What Kids Want to Know About Poems

Poems and Rhymes

• The poetry you read to your child when he was a toddler were likely rhyming poems. Poetry that rhymes is easier for younger children to follow because it contains a rhythm. These types of poems are also easier to learn because your child can anticipate the rhyming word, such as: "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily; life is but a dream." Several types of rhyming poems exist, including ballads, which are long poems that tell a story using rhymes. However, not all poems have words that rhyme. As your child gets older, he will begin learning about and reading poems that do not rhyme.

Free Verse

• Many poems are only two to three lines and address anything the author wishes to. Explain to your child that free verse is a poem that does not follow a set of rules about how long it should be, whether it should rhyme or how many words it should have in each sentence. If your child is creative, adventurous or enjoys telling stories, he might prefer writing in free verse because it does not restrict his ideas or flow of thought.

Poetic Form

• Some poems are written in patterns by following a set of rules. The poetic form might tell how many lines a poem should have, what each line should begin with or where to place the rhyming words. Your child might prefer writing this type of poetry rather than free verse, because the rules provide steps and guidelines.
  For example, an acrostic poem is formed by writing the name of an object vertically and using the letter to start each sentence. Your child can use each letter in his name to write a poem describing himself. A cinquain is a poem with five lines: line 1 is the title with one word, line 2 is the description with two words, line 3 is the action with three words, line 4 is the feeling with four words and line 5 gives a synonym for the title with one word.

Haiku

• Haikus are traditional Japanese poems that were meant to reflect feelings about nature. Your child can write a haiku about any topic; something he observes or wants to express. This type of poetry does not rhyme and is defined by how many syllables it has in each line. Haiku poems contain three lines with five syllables in the first, seven syllables in the second and five syllables in the third line. Reading and writing haikus with your child is a good way to teach him about syllables and how to express a topic in only a few chosen words.

Metaphor and Simile

• Poems often use descriptive words and phrases to describe something or compare two objects. In some cases, the poet might not even state what he is writing about, but simply describe it. For example, a poem might describe a garden hose as "rubber snake in the grass." Use this type of poetry to teach your child to think abstractly while reading. Explain that similes and metaphors are poetic techniques that make writing more interesting. A simile uses "like" or "as" to describe something, such as "I stood perfectly still, like a statue" or "He was as fast as a rocket." A metaphor uses a different word or phrase to describe something, without using "like" or "as. " Examples are: "You're a night owl" and "He was a freight train." Read metaphors and similes with your child and help him differentiate between the two and also discuss what they mean. Then write some of your own together.