This rhyming “Hand Washing Poem” is told from a younger child’s point of view. The narrator recounts all the germy things they touch before their snack time, thus emphasizing the need to wash their hands.
“Hand Washing Poem”
By Kia West
In the morning, before my snack
I touched some things I would take back
I touched a rock, some shoes and ferns
And now I carry all those germs
I touched a doggy on my walk
I touched a beetle on a stalk
of grass and then I touched the ground
because that’s where treasure’s found
I touched a hand rail and a gate
I touched a toy from my friend Nate
I touched my iPad and my poodle
I touched an old and crusty noodle
And now before I eat my snack
I will prevent a germ attack
I’ll wash my hands with water and soap
And then the germs will have no hope!
Poetic Devices:
Rhyme
Repetition
Alliteration
More about this Hand Washing Poem…
Children have a natural curiousity and poor impulse control; they love to touch everything! This poem paints a charming picture of what that looks like.
This poem has four verses with four lines in each. It has a consistent rhyme scheme throughout that can be described as AABB. This means that lines one and two rhyme with each other and lines three and four rhyme with each other.
Another poetic device in this poem is repetition. The phrase “I touched” is repeated nine times. The effect-when combined with the rhyme and alliteration- is to help create a strong beat and a predictability that children enjoy.
Alliteration is when consonant sounds are repeated at the beginning of words. An example from the “Hand Washing Poem” is in verse two, line three:
“of grass and then I touched the ground”
This has the repetition of the ‘g’ sound.
For more poems like this one, click on the link below.