What is a nonsense poem?

Nonsense poetry does not always make sense. Poets will use made-up words alongside real words, and talk about made-up things like imaginary creatures.

It’s lots of fun to read and is usually very silly!

Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and Spike Milligan are good authors to read if you like nonsense poetry.

Watch this short clip to learn about what nonsense poetry is and see an example.

Nonsense poems can be written about anything!

Watch this video in which poet Joseph Coelho makes up a nonsense poem about brushing his teeth!

You only need to start watching at 1 minute and 10 seconds in.

Joseph uses some made-up nonsense words in this video. They are:

• bloomlurgy
• tangleflority
• keyayaya
• laykal wangdoolahlah!

What do you think these words could mean?

Write down a made-up definition for each word. Use your imagination!

For example: A 'bloomlurgy' could be a sticky mess that you find and don't know where it's come from!

Now have a go at making up some nonsense writing of your own.

You could replace words in a sentence with random, funny-sounding words, like in the video:

• hippopotamus, skedaggle, tuna fish, peanut butter.

Or you could use completely new, made-up words:

• bon jingle, fizzle stickle, fingle flop, hipple hopper!

Aim for a list of at least eight words.

Top tip!

Don’t think too much! Write whatever words and phrases come into your mind which you find interesting and funny to say.

Now, have a go a putting your nonsense words from Activity 2 into a poem!

Copy out the lines below and fill in the missing words with your own made-up ones!

Don't worry if it doesn't make sense - it's not meant to!

The … bunked my …

So I … their pong

Then they … my …

Til my … were all oblong

They … my loon

And they're living on the moon!

Top tip!

Read your poem out loud as you go. You'll notice that some nonsense words sound really good together!