An easy-to-understand guide for elementary school students! A collection of useful summer kigo ideas

Last updated:2026/6/24

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / Elementary school teacher / Junior high and high school teacher / Childminder / SUZUKI Kenhamo certified instructorkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.

In fact, many summer kigo are hidden in children’s everyday lives.

Growing morning glories, listening to cicadas, eating shaved ice, watching fireworks.

Those familiar “I’ve seen that!” and “I know that!” moments are the starting point for haiku.

When elementary school students make haiku, it’s said to be more enjoyable if they choose kigo that are close to them and easy to picture.

The summer kigo introduced here are mainly ones you can actually experience.

By not only learning the meanings of the words but also studying while sensing the season itself, children’s imaginations expand rapidly.

As you think, “What does it sound like?” “What color is it?” try creating your very own haiku.

Before you know it, everyone might be a kigo expert!

Easy-to-understand explanations for elementary school students! A collection of useful summer kigo ideas (1–10)

sunflowerNEW!

The cheerful flower that blooms facing the sun: the sunflower.

It’s often grown in elementary schools, so most children have seen it at least once.

Sunflower seeds are also a favorite treat for hamsters.

After seeing a hamster eat them, some children might have wondered, “Are they tasty?” Naturally, sunflowers are a seasonal word for summer! Their beauty as flowers, their uplifting nature, and their everyday anecdotes lend themselves to many different expressions.

Let the word “sunflower” bring to mind those special moments of summer.

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tomatoNEW!

Tomatoes are one of the quintessential summer vegetables.

Many children may dislike that little pop and tartness, but I bet plenty of them like how tomatoes look.

Round and red, often appearing in picture books and nursery rhymes, tomatoes just seem kind of cute, don’t they? Let’s try making haiku that use tomatoes as a seasonal word.

Summer vegetables can teach about food and the joy of harvesting, so many children may have actually grown them themselves.

Try recalling those experiences and your memories of eating summer vegetables as you compose your poems.

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cumulonimbus cloudNEW!

Cumulonimbus clouds, which can be called a hallmark of summer, are well known as a seasonal word for summer.

Whenever I look up at the sky and see them, I feel that summer has arrived.

Their formal meteorological names are “cumulonimbus” or “towering cumulus,” but elementary school students probably know them as nyūdōgumo.

We tend to picture them on clear days, but they’re also a sign that can herald sudden downpours.

I hope you’ll enjoy talking about summer scenes related to these clouds and about sunshowers, and have fun exploring a variety of expressions.

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Summer RiverNEW!

What kind of river do you picture when you hear “a summer river”? Since I play in the water with my children, I imagine a river with clear water coming up to about the ankles when I hear “a summer river.” Surely each person has their own memories, and the scenery will come back to life along with vivid recollections.

Please try expressing a page from such a summer using this seasonal word.

Just as memories differ from person to person, a summer river has many different expressions.

I don’t want us to hold any preconceptions about how it must be; I want children to put into words whatever they freely feel.

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summer skyNEW!

When I hear “summer sky,” I picture towering cumulus clouds rising in a deep blue sky.

With the end of the rainy season, the contrast with the gray skies up to then makes it feel even more vivid.

I think it’s a familiar scene for children as well, so it should be easy to imagine when composing haiku.

Try expressing summer-related events and experiences in a few short words as you recall them.

You could use the vast sky in contrast with something else, or make the universally beautiful blue of the summer sky your theme.

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evening showerNEW!

In summer, evening showers happen quite often, don’t they? The strong summer sunlight heats the ground, the warmed air rises and forms cumulonimbus clouds, and by evening it turns into a sudden downpour.

That’s why evening showers are more likely in summer.

Even elementary school kids might be surprised when, just as they’re thinking how muggy it is, it suddenly starts to rain! But even those little accidents can be a fun moment when you’re with friends.

Using the seasonal word “yuudachi” (evening shower), try expressing those wonderful memories and scenes.

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morning gloryNEW!

The morning glory is one of the quintessential flowers of summer, isn’t it? When I hear “summer flower,” the morning glory is the first that comes to mind after the sunflower.

I grew one in elementary school and kept an observation diary, so it’s a flower full of memories for me.

My child once brought one home over summer vacation too, and it made me nostalgic to think we’re still growing them.

Shall we try composing a haiku using the familiar seasonal word “morning glory,” so well known to schoolchildren? Think back on different moments—the difficulty of watering in the heat, the beauty and joy when it blooms—and give it a try.

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