Teaching Poetry to Children
Getting Past the “It Has to Rhyme” Conversation
Today I accomplished a goal. I achieved a dream. I said I would go to my daughter’s class and talk about poetry. And today, I did it. And it was wonderful. I will do it again.
The classroom was divided into small group stations. It was the last day before Winter Break. It was pajama day. A room full of Montessori 4th-6th graders getting ready to celebrate Christmas and the holidays.
My daughter, my girl, my sweet eleven, she sat at my table first. I had a gathering of 6 or so. I started out my poetry talk by asking them what poetry was. Of course, right away one of them said it had to rhyme. I said let’s come back to that and think about that a bit. Other kids said it was hard to write. Another girl said is poetry like poems? My daughter said, being my girl, that it is about feelings. We put this all together and I asked them to write a poem about anything. Sometimes opening it up to “anything” can be scary. For kids and for adults. But I like to start with this scary place. For myself, for kids, for adults. Because poetry can be about anything. Poetry is everything.
One kid said he wanted to write a poem about his family for his family.
Another said she wanted to write about her six dogs.
The kid that was really intent on rhyming said she just wanted to pick words and make them rhyme.
My daughter said she wanted to write about her hamster.
I said these are all great ideas and ways to start. I wanted to be encouraging, but rhyme girl was making me a bit cranky with her focus on formula over content and her neglect of feeling and emotion.
I was patient.
I watched them write, waited, and it was really amazing. I could see them thinking and feeling. I could see their pride in what they produced. I could feel their connection to the paper and pen. And the work was really good. Mostly. Many of them were confused about rhyming and how to tell if a poem was a poem if it did not rhyme.
I read them a few of my own poems that did not rhyme and they said wow, that was a poem? Wow, that’s good. I asked them why they thought it was good and they said because they felt something. They felt sad for the birds. They felt happy about the teacups. They felt cozy about the blankets. So I said see, poems make you feel and they can also tell a little story that takes you inside of what the poet is writing about so that you can really be there for a moment.
The vital thing about poetry and about getting kids to love poetry is to connect on feelings and to engage them in the fact that anything that they are feeling or interested in, anything they love or have questions about, anything they see around them or wish to see around them, can be put into a poem, can be written in poetic voice, can be translated from their heart to the page.
Here are a few pictures from the day, and just because I have it with me, and because I love her and she’s my daughter, and because the other kids kept their poems, I have my daughter’s poem here to share with you all too. And let me say, proud mama, proud poet, her poem is good. For those who love poetry, or who are poetry curious, tell me why it is good in the comments. And no, it does not rhyme.
Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer and support her poetry at Justice Poetic. You can also support her on Patreon and sign up for her poem a week newsletter here. Her first collection of poetry, Love in the Time of Climate Change was released on December 9, 2019.