Moe’s B2B World

Children can learn to write poetry when they are shown the basics. It does not matter if you are a parent or a teacher. Here are 6 steps to get you started.

1. List of words. On the chalk board or on a piece of paper at home write down some words that rhyme. An example would be: night, kite, fight, scare, snare, mare, mile, smile etc. Help the kids arrange a couple of these words in a sentence.

2. Recitation. While the students are writing their sentences you can write some of your own and then read them out loud. Hearing words rhyme is different than saying them in your head. Have each of the children do this. There may be giggles which is normal.

3. Read the Bible. The Bible is written in prose and is the most widely read book in the world. Try reading parts of the Bible and discuss with the children why it rhymes. Have the kids try to imitate some of the verses. The poems do not have to be real.

4. Poems about grandparents. Try having the children write poems about things and people they are very familiar with like grandparents. Other topics could be pets and toys. The idea is to help them identify with the subject matter for their poems.

5. Games to teach rhyming. Rhyming games can be used to teach children how to write poetry. You can read nursery rhymes to the kids and have them stomp and or clap their hands along with the rhythmic pattern. This will be loud but it is very effective.

6. Music. Listen to music and show how lyrics are similar to poetry set to music. This is particularly effective with older kids. Music is a huge part of our lives and many children and teenagers are aspiring musicians and already have favorite music groups.

Teaching children to write poetry needs to be taken step by step. First you need to get the kids to write simple poetry about things they are very familiar with. Encourage them to write about emotions and feelings. The Bible, rhyming games and music can also be used to further poetic understanding.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm and is filed under Education.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.