This study attempts to (1) emphasize the educational values of poetic composition for children; (2) develop clear guidelines for the use of materials; and (3) propose educational strategies in teaching poetic composition as an aid to classroom teachers who must be able to carry on the program. A survey was made of the professional literature on the teaching of poetic composition in the elementary school. Proposed ways of teaching children to compose poetically were examined. As a result of the study, it is suggested that teachers introduce poetic composition in three interdependent, cyclical stages: the evocative stage (concentrating on the stimulation and appreciation of children's innate abilities); the precision stage (stimulating the use of more vital and self-fulfilling language); and the sharing stage (involving the search for appropriate means to help the writer share the selection with others). These three stages provide the basis for a poetic composition program and for the suggested handbook for teachers which appears as an outcome of the study. (Author/DD)