Do you read poems with your children?

Last night I was reading a book called, Reading Magic by Mem Fox.  This book is filled with great ideas and research regarding children and reading.  I was reading the chapter entitled the Magic of Language which discusses the importance of songs and nursery rhymes.  The author points out that experts in literacy have discovered that children who know eight nursery rhymes by the time they are 4 years old, will typically be great readers by the time they are 8 years old (p.91).

I was happy after I read this and thought, “My children will be great readers!”  They know Hickory Dickory Dock, Mary Had a Little Lamb and at least 6 other nursery rhymes.  I was thinking that my husband and I were doing a good job raising successful readers, until I read the next section.

The author then points out that after songs and nursery rhymes comes poems.  What poetry?  I do not think I have read any poems to my children.  In the book there is a list of poems that she describes as “old favorites”.  I had never heard of any of these poems.  At that point I realized the horror: I was poem deprived as a child! When I asked my husband if he had heard of any of them, he had not.  Two poetry deprived adults raising children.  Is it too late?  Is there any hope for our children?

Idea of the Day:

Expose your children to songs, nursery rhymes and POEMS!

- Whether it is Mother Goose or Dr. Seuss, read books that emphasize rhythm, rhyme and repetition.

- Check out poem books.  Here is a list of the poems discussed in Reading Magic:

Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning

Bing Bang Boing by Douglas Florian