{Writing Poetry} Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

I love the changing of the seasons, and autumn is my favorite. I’m ready for cool mornings with hot drinks, collecting colorful leaves on our walks, and tromping through the pumpkin patch with my kids.

To celebrate the first day of autumn, we wrote poems about all the summery things we’ll be saying goodbye to, and all the fall things we’ll be welcoming.

This poem is written in a two-line pattern:

Goodbye, {summer thing},

Hello, {autumn thing}.

Just like a list poem, this poem can be short or long, depending on how many ideas you have. We tried to add lots of descriptive, “juicy” words to our poems, too.

If your kids get stuck thinking of things to write, you can try asking open-ended questions: What different drinks do you enjoy in summer and autumn? Are there any special holidays you can think of?

Here’s a big list of topics that might spur ideas for a seasonal poem:

• outside activities
• indoor activities
• weather
• changes in nature
• drinks
• meals
• treats
• clothes
• holidays
• animals
• places to visit
• family traditions

This is a fun poem for all ages to write – from preschoolers to adults! My girls have been writing poems (with me as their scribe) since they were around three-years-old. This could even be a helpful way for your preschooler to process the seasonal transitions in their daily activities- like exchanging flip flops for sneakers, or shorts for long pants.

Here are the poems my girls wrote:

Goodbye, Summer
Hello, Autumn
Goodbye, cool, clear swimming pool
Hello, crunchy, wet leaf piles
Goodbye, hot, bright sun
Hello, wet, misty drizzle
Goodbye, cold, sweet lemonade
Hello, chocolatey, warm hot cocoa
Goodbye, red, juicy watermelon
Hello, steaming noodle soup
Goodbye, tank tops and flip flops
Hello, fuzzy jackets and rain boots
Goodbye, Fourth of July fireworks
Hello, costumes and candy
Goodbye, bright, summer butterflies
Hello, loud, honking geese flying south
Goodbye, Marco Polo and cannonballs
Hello, pumpkin patch
Goodbye, roasting smores by the firelight
Hello, pumpkin pie!
{by Natalie}

Goodbye, cool swimming pool
Hello, crunchy leaf piles
Goodbye, refreshing lemonade
Hello, warm apple cider
Goodbye, hot summer sun
Hello, cold fall breeze
Goodbye, sweaty tank tops
Hello, cool long sleeves
Goodbye, sweet popsicles
Hello, sweet pumpkin pie
Goodbye, pretty flowers
Hello, plump pumpkins
Goodbye, singing birds
Hello, hungry squirrels
Goodbye, Independence Day
Hello, Halloween
Goodbye, tasty watermelon
Hello, warm, filling turkey
Goodbye, gooey smores
Hello, Halloween candy
Goodbye, puffy dandelions
Hello, curly pumpkin vines.
{by Delaney}

And, of course, this can be done with any seasonal transition. In fact, I think a homemade poetry book with four of these Hello, Goodbye poems, paired with illustrations, would be amazing!