April is National Poetry Month, and I have to confess that before homeschooling, I never thought about reading poetry to the boys. I mean, if it didn’t involve ninjas or mutant turtles, why bother, right? Um, wrong!
I’ve heard it said before that poetry is the highest form of literature, so why not start exposing our children to it from an early age? I was surprised how positively my boys responded, especially to those verses they could relate to as children. The accompanying hot chocolate and marshmallows didn’t hurt either.
Now, if you can’t envision your children eagerly crowding around your feet, begging, “Mother dear, please, would you read us another poem?,” don’t worry, mine don’t do that either. However, don’t be intimidated. Just follow these two simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to develop an appreciation for this rhythmic art in your kids.
Step 1: Pick a poem.
Step 2: Read said poem.
[Repeat Daily]
Yes, I know. It really is that simple. Once you master these two simple steps, you can then venture on to more advanced poetry readings, which include hot tea, biscuits and English accents!
If you’re at a loss for where to find great children’s poetry, lately we’ve been reading through A Child’s Garden of Verses
I’m curious to know, do you or your kids have any favorite children’s poems? Do share!
27 Comments
Can I send the cookie to your school? I seriously think he would be happier.
April 23, 2015 at 10:26 amHa, thanks Jess! I think though he’d be happiest at school with you ;P You’re always doing fun stuff with him!
April 23, 2015 at 12:36 pmIve always liked The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. . Thanks for the article, I’m inspired to read some fun poetry to my kids!! Really!
April 30, 2015 at 1:41 pmI’m gonna have to look that one up! Thanks for stopping by!
April 30, 2015 at 8:05 pmI LOVE your steps, LOL! You made it so very simple. Thank you 🙂
April 30, 2015 at 7:04 pmHehe. You know, sometimes us moms need to remember that things really don’t have to be that complicated. 🙂
April 30, 2015 at 8:04 pmThought you may want to check out our posts about poetry and kids written for Poetry Month!
http://www.classesbybeth.com/blog/the-value-of-imagination-in-a-technological-world/
http://www.classesbybeth.com/blog/poetry-history-better-understanding-and-higher-level-thinking/
http://www.classesbybeth.com/blog/open-up-the-doors-of-your-childs-imagination-with-some-of-our-favorite-poetry-books/
April 30, 2015 at 9:49 pmLove this!!!! I did not think of reading poems to the kids… please continue to share your list of books!!! Thank you for the inspiration!!
April 30, 2015 at 9:52 pmI’ll keep sharing Cinthia! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
April 30, 2015 at 10:20 pmMy mother read poems to us and it DID instill a love of poetry in me! My favorite copy of children’s poems, which she read to us and I still have sitting on a bookshelf, is Favorite Poems Old and New, selected by Helen Ferris.
May 1, 2015 at 1:36 pmVisiting from Christian Fellowship Friday 🙂
That’s awesome Carolann! I haven’t heard of that collection, but I’m definitely going to look it up. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by!
May 1, 2015 at 2:23 pmI adore the image you used! Such a sweetie. I agree with you about poetry. We have used several books in our homeschool over the years that are delightful. Thank you for joining us at Little Things Thursday this week!
May 1, 2015 at 3:14 pmThank you Kim! She’s a lot of fun to photograph 🙂 And her love of swings is what reminded me of this poem.
May 1, 2015 at 3:32 pmThis is so true- it is that simple to take a step and begin doing something with your kids. Thanks for sharing on my linkup! Sending blessings and love:)
May 2, 2015 at 8:30 amThank you Randi for stopping by! I recently read a quote from Amelia Earhart, “The most effective way to so something, is to do it.” 😉
May 6, 2015 at 5:54 pmI love exploring poetry with my kids and so easy to do (like you shared)! There are many spectacular poetry books for kids too!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
May 6, 2015 at 12:30 pmxoxo
Thank you for stopping by Jennifer!
May 6, 2015 at 5:49 pmI love this! You make it so simple. Thanks for stopping by the Lit Lover’s Link Party!
May 6, 2015 at 5:47 pmMy pleasure! I look forward to future ones.
May 6, 2015 at 5:48 pmSuch a great idea, and so lovely. I loved poems at school why not share with our children
April 4, 2016 at 4:08 amThank you x
Totally! Thank you for stopping by!
April 4, 2016 at 8:41 amWe’ve just started making poetry intentional; I used to just read poems whenever the inspiration struck but now we’ve bought journals with poems inside them and try to read poems at least once or twice a week.
April 4, 2016 at 6:30 pmThat’s awesome!
April 5, 2016 at 9:15 amLove this! Sometimes I have a tendency to overthink and over-plan, but simple is often best. The things our children see us value (like reading poetry daily) will most likely be the things they grow to value, or at least have some appreciation of. Thanks!
April 4, 2016 at 6:31 pmI totally understand because I do that all the time. Now I try to tell myself, “Simplify, simplify!”
April 5, 2016 at 9:17 amMy mom quoted poetry all the time to me growing up and so much of it stuck. Now it’s like I have her voice with me in my head at times and it’s pretty awesome. We read it too. I try with my kids – we’re good at nursery rhymes and better with songs – but I’ll stick with it. When We Were Very Young is a great choice!
April 4, 2016 at 8:47 pmWow, that’s so special. I’m curious, which poems do you remember her reading?
April 5, 2016 at 9:18 am