7 Best Poetry Writing Software For Aspiring Young Poets To Grow Their Craft

You see it on the corner of the kitchen table: a notebook filled with determined scrawls, words crossed out and rewritten, the beginnings of a poem. Your child has discovered a love for language, and you want to nurture that creative spark. In a world of screens, finding the right digital tools can feel like a powerful way to support their passion, but it’s hard to know where to start.

Storybird: Visual Prompts for Elementary Poets

Does your younger child love making up stories but freeze when faced with a blank page? This is completely normal for elementary-aged poets. Their imaginations are vast, but the mechanics of getting ideas into words can be intimidating. Storybird brilliantly solves this by flipping the process: it starts with the art.

Storybird is a unique platform where professional illustrations serve as the prompt. A child can browse a gallery of beautiful, evocative images and choose one to write about. This visual starting point removes the pressure of invention and instead invites observation and emotional response. For a 7-year-old, this transforms writing from a chore into a delightful game of matching words to pictures. It’s the perfect, low-stakes entry point for a child just beginning their creative writing journey.

RhymeZone: An Essential Tool for Finding Words

Your middle-schooler is working on a poem, and you hear a frustrated sigh. They’re stuck in a loop of simple rhymes—"sun," "fun," "run"—and they know their poem could be better. This is the moment to introduce them to a tool that professional writers use every day: RhymeZone.

Far more than a simple rhyming dictionary, RhymeZone is a word-finding powerhouse. It can find perfect rhymes, of course, but also near rhymes, synonyms, and even words that just sound similar. This is a critical step for a developing poet (ages 9-13) who is ready to move beyond the basics. Using this tool isn’t "cheating"; it’s an exercise in vocabulary expansion. You’re teaching them to hunt for the perfect word, not just the one that’s easiest, building their linguistic confidence and curiosity.

Ulysses: Distraction-Free Writing for Teens

Your teenager has a real passion for poetry, but their laptop is a constant battleground for their attention. Every notification from a friend or update from a game can shatter a fragile creative thought. If you’re looking to invest in their focus, Ulysses is a fantastic choice.

Ulysses is a minimalist writing application designed to create a calm, focused digital space. It uses simple text formatting and keeps all the distracting menus and buttons hidden until they’re needed. For a teen who is serious about their craft, this clean environment can be a sanctuary, allowing them to sink into their work without interruption. It’s a subscription-based tool, so it’s best for a child who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to writing. Think of it as investing in their ability to concentrate, a skill that will serve them far beyond poetry.

Evernote: Capturing Poetic Sparks on the Go

Inspiration rarely strikes on a convenient schedule. More often, the perfect line or a powerful image comes to your child on the bus, in the middle of class, or while waiting for practice to start. The fleeting nature of these ideas is what makes a tool like Evernote so invaluable for a young poet.

Evernote is a simple but powerful note-taking app that syncs across phones, tablets, and computers. Your child can quickly type a few lines, record a voice memo of a phrase they don’t want to forget, or snap a photo of something that sparked an idea. This is less about the writing itself and more about building a crucial creative habit: capturing ideas the moment they appear. For any writer old enough to manage a device (ages 11+), this is a foundational practice that costs nothing but can preserve their best work.

Canva: Designing and Sharing Illustrated Poems

Your child has written a poem they’re incredibly proud of, and they want to share it with family or friends. Typing it in a standard document feels flat, but they don’t have advanced design skills. This is where Canva shines, empowering young poets to become their own publishers.

Canva is an incredibly user-friendly graphic design platform that allows anyone to create beautiful visuals. Your child can choose a template, select elegant fonts, and pair their poem with images or graphic elements to create a shareable piece of art. For the visually-minded tween or teen (ages 10+), this is a game-changer. It validates their work by giving it a polished, finished feel and provides a tangible result they can proudly post or print. It also teaches them basic design principles, a valuable skill in any field.

Grammarly: Refining Word Choice and Meter

As your teen gets more serious, they may start thinking about submitting their work to a school literary magazine or a contest. They’re moving from pure expression to the craft of revision. Grammarly can be an excellent digital partner in this process, acting as a first-line editor.

Beyond just catching typos, Grammarly’s AI-powered suggestions can help a writer identify repetitive words, clarify awkward phrasing, and strengthen their vocabulary. The key is to teach your teen that these are suggestions, not commands. In poetry, rules are often broken for effect. The true value of the tool is in prompting them to think critically about their choices: "Why did Grammarly suggest this word? Do I like my original choice better? Why?" The free version is incredibly robust and a great place to start for any high school writer.

Scrivener: Organizing a Teen’s First Collection

Your high schooler’s laptop is a digital graveyard of abandoned drafts and final versions. They have dozens of poems scattered across different folders, and they’re starting to think about how they might fit together. For this advanced stage, Scrivener is the ultimate organizational tool.

Scrivener is a professional-grade writing studio built for large projects. It allows a writer to treat each poem as a separate document within a single project file, easily rearranging them, making notes, and viewing their entire collection at a glance. This is the software for the dedicated young poet (ages 16+) who is building a portfolio for college applications or creating their first chapbook. It has a one-time cost and a learning curve, so it represents a significant step up. It’s the right choice when your child is ready to move from writing individual poems to curating a cohesive body of work.

Matching the Software to Your Child’s Writing Stage

The most effective tool is always the one that meets your child where they are right now. Buying a professional tool for a beginner can be overwhelming, while a simple app might frustrate a teen who is ready for more. Use their current stage as your guide.

• The Curious Beginner (Ages 6-9): The goal is joyful, pressure-free creation. Focus on tools that feel like play.
  • Top Pick: Storybird for its visual, game-like approach to prompting ideas.
• The Developing Writer (Ages 10-13): They are expanding their vocabulary and want to share their work. They need tools for exploration and presentation.
  • Top Picks: RhymeZone for word discovery, Evernote for capturing ideas, and Canva for creating shareable art.
• The Committed Teen (Ages 14+): They are honing their craft and need tools for focus, revision, and organization. This is where a financial investment can make sense.
  • Top Picks: Ulysses for distraction-free drafting, Grammarly for self-editing, and Scrivener for organizing a full collection.

Ultimately, start with free versions and trials whenever possible. Observe what your child gravitates toward and what helps them feel most confident. Your role is to provide the support; their job is to do the wonderful, messy work of finding their voice.

Supporting your child’s creative life isn’t about buying the most advanced software, but about thoughtfully matching the right tool to their developmental stage. By listening and observing, you can provide the specific support they need to turn fleeting sparks of inspiration into a lifelong love of poetry. Your encouragement is the most important tool of all.