Library Staff Directory
Posted Apr 9, 2014
Looking for your next great family read-aloud? Consider poetry. The old worn stereotype of poetry as an esoteric pastime of academics couldn’t be farther from the truth. Poetry’s influence is all around us from greeting cards to calendar quotations to the hip hop song on the radio. It is universal, transcending generations and cultures.
Poetry is a natural for kids. Think of Mother Goose. Not only are poems fun word play, they promote literacy and intellectual and emotional development in children. The sounds and rhythms help babies and young children develop the auditory and language skills needed to read. For older kids, poetry demonstrates the power of language. It introduces new vocabulary words and concepts. The imaginative and visualization skills developed by reading poetry have been linked to better reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Poetry’s rhythmic and kinetic nature, combined with humorous topics, make it a great read aloud choice for active boys. In our busy overscheduled worlds, poetry is also time efficient. A few lines of verse can pack a lot of punch. More good news – There is a wide selection of poetry written for children on themes they can relate to – school, siblings, sports, parents, and pets.
If poetry hasn’t been part of your family activities, now is the time to give it a try. Check out our extensive poetry collection. Our April book display features plenty of great choices. Then try creating some of your own poems. Make up silly rhyming verses. Create a collage poem by cutting out words from magazines or newspapers and arranging them to make an original poem. Write a NAME poem using words that start with the letters in the name and describe the person.
April is poetry month. Read it, write it, enjoy it all year long.
Share This: