Poetry can be very exciting for young children. It is rhythmic and lyrical, with interesting word play; the words can be soothing, joyful, funny, silly, serious, sad.... Reading poetry to young children helps them to develop listening and auditory processing skills, as well as visualization skills.
Personally, I have always loved reading the classics to children. Even if they don't quite understand the meaning of all the words, they can still enjoy the rhythm and rhyme and create a picture in their mind of what they are hearing. Some of my personal favorites are Tarantella by Hillaire Belloc, The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Ozymandius by Percy Bysshe Shelley and Eldorado by Edgar Allen Poe.
Read one of these great classics or a more fun and frolicking modern poem to your students on World Poetry Day and then have them complete this Poem Review worksheet.
