How Do You Teach Poetry Writing To A Child?
Poetry is the language of the soul, but all too often it produces groans from people who see poems as some type of secret language. Introduce poetry to children early to encourage an appreciation for poems and craft of writing them. Follow these steps for teaching poetry writing to kids. Read poetry to children. Show kids that poetry can be funny, sad, silly or mad. Dr. Seuss demonstrates that made-up words can be poetry. Young children favor Shel Silverstein’s books of poems. Play rhyming and rhythm games with kids. Nursery rhymes often are the first poems people learn. Teach young children about rhythmic patterns by having them clap hands and stomp feet along with the poem; it’s noisy, but effective. Ask older kids to stomp out a haiku pattern of 5-7-5. Look for ideas all around you. Children frequently complain that they don’t know what to write about. Give prompts by asking kids to list their three favorite things, and then write poems about them. Let student volunteers suggest a n
