Introducing poetry

[Handsomesmomma]

How are you introducing poetry to the little people?

Ann-Marie

[*Jessica*]

We read a poem almost every day. I don't ask them what they like about it, or what it means, we just read it. At this stage I just want them exposed to poetry. So far we've followed the Ambleside Online suggestions for A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson and Now We Are Six/When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne, as well as reading poems by Mattie Stepanek and Shel Silverstein.

[One_Girl]

I have read some Shel Silverstein and a couple books with funny poems to my dd. The lady that does the story time at our local book store also does a poem month every year and the kids listen to longer poem stories, talk about poems, then do a craft and poem of their own. I also encourage her efforts to make a poem when she wants to. This is a hard subject for me though because I really don't like poems and never have. At dd's age I think just playing with poetry and being exposed to it is enough.

[Geerbabe]

I recently bought "Fancy Nancy Poetry" and read it to my seven year old. She promptly went off and wrote three poems all on her own.

We also use poems in our copy work. Shel Silverstein is one of our favourite poets for kids.

[crunchy_mama]

We read poetry here and there- although hope to be more consistent w/ next yr and start doing it for memorization/copywork. We also started doing Tea Party Poetry Readings on Wednesday's- that has been a HUGE hit.
Collections we have:
Milne- Now we are Six and When we were Very Young
Stevenson-Children's Garden of Verses
Ferris- Favorite Poems Old and New
Silverstein-A Light in the Attic
Nesbit- My Hippo has the hiccups
Berquist- The Harp and Laurel Wreath(not strictly poetry)

We try to vary it up each week.

[accidental_hs'er]

Easily! Library day...

We go to the library once a week. Rather then wind up with a ton of books about Star Wars well below his reading level I have a list of books from which to choose. He is allowed so many fiction books, a topic or two's worth or non-fiction, a biography and he has to grab a few poetry books. We started with Shel Silverstein (the kids loved it, especially the boy!) and just kept moving with whatever was on the shelf.

We read them together so he gets to learn how to read different types of poetry. We discuss the poems and sometimes write our own. It is a veryu relaxed process. Starting with funny poetry really helped.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Handsomesmomma

How are you introducing poetry to the little people?

How little? I think nursery rhymes are a great beginning - and even fun to learn. - Lillian

[St. Margaret]

Yeah, we started with nursery rhymes, the hand games, etc.

A few people bought us children's poetry anthologies, or like the old little golden book of poetry, and we'll read from those or a book from the library, Shel Silverstein or a Barefoot book of poetry with awesome paintings illustrating. DD sees me reading my HUGE poetry books and asks me to read to her a bit.

I also can't help quoting some poems, they pop into my head and I just sing them out, just like with other silly things all day long, so it's just out there, in our lives... she knew Tiger, Tiger, burning bright when she was one

[gaudynight]

Well, we use poems for memorization and copywork so the littles are absorbing them by osmosis. And we've always read poems just like we might read a story, and I have a whole bunch of poems memorized that I recite sometimes, in the car or doing chores or whenever someone (or me!) needs a distraction.