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Kids love words, rhyme, rhythm and beat. They are already lovers of poetry. You have already been teaching your child poetry since they were born. Singing lullabies and reading stories to children help them learn. As long as the sounds have rhyme and rhythm they will stick in a child's mind.

Since kids learn how to talk they play with sounds. They sing, they listen and they repeat. How many times have you heard "I'm a little tea pot", "The itsy, bitsy spider" or "Mary had a little lamb"? These songs are poems that teach kids about rhyming. The repetitive nature of children helps their brains learn, grow and expand.

Almost anything written by Dr. Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, should be used in helping children learn about poetry. The simple words and how they rhyme stick in a child's head. Several popular Dr. Seuss books that are great for kids of all ages are "The Lorax", "The Cat in the Hat" and for younger children "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" or "The foot book". Each book uses a storyline with rhyming to get the point across. With this method children learn how easy it is to make poetry.

Some other ways to teach kids about poetry are by playing word games. These games can be played everywhere and anywhere. Find a word by looking around the house, in the car or out on the street. Then have your child say the word with as many rhyming words that they can think of. As a parent you should do this too. It will teach your child new words and teach them that some sounds are alike.

Poetry is one of the simplest things to teach kids. Word games can even be played in the car when life gets so hectic that we are always on the go. Use the signs to direct how your word game can start. How many words can you rhyme with stop, yield and go? The possibilities are endless.

Use the tools you already have to instill the love of poetry among children. Reading books about poetry will keep their brains active. Playing word games will keep their thinking sharp. Singing rhyming songs will make them fall completely in love with the magic of words. The world is made up of poetry and we all need to help our kids appreciate the beauty of words. Using these tools that you already have you will be on the right track to keeping your child's love of poetry alive.

Learn more about this author, Linda St.Cyr.
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