The voice of poetry is powerful. It develops concepts, increases vocabulary, motivates and entertains all at the same time. Most children naturally enjoy poetry. Young children sample new words as if they were different flavors of candy. They like to roll them around their mouths and extract all the juicy newness of them as they share them with friends and relatives. Whether the poetry is realistic or nonsense, the word patterns, rhymes, and repetition facilitate success with language acquisition. Through poetry, children learn to predict words and phrases that follow one another. These predictions enable children to make meaning of text and give them the strategies to be successful readers. All children need is someone to enthusiastically share the richness and delight poetry will bring to their world. When children have poetry read to them, they begin to savor language.

When you share a poem with your children, you are giving them a gift of language. They will begin to connect words and images that will establish important background knowledge to assist them in developing even broader concepts about themselves, their own language and their world. Children learn by connecting what they already know with new thoughts and experiences. Poetry can express thoughts your child may feel but cannot put into words yet. You will find that lines of poetry tend to stick in your child's mind and will be remembered for days and weeks.

Reading poetry to your children also creates a closeness in your relationship with them. You are not only spending quality time with your children but you are developing shared understandings.

In turn, experiences with poetry enable your children to cross the bridge from oral language to written language. Your children will begin to understand how words are placed together in patterns unique to literature and life. They will learn to express themselves in writing by listening, reading and retelling what they have heard. They will become motivated to hear, write and read more.

When choosing poetry to read to your children, keep the following characteristics in mind: humorous content, rhymed verses, sharp sensory images, and subjects that are especially interesting to your children.

Most importantly, just make time to share poetry with your children and enjoy the richness added to your lives.