How to Teach Kids to Write Poetry
Children love to express themselves, so Jaques of London have come up with some top tips for learning how to teach kids to write poetry. What better way to celebrate World Poetry Day than to unleash their inner Wordsworth, as together, you accelerate alliteration and form the perfect couplet, to discover the creative brilliance of poetry.
Budding poets have your ink wells at the ready and keep reading for some fantastic early learning resources.
Teaching Kids to Write a Poem
Rhyme with Reason
From the earliest stages of phonics training, our kids are highly attuned towards recognising patterns in language. These same patterns that form their first words, serve as a perfect method for drawing them into the world of poetry. From cats in hats to dogs on logs, rhyme is everywhere you turn. Even Jaques likes to relax and play the sax, these are basic facts. So make sure your children experiment with rhyme to bring the fun out of writing.
Fun Factor
Not all stanzas should be knock knock knocking. Leave the prose of Poe at the chamber door and prepare for some poetic punchlines instead. When asking how to teach kids to write poetry, fun and laughter will always win through. So, be sure to keep your poetry silly, imaginative and rule breaking. Add in a few rhymes to spice things up; just don’t let the kids write a rhyming poem about ’mum’. You’ll thank us later.
Personal Poetry
Teaching kids to write a poem can provide them with wonderful opportunities to express their feelings. Encourage your pint-sized poet to write about their own opinions and thoughts. By making their writing about themselves, youngsters will develop a more inquisitive nature towards the power of the written and spoken word.
Poetry Partners
Modern poets are fascinated with collaborative writing, and it has seen an equal boon throughout the art world in the 21st century. So, bring that same culture into the home and duet on your own poetic symphony. Decide on the theme and length of your poem, then take it in turns to write each line. Just make sure to agree on publishing rights beforehand.
Easel Ease
For the ultimate poetry party, it’s time to add more family members to your prior pairing. This time, get an easel and take it in turns to go up to the board and write a line until your poem is complete. Now, select a reader to discover whether your combined prose powers have led to literary mastery or poetic pain.
Poetic License
As our longest-held literary art form, poetry has centuries of rules and opinions attached t it. So, be sure to play guide, but not punctuation police. Creative freedom gives little writers greater confidence in expressing themselves, so be sure that they know that when it comes to being creative, rules are made for breaking.
For even more literary lessons and invaluable early learning resources, look no further than the vast array of academic tools available at our marvellous Mini Minds Hub. With Jaques of London, World Poetry Day 2021 will have your whole family performing poetry in motion.
