• Start Here
  • Home
  • Books
    • Classics
      • 20th Century Classics
    • Early Chapter Books
    • Easy Readers
    • Folktales
    • Holiday Books
    • Middle Grade (8-12 years)
    • Nonfiction
    • Picture Books
    • Read Aloud Chapter Books
  • Games
    • Traditional Games
  • Kids Activities
    • Arts and Crafts
    • Literacy & Writing
    • Math
    • Playful Activities
    • Science
    • Toddler
  • Parenting

What Do We Do All Day

Books and Activities for Kids

You are here: Home / Literacy / Poetry Challenge for Kids {Week 2}

Poetry Challenge for Kids {Week 2}

April 4, 2014

145shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Welcome back to our (very casual) poetry challenge. Every Friday during National Poetry Month, I will be sharing one short, classic poem to read with your kids. The rules are very simple and flexible. You can learn all about them and get the first poem on the introductory poetry reading challenge post.

Poetry challenge for kids during National Poetry Month. Learn to love poetry.

Before I introduce this week’s poem… If you participated in last week’s poetry challenge I’d love to hear how it went. Here’s what happened at our home:

The first time I read the poem the kids listened quietly but had no response. I tacked the poem up next to our dining table so I wouldn’t forget to read it! The next day my 9 year old said, “We read that yesterday!” I explained I was going to read it at least once a day and all he had to do was listen, nothing else unless he wanted to. After I read it, he asked what “bower” meant. The third time, I discovered a layer of meaning and explained my finding, to which he just nodded. The fourth time he asked what “gallant” meant. I think it’s so interesting he didn’t try to learn the definitions of unfamiliar words the first time!

This week’s poem comes from American poet, Emily Dickinson. It’s a very short poem, but I think you’ll agree it is thick with meaning. I’m looking forward to hearing what my kids think of it!

A word is dead poem by Emily Dickinson chosen for the poetry reading challenge.

The best way to get to know a poem is to live with it. Read this poem out loud at least once every day for a week. Discuss it with your kids (if you want), print it out and tack it on the fridge or your bulletin board.

I have a printer friendly version here —> A Word poem 

I’ve seen the poem with different punctuation. I don’t know what version scholars have deemed official, but since reading it aloud is the goal of the poetry challenge I won’t spend too much time hemming and hawing over it.

The blog, The Prowling Bee is dedicated to looking at each of Dickinson’s poems and here’s her interpretation of “A Word”. You can read more about Emily Dickinson at Poets.org.

I’d love to hear from you! Did you manage to read the Robert Louis Stevenson poem from last week every day with your kids? Did you do any extension activities, or simply enjoy the reading? How did your kids like it? Do tell!

Want Your Kids to Love Being Unplugged?
Subscribe to our newsletter and as a thank you, receive 10 waiting games kids can play anytime anywhere.
Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
145shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

by: Erica posted in: Literacy 6 Comments

« 12 (Almost) Effortless Preschool Literacy Activities
How to Make a Pop Up Book {With Your 5 Year Old} »

Comments

  1. Maria Gianferrari says

    April 4, 2014 at 9:26 am

    Thanks so much, Erica! I wasn’t able to participate last week, but I’ll try it this week. I LOVE Emily Dickinson. I just subscribed to the Prowling Bee–thanks for sharing that!!

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      April 4, 2014 at 9:48 am

      The best part of this poetry challenge is that you don’t have to confine it just to Nat’l Poetry Month. 🙂 I’m so glad you are enjoying the poems.

      Reply
  2. Amy says

    April 4, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    Our first week of the challenge was wonderful. My 5 year-old asked to read the poem every day. She has half of it memorized without any intentional memorization. Her enjoyment led me to start reading A Child’s Garden of Verses aloud to her. She now asks to read “poems” every day. I never would have started this at this age without your challenge. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      April 4, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      That’s so nice to hear, Amy! This morning at breakfast my 5 year old also recited the poem from memory–, also with no intentional memorization. Although my 9 year old didn’t!

      Reply
  3. Kira says

    April 7, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    I love this challenge … thank you for organizing it, making it easy, and sharing it with clarity and exuberance. Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Erica says

      April 17, 2018 at 11:49 am

      So glad you are enjoying it!

      Reply

Feed My Comment Addiction Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

STOP THE WHINING!

SAY, "YES I WANT TO UNPLUG MY KIDS." JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER LIST AND GET 10 WAITING GAMES YOUR KIDS CAN PLAY ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.

Join over 12,000 parents who subscribe to the most useful newsletter on the planet. 

    We won't send you spam (yuck). Unsubscribe at any time.

    Search

    What Have We Done Lately?

    Children’s Books that Address Domestic Violence

    Best Games for Small Families (2-4 Players)

    Picture Books for Older Children

    Indoor Nature Activities for Winter that Kids Love

    Winter Bookmark Coloring Page

    Martin Luther King, Jr. Books for Kids

    A Year of Family Audiobooks


    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
    Copyright 2007-2020 What Do We Do All Day? All rights reserved.

    EXPLORE MORE:

    Awesome Newsletter
    Favorite Resources for Parents
    100s of Book Lists
    Gigantic List of Indoor Activities
    Best Games on the Planet
    Stay At Home Parent Resources


    Privacy, disclosure and copyright policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme Description: This is the Foodie Pro child theme created for the Genesis Framework. Author: Shay Bocks Author URI: http://shaybocks.com/ Version: 2.0.5 Tags: black, orange, white, one-column, two-columns, three-columns, fixed-width, custom-menu, full-width-template, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready Template: genesis Template Version: 2.0.1 License: GPL-2.0+ License URI: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php by Shay Bocks

    Want Your Kids to Love Being Unplugged?
    Subscribe to our newsletter and as a thank you, receive 10 waiting games kids can play anytime anywhere.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    Want More Free Activity Ideas?
    Join our email list and as a thank you gift I'll send you a list of 10 waiting games that will make your kids smarter.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    Want your kids to love being unplugged?
    Join our newsletter and as a thank you, I'll send you a list of 10 waiting games.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you keep using this website we will assume you are OK with that. Read our privacy policy for more.OKRead more