When I shared my list of culturally diverse poetry books earlier this week I issued a casual challenge for National Poetry Month (April). Today I'm issuing a more formal poetry challenge for kids to encourage you to share the joy of reading poems as a family.
Don't worry, though, I'm still keeping things simple (as is my usual M.O.). If you want to make sure you don't miss each week's poem, sign up for our weekly newsletter.
How the Poetry Challenge Works:
Every Friday I will share a different, classic poem. (See below for today's selection.) Read this poem with your kids at least once a day during the week. You can read it at breakfast, at bedtime, on the bus, or whatever works with your schedule and family life. That's it! Are you old hats at poetry? Check out the extension activity selections below.
FAQ: (Just kidding, since this is the first time I've ever mentioned the poetry challenge so none of these questions have been asked, yet, much less "frequently")
What if I don't like the poem? Choose a different poem. There is no rule that says you have to choose the poem I supply. After all, I am only choosing poems in the public domain, so I don't get in copyright hot water. I'm also choosing short poems so no one feels overwhelmed and even poetry newbies can play along. Do you have a favorite poetry collection at home? By all means, pick a poem from that book each day.
Why do I have to read the same poem every day? I hope you won't balk at reading the same poem 7 times in a row. You are probably aware that kids like to hear the same material repetitively. That's because it's good for their brains! Just think of all those Thomas the Train books you've read a gazillion times, and these poems are a million times better! (Not to mention shorter.) Listening to the same material over and over allows your kids (and you) to find new meanings.
How old do my kids have to be? At least one day old.
All I'm doing is reading a poem? Isn't that a little, well... basic? I don't think there's anything basic about repetitive reading of poetry at all. Repetition unlocks understanding. However,  if you want to do more with the poem, by all means do so. Speaking of which...
Poetry Challenge Extension Activities
If you want to add a bit more meat to the challenge try out these ideas.
- Memorize the poem (Tips: How to memorize poetry)
- Read a bit about the poet (online or get a book from the library)
- Discuss the structure, grammar and punctuation of the poem
- Write a poem on the same topic (Poetry writing ideas here!)
- Read more of the poet's work (since these are all public domain poets, you will find poems just with a little Google search)
- Start a conversation about the poem's topic
- Build a spine poem on the same theme
This week's poem
I'm starting off with a poem I loved when I was a kid because it described perfectly the happenings inside my brain. It's by Robert Louis Stevenson, whose classic collection, A Child's Garden of Verses
(affiliate link) belongs on everyone's shelf.
If you'd like to print this out, I have a printer friendly copy here --> A Child's Thought poem
Here is the full poem if you want to go all out:
At seven, when I go to bed,
I find such pictures in my head:
Castles with dragons prowling round,
Gardens where magic fruits are found;
Fair ladies prisoned in a tower,
Or lost in an enchanted bower;
While gallant horsemen ride by streams
That border all this land of dreams
I find, so clearly in my head
At seven, when I go to bed.
At seven, when I wake again,
The magic land I seek in vain;
A chair stands where the castle frowned,
The carpet hides the garden ground,
No fairies trip across the floor,
Boots, and not horsemen, flank the door,
And where the blue streams rippling ran
Is now a bath and water-can;
I seek the magic land in vain
At seven, when I wake again.
The rest of the POETRY READING CHALLENGE:
Week 2: Emily Dickinson
Week 3: Edward Lear
Week 4: Christina Rossetti
Week 5: William Shakespeare
And try out the Poetry Writing Challenge!
My favorite books (affiliate links) with poems perfect for kids:
Emma @ P is for Preschooler says
What a good idea! I can always use with some good poems to read, and to introduce to my 5 year old! 🙂
Kim andAmanda says
Printed it out and put it on the fridge - I will read it to all 3 kiddos this week! GREAT challenge!
Jodie @ Growing Book by Book says
Love this challenge!
Jill says
My boys (6 and 8) enjoyed this poem. I look forward to next week's. (On a side note, I picked up several of your poetry recommendations for the library and the concrete poems in "A poke in the I" touched their funny bones with its bits of irony.)
Erica MomandKiddo says
Comments like yours, make my day! Thank you for telling me that. I hope you continue to enjoy the poem each day until next week!
Jenny says
What fun! I just printed it- thank you for making it so convenient!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Glad you are playing along!
Amy says
Just want to say thank you for this idea, along with all of your other great posts. You have enriched my family's life in many ways.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thank you so much for telling me, Amy! I'm so glad to hear it!
Hilary says
What a great idea. I hate poetry and I don't want that getting passed onto my kids. Thanks!
Erica MomandKiddo says
It's funny, because I've never been really into poetry either (despite loving literature and theater) but decided to make a greater effort when it comes to my kids. I'm not all the way there yet, but I'm getting there!
Even in Australia says
I drove myself crazy trying to find this in A Child's Garden of Verses (the only book in which I indulged by buying multiple copies, all with different illustrators), only to realize you never said it was actually in there!! Nonetheless, it has several similar poems with the same theme. Needless to say, I love them all.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I found it in a general anthology that includes poems by different poets. "Poems and Rhymes" published by Anness. I don't like the illustrations in this one, but I found it at the library.
Leana S says
I'm doing the poetry reading challenge with my 4 year old son. We started the poem by E. Dickinson, but this morning he asked me to read him A Child's Thought. I was busy preparing breakfast and asked him to wait a second. Before I knew it he was "reading" a poem to himself! My jaw dropped to the floor and I held my breath through the whole poem. I haven't tried to memorize the poem with him we would just read it almost every day, sometimes a couple of times a day. I know he has a great memory and he is learning to read, so it was probably a mix of both, but in that moment I was amazed and proud of him, I also see the benefits of reading poetry together every day and how fun and thought-provoking it can be.
Since I'm writing here, the first time I read him "A Word" he just sat in silence and then slowly said: "O-o-o-kay" as in "I don't know what you've just read." But then he wanted to read it again and we talked about it.
Thank you for putting all these ideas together to help me have more fun reading with my children.
Erica MomandKiddo says
That is so wonderful! I noticed my kids easily (more so than I did!) memorized the poems. The Dickinson and Stevenson poems are so different, I'm not surprised at his reaction! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how it is going for you!
Nancy Tupper Ling says
Thanks for the mention of Double Happiness! Love this post!
Erica MomandKiddo says
We love Double Happiness! Spoiler: It's going to be on my next favorite picture books of the year post.
Christa says
Are you a BraveWriter momma? Their theme this month on the Braver Writer Lifestyle is Poetry Tea Time! This will help me be intentional about that this month. Thanks for the gentle nudge.
Margie says
I think POETRY CHALLENGE is a terrific idea for expanding the interests of children ages 1-100! My granddaughter
and I often do bedtime stories by phone and this will be a fun addition to that! Thank you for the 'heartwork' you put into your planned activities!
Marina Fedorova says
That is such a great idea ! But how do you choose the level of difficulty of a poetry?