READING: AGES 0-3

The Power of Poetry

 

            Today's Snack: Eat a small container of applesauce, rinse out the container, and "beat" on it as a drum with two thin carrot sticks. We're celebrating rhythm and rhyme today, so think of words that rhyme with applesauce and say them in cadence to your "drumbeats." Boss? Hoss? Moss? When you run out of real words to rhyme, make up some more! Enjoy a glass of ice water with your snack.

 

--------------------

 

Supplies:

Poetry books for young children

 

            It's amazing how much like music the English language really is. There are melodies and harmonies, dynamics and pauses, lots of drama and emotion.  When the music or the sentence is just right, the message comes across beautifully.

 

            That's why it makes so much sense to read young children the type of literature that is most like music - poetry. Read a poem every night to your child, starting at about age 2, and the chances are very good that your child will be independently reading by kindergarten. Poetry is that powerful!

 

            You and your child should feel free to nod your head in the rhythm of a good poem, or stamp your feet, or get up and dance to it. You should read poems aloud as if they are short, dramatic plays, or music videos. Have fun with poetry! There may be nothing better to set your child up to be a good reader, since poetry is the best way to cement a love for the rhythm and meaning of language into a young child's heart.

 

            You can check out good poetry books for kids at the library. But it's fun to own your own so that you can read them over and over again. A truly great poetry book for kids is:

 

 

            African-American children may enjoy these famous verses, as well:

 

http://howarddrive.dadeschools.net/Ballent%20Links/Oratorical%20Poems.pdf