It’s that magical time of the year again: National Poetry Month. If you haven’t celebrated it before, here’s your big chance.
For little kids, poetry is indispensable and fun. They seem to be born with rhythm: kids love a beat and they're always banging two words together. Our first babysitter used to call my son The Rhyme King because he had double names for everything, the “sofa/bofa” and “pumpkin/tumpkin” to name a few. And of course he loved all those childhood rhyme masters like Dr. Seuss.
In second grade, Max had a teacher who read the class a poem every day, and the kids had to take turns bringing in poems to share.
I think it's great to raise kids who don't think of poetry as intimidating or fussy. In this age of Hip Hop, why should they? But let's give them some positive rhymes to start and help them create their own poetry with zest.
You can celebrate National Poetry Month any way you want, but one possibility is to read a poem aloud every day at dinner or bedtime. You can choose short, funny poems for weekdays and save the longish ones for weekends. I think since my son is older now, 11, the three of us will take turns bringing a poem to read at dinner. I rounded up all the poetry books in the house and put them in a basket in the kitchen, for easy access.
Try organizing a Family Poetry Slam at month's end, and have every member of the family “perform” several favorite poems, either written by themselves or other poets.
Considering how popular rap is now, why not write a family rap together? Be sure to add hand motions. It might turn out to be a family anthem.
I feel compelled to add that adults can have poetry rituals too. My husband and I like to write each other nonsense verses for our anniversary (I liked eight — it rhymes with “great”). You don't have to create from scratch when there are such great templates out there to copy, like the late Ogden Nash. In a pinch, you can always do your own version of “Roses are Red.”
There are lots of resources to help find poems your kids will love. First off, the Academy of American Poets has a great website, www.poets.org, stuffed with fun ideas and activities. The site includes a list of 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month, and you can even sign up to have a poem e-mailed to you daily during April.
The website has a “poetry store” where you can buy a CD compilation of famous poets reading their stuff. Or you can buy the much-lauded book and companion CD called Poetry Speaks to Children.
Of the many poetry anthologies for kids, there are two recent ones I would recommend. Talking Like the Rain: A Read-To-Me Book of Poems is a paperback containing 120 poems pegged to children from kindergarten to fourth grade. Caroline Kennedy compiled a popular volume called A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poems for Children. With a cover photo of Caroline as a girl reading to her teddy bear, this book covers a wide range of celebrated poets and includes the Lord's Prayer. (Fans of her selection include Robert Pinsky, the former poet laureate of the United States.)
These books and many more may be available at your local library; ask the children's librarian for other suggestions.
If your kids are slightly older, 8 or so, I can't say enough about Sharon Creech's unusual book Love That Dog, a short novel composed entirely of poems. It's about a little boy who doesn't want to write poetry at school because he thinks it's a girl thing, but then he gets carried away writing a poem about his dog. (PG warning: the dog died, and the boy has taken it hard.)
If you're looking for a goofy poem to properly launch your celebration, here is one of our faves from Douglas Florian's collection Bing Bang Boing:
MY ROBOT
I have a robot
Do the dishes,
Phone my friends,
Bone the fishes.
Rub my back,
Scrub the floors;
Mop the kitchen,
Open doors.
Do my homework,
Make my bed;
Catch my colds,
Scratch my head.
Walk the dog,
Feed the cats;
Hit my sister,
Knit me hats.
Do my laundry,
Clean my room;
(Boy, he's handy
With a broom),
Comb my hair,
Darn my socks;
Find my lost toys,
Wind my clocks.
Mix me milk shakes,
Fix my bike;
Buy me all
The things I like.
Grill me hot dogs,
Guard my home —
Who do YOU think
Wrote this poem?
A former staff writer for the Wall Street Journal, Meg Cox has spent the last decade researching and writing on contemporary family traditions. She has written two books and articles for such publications as Family Fun, Good Housekeeping, Working Mother and Parents. A mother and stepmother, Cox also lectures frequently and has worked as a traditions expert for such companies as Pillsbury, KFC Corp. and Hallmark. She publishes a free monthly e-mail newsletter on rituals, and can be reached at FamilyRituals@aol.com.
