Have you ever thought of all the month-long national observances? There are so many of them (and their list is fast growing) that everyone can find their own special month (or, months) to celebrate. One of my favorite ones is July as it is known as National Ice Cream Month signed into public law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. August though, I must admit, holds the top rank on my scale as it marks National Coffee Month.
And then there are the more serious ones, like National Poetry Month, which is observed in April. It was established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate the beauty of poetry and bring more awareness of it to the not-so-poetic population.
When I was a school-aged child, I loved reciting poems; most probably because they offered a way to perform on a stage and make adults smile. However, my chosen poems always had to rhyme. I could never understand why somebody would write a poem without the beauty of a rhyme. After teaching many poems in our homeschool (and dissecting them deeply), I still hold the same opinion, a “real” poem must have a perfect rhyme! For those of you out there who love poetry no-matter-what, please be patient with the rest of us; we are still learning.
Do You Teach Poetry?
If you are homeschooling, you most probably like to take advantage of various national observances throughout the year to teach your children. National Poetry Month is an excellent way to impart some of the most precious language patterns into the little (and bigger) brains. Did you know that …
- Without good poetry there would be no good prose? The poet must concise his thoughts into very short lines and therefore use words that describe more than just one simple thing but rather the entire situation and emotion. Most of the famous book writers study poems significantly to learn from poets the special thought constructions.
- Rhyming words help build phonetic awareness, which strengthens spelling and pronunciation(for example, pill/mill, bond/pond).
- Memorizing poetry teaches children rhythmic patterns,improves vocabulary, and enhances language patterns and complexity.
[For more information about the benefits of memorizing poetry and how to “sell” it even to your teenager, please visit Is Memorizing Poetry Good for the Brain?]
How to Make Poetry Fun for Your Children
Poetry is not difficult to teach. There are so many fun activities available which help children recognize and create rhymes as well as memorize poems. And if you wonder, whether anyone has ever written poems that would entertain even boys, I have good news for you – yes, they have! You can check out our Little Book of Poems for Little People Book 1 & Little Book of Poems for Little People Book 2 and enjoy some of them.
If you would like to use some of our resources to spice your National Poetry Month celebration, please do not hesitate to download our FREE printable Rhyming Words Games and Poems. They include activities like Draw a Rhyme with a Line, Find Rhyming Words, Finish the Rhyme, and also several poems that can be used to memorize as well as decorate your home.
