Teach your children poetry; it opens the mind, lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary ~ Walter Scott
April is National Poetry Month. 🙂
Think about your favorite song. Is it catchy? Does it tell a story, and is it filled with rhythm, repetition and maybe rhyme? It is poetry. One way to get children to write is to teach them poetry. Once they learn to write a few lines, they are hooked. I just love to read poems to children. Once you get started, you and your children will love poetry too.
The following ideas are ways to celebrate reading and writing poetry for National Poetry Month. However, I think any day is a good day to read and write a poem. 🙂
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Sign up to get a poem a day- This link offers a poem a day or a poem a week.http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem-day
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Read a poem a day with your children. Some of my favorite poets for children are Jack Prelutzski and Shel Silverstein
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Get your students involved in the “dear poet project”. (For grades 5- 12)
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Help your children write poems and submit them to a contest.
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Visit the official site for National Poetry Month
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Click here for fabulous and free poetry printables your kids will love.
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Visit Ken Nesbett’s wonderful site: http://www.poetry4kids.com/ He has funny poems that tickle your children’s funny bones. 🙂 He is a poet for children. His site offers all things poetry: rhyming word lists, lessons for poetry writing, and lots & lots of poetry for children. 🙂
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Visit this site for hundreds of lessons and ideas for reading and writing poetry. This is one of my favorite sites. It ranges from K- 12. 🙂
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Write a Theme Poem with your child using this on-line frame and prompts. It’s fun and easy.
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Visit this fabulous site to read about every type of poem you can imagine such as limericks, silly poems, and poems by beloved poets like A.A. Milne.
God shapes every second of our little lives
and minds every minute as the universe waits by.
The pain and the longing,
The joy and the moments of light
Are the rhythm and rhyme
The free verse of the poem of life.
Michael Card- “The Poem of Your Life”
I just love poetry because of the rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. It is simple but complex telling a story that penetrates the soul.
Enjoy exposing your children to poetry. Their lives will be forever enriched.
Do you like poetry? Do your children enjoy poetry?
Let’s make a positive difference~ one word at a time.
♥Pamela
Please share this article with others that you think would benefit from these tips. Also, please ask any questions that you may have about teaching children reading or writing. Leave your questions in the comments. I’ll answer. 🙂
To learn more about Literate For Life, see the welcome post.
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Hi,
Thanks for the great share. I have always wanted to have my kids, try writing poems. But I was hesitating to push them (because I thought poems should occur naturally, not by trying). I just read children’s poem books to them. I will try your suggestions now.
Visiting from KidLitBlogHop.
Ambika,
Awesome. I’ve taught kids to write poetry for years. When you present a frame to them like I shared in the post, all they have to do is fill in blanks. That makes writing poetry not as daunting. You can do it. 🙂 I’m so thankful these tips were helpful.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time. 🙂
Pamela
Wonderful ideas to celebrate Poetry Month, we Love Silverstein in our home and have several of his books! Thanks for sharing on KLBH I just tweeted this post!
Reshama,
Thank you so much. It is awesome that you share poetry. I think there is so much beauty in it, and it is a way to reach kids that may otherwise not enjoy literature. Thanks for sharing the post. 🙂
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time. 🙂
Pamela
Thank you SO much for sharing this with us at Mommy Monday!
I’m currently working on poetry with my kiddos, so this is very much appreciated.
Wishing you a beautiful week.
XOXO
Mrs. AOK,
Wow, perfect timing then. I’m so glad this was helpful to you. Thank you for the Mommy Monday share.
You, too, have a beautiful week. 🙂
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time.
Pamela
I have to admit that I haven’t ever give poetry much of a chance. I think it has to do with trying to figure our some of the complex wording that has to be teased apart to gain an understanding. I appreciate your encouraging words to expose children to all types of writing. Keep up the good work!
Donna,
Thank you so much. Yes, sometimes, poetry gets a bad rap. A lot of people equate it with deep, deep thought and the classics, but poetry is fun and silly too like Dr. Seuss. 🙂
Thank you for your continued support and comments.
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time. 🙂
Pamela
I am bad about reading poetry with my kids so I really appreciate your great ideas! Thanks for sharing at the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
PragmaticMom (Mia),
It is my pleasure to be part of the Kid Lit Blog Hop. Great opportunity with great peeps. 🙂
Poetry is actually fun. So, you can do it. It doesn’t have to be drudgery with the classics. 🙂
Thanks for the comment and support.
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time. 🙂
Pamela
I like #4. My kids are always motivated by contests. Thanks for sharing on Small Victories Sunday link up.
Rachel,
That’s great. Some kids love to rise up to expectations, goals, and contests. It’s exciting that your kids are motivated in this way. Thank you so much for offering the link up and taking the time to comment.
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time. 🙂
Pamela
Hi Pamela, I’m Mom to two adult children. I have written poetry for years for myself and my family to enjoy, but am considering trying to publish some small poems in the form of a children’s book and/or possibly a blog (although I have never tried blogging!). I feel led to use my poems to begin a charity project. Thank you for your post. I find it very inspiring and educational. Do you have any suggestions or tips for me as I am daunted by the idea of sharing my poems!?
Wendy,
Thank you. You can do it! 🙂 I suggest visiting the National Poetry website on this post. It will lead you to a wealth of info. about poetry and sharing it. Please let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear about your published poetry. 🙂
Together, we make a positive difference ~ one word at a time. 🙂
Pamela