Sharing Poetry with Children

April is National Poetry Month, and this is a celebration that shouldn't be limited to adults! Poetry does not hold as prominent a place in our culture as it once did. This is a shame because engaging with poetry provides children many cognitive, emotional, social, and even physical benefits.

Children of all ages (even babies) can experience the rhyme and rhythm of poetry and nursery rhymes. This allows them to become interested in the sounds they hear, even when they do not understand the meanings of all the words. Rhymes also make it easier for children to learn new words. (Do you ever read rhyming books with your children and let them fill in the last rhyming word? I'm amazed at how quickly my almost 3 year old can memorize these rhymes).

If you have a kinesthetic learner, he will be able to feel the rhythm of poems, helping him to absorb the words in a deeper way than with prose.

As you might imagine, poetry also allows children to express their emotions (whether humorous or serious ones) more easily. A poem may spark a conversation that your child doesn't otherwise feel ready to talk about.

"The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" from The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems

There are so many ways to explore poetry with your child. Here are a few ideas:

• Invite your children to explore new poems through illustrating them, as Melissa Taylor did at Imagination Soup. As she points out, having the child read the poem out loud is an important step in the process.
• I'm fascinated by these Outdoor Poetry Pebbles as a way to help even young children write poetry that's inspired by nature.
• Poetry seems to lend itself to craft ideas involving rocks, because here's another I love: a Poetry River Craft from MadebyJoel.
• Find a good time of day to read a poem out loud to your child (or let her read to you). Consider the end of dinner, bedtime, or while packing lunches for school.
• On your next visit to the library, ask if they have a poetry section in the children's department. Let your child pick the book that looks most appealing to him (and be sure to make another selection on your next visit.)
• Choose a classic poem to memorize together with your child. "Bed in Summer" by Robert Louis Stevenson might be a good candidate. (This poem is also featured in The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems.) 
• Poetry4Kids has a fun invisible ink craft to use with "Please Don't Read This Poem."
• For teachers or homeschooling families, a Montessori poetry basket can be a good extended project for exploring poems in more depth. 

What ideas do you have for making poetry come alive for children?