As a child, poetry was not a subject that interested me. Now I am learning about poetry alongside my children. I am loving it and, amazingly, so are they. Perhaps the key is in the approach. If you treat poetry as one of your many fun family activities, so will your children. Introducing your little ones to poetry will not only help them get ready for preschool, it will also offer a gentle alternative to television and violence, and introduce new ways to enjoy time together.
The rhyme and rhythm of poetry help children to appreciate their language. It also prepares them for future lessons in reading and literature. After we read our poems, we like to memorize the ones we like best. I let the kids choose a poem—often selected from their popular children's books—and then we get to work memorizing it. We usually spend no more than five minutes a day, three or four days a week, working on poetry.
When they have learned the poem, they recite it for family members after dinner. You should see their little proud faces. They stand before the fireplace, straight and tall, and when they finish, they take a bow. Of course, their proud father often pulls out the video camera to record this fantastic event. All of this makes poetry reading fun.
An added benefit of all this is that my preschoolers are inspired from time to time to write their own poems. This means that I have to get off the phone or put down the broom so that I can write down their words, but it is well worth it.
When I take the time to write their poems. I get to sneak a peek into their hearts and minds. Even the simplest poems describe what we feel, like this one from my five-year-old son.
Pokemon
by Joseph Robert Wittmann
Pokemon, pokemon, pokemon
I like it.
It is so cool.
Pokeball!
As you can see, their poems may not be on the level of Robert Louis Stevenson or Shel Silverstein, but they are a beginning. They are the foundation for a future love of literature and of poetry.
With preschoolers, I keep the poems short and easy. No matter what books you choose, make sure they are well illustrated. Colorful pictures help draw children into the book.
Here are some of my children's favorite books of poetry:
A Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson
When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six
by A. A. Milne (The author of the original Winnie the Pooh stories.)
Other favorites:
For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone
by Jack Prelutsky
Barking Spiders and Other Such Stuff
by C. J. Heck
Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose, Vol. 1
by Charles Ghigna ("Father Goose")