How can one think that poetry is for kids? Poetry is so complex that only adults can understand it. If that is what you think then wait.
Turn the wheels of time. Think back to all the songs and rhymes you learnt in playschool (or even before that). Don’t you think, we all lapped up the rhymes? Rhymes are part of poetry!
Let us have a look at the different types of poetry for kids.
Generally, there are many types of poetry. For kids, one can narrow down to a few which can impact them in their quest for learning.
These types of poetry are –
- Haiku Poems are Japanese poetry that follows a tight syllable structure and is associated with nature and seasons.
- Calligram Poetry is poetry that takes up the shape of what the poem is trying to talk about. As an example, a poem on a bird can be conveyed through words that fit into a bird’s image.
- Limerick is a humorous poem with a strict rhyme scheme.
- Narrative Poetry is one of the oldest forms of poetry usually having a story narration within it.
- Kenning Poetry is derived from Old Norse poetic tradition and usually has metaphors in it.
- Free Verse poetry is usually a spontaneous poem with no adherence to rules or structure format.
- Sonnet was made popular by Romantic age poets and Shakespeare. It traces its link to Italy and Poet Milton.
Some examples of poems which you can get kids interested in are –
There is a fair lady named Brender,
Who goes wherever they send her;
Sometimes it’s by bike,
Or even a hike;
No distance will ever offend her
(This is a Limerick)
———————–
New growth pushes up
Forcing old, dead things away –
Oh! Circle of life.
(This is Haiku)
———————–
The best way to get children to write poems is to give them a word and let them indulge in free verse style writing. This will let them get imaginative and also help them find ways to express themselves.
No poem is hard or difficult. Let children understand, be perceptive and makeup poems as they get older, learning new styles and formats for poetry writing.
Some resources which can help you –
- https://www.readingrockets.org/article/top-10-resources-poetry
- https://bookriot.com/free-poetry-resources-for-kids/
- https://kidspiritonline.com/explore/poetry/?gclid=CjwKCAjwitShBhA6EiwAq3RqAw4VPaJ5LSNafjb2dyQSGvIPqRqnnCIIO2PLGh971nABiqX_3x9jGBoCKZ8QAvD_BwE
- https://storyweaver.org.in/stories?language=English&query=&sort=Relevance&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=HM-Language-Broad-New&utm_adgroup=English-Poem-Rhyme&gclid=CjwKCAjwitShBhA6EiwAq3RqA0o_t_H6OatfMoLwkhzVssl_o-jdz9Qnm5c4IJsl-Dhb4GFx_enC5hoC_KsQAvD_BwE
- ReadWriteThink Poetry Interactives
- JogLab
- RhymeZone’s Rhyming Dictionary
- Poetry 180
- Writing With Writers: Poetry
- ShelSilverstein.com
- Haiku Poem Interactive
- Poetry4Kids.com
- Curriculum Pathways Poetry Lessons
- Poetry Foundation
- Teen Ink
- Poets.org
