing poems aloud (8–12 min)
- Go around the car and let each Youth say their poem out loud. Encourage listening and cheering for each other.
- Allow Youth to pass and come back to them later if they need more time.
(Optional) Vote for different categories for each poem (8–12 min)
- Choose categories like “Highest Alliteration” (see list below) for each poem that was spoken.

Poetic Challenges

Adventure Poem – Pretend you’re on a wild adventure and describe what you’d do, where you’d go, or what you’d bring.
Alphabet Poem – Choose a letter (your first initial or a random one) and make each line start with a word that begins with that letter.
Animal Poem – Choose an animal that represents you and write a short poem explaining why.
Color Poem – Pick a color and describe yourself using things that match that color’s mood or meaning.
Echo Poem – Each line ends with the same word or sound, like an echo (e.g., “I like to draw—draw. I like to play—play.”).
Gratitude Poem – Share something you’re thankful for in a short poem that includes your name.
Group Build-a-Poem – One Youth starts with a line, and each person adds a new line until the poem is complete.
Mystery Poem – Describe yourself without saying your name—others guess who you are based on the clues.
Name Poem – Use the letters of your name to start each line of a poem that tells something about you.
Name & Trait Rhyme – Create a four-line poem that includes your name and something about you (e.g., hobby, personality, favorite thing).
Opposite Poem – Say something true about yourself, then rhyme it with something completely opposite or silly.
Sound-Alike Poem – Use rhyming words that sound like your name or nickname (e.g., “Jay likes to play all day”).
Silly Swap Poem – Make up a poem where you swap places with something unexpected (e.g., “If I were a sandwich…”).
Superpower Poem – Invent a superpower you wish you had and describe how you’d use it in rhyme.
Time Travel Poem – Imagine you’re from the past or future and write a poem introducing yourself.
Weather Poem – Use a type of weather (sunny, rainy, windy) to describe your mood or personality.