Poetry Activities From Preschool to Highschool

April is here! April is National Poetry Month and the Month of The Young Child. To kick off the celebrations I thought it would be fitting to share some poetry activities for the young children in our lives. 

                                                                       

Sharing poetry is just like introducing a baby to a new food. The earlier that we expose our children to poetry it becomes easier to digest. When we are doing finger plays, reading rhyming books, and listening to music we are setting the foundation that begins the understanding of word play, which leads to naturally being able to identify different forms of poetry. 

Create Poetry Baskets! To create a Poetry Basket you will need a poem of your choice, preferably one about something your child is interested in. You will also need small objects that represent what the poem is about. Place your objects in a basket and the poem next to it, now it's all set for poetry fun.

The Poetry Basket pictured above is the one I made for "Butterfly, Butterfly Fly, Butterfly Fly Away" it is a counting song from Barney. The children really loved this song, so I thought it was a perfect poetry basket to start with. We were also in the midst of watching the life cycle of the butterfly unfold right before our eyes. Bringing poetry into our butterfly unit made it even more memorable to the children.    

Meet the Poet! Writing poetry can be just as fun as reading it. My daughter wanted to share her poetry book that she had written. She handed out invitations to the preschoolers asking them if they would like to write a poem and share it with everyone. She also made cookies for them for a snack. Each person was able to read their poetry aloud and give positive feedback. These were some of the poems I have ever heard! I totally loved this activity. 

To host a "Meet the Poet" at your house encourage your child to  write poetry, show different type of poems to them and just leave the writing process alone. We are talking poetry people!☺ When they have decided they are ready to share their poems with other poets, invite family and friends over who are also willing to share the poetry that they have written too. This activity can be done across all ages, so you can ask adults to come to "Meet the Poet". Another thing I love about this activity is the incorporation of public speaking and receiving positive feedback on your hard work.

Poetry Tea Time!  I have always like the idea of tea time for any occasion, but when I came across this blog I knew I had to make poetry a part of tea time, it is such a beautiful way of being surrounded by the beauty that poetry brings. Poetry Tea Time can involve everyone in the family. I hosted a Poetry Tea Time that had mostly middle-highschoolers in attendance, so we made Word Boxes, and did some Black Out Poetry. Fun! Fun! Fun! Snacks and a beverage was also served. 

To host your own Poetry Tea Time you just need some poetry selections to share, an activity to do, friends and of course tea. I highly suggest that you read How to Include Poetry Teatime in Your Family, written by the lovely Julie Bogart that gives more insights that will help you be successful with your Poetry Tea Time.

The library is a perfect place to begin to find different types of poetry for all ages. They also have books on tapes with poems, as well as famous poets on audio. The more we share our love of poetry the more poets we have in this world! 

Happy National Poetry Month! And Hooray for the Month of The Young Child!!