How my daughter made me fall in love with poetry

Oddly enough, for someone who loves reading, I wasn't much of a poetry type of person. Somehow, during my growing up years in Secondary School, I just didn't get it... And I kept myself far far away from reading poetry.  This non-appreciation for poetry stayed through with me until my adult working years before I delivered my first born. 

But I reckon there must have been a poetic bone in me, because every now and then, I would pen down a poem (my own version of how a poem is to be, and which breaks every single rule about poetry that has ever been taught to me in school), as I found that to be one of the best ways for me to express my emotions and thoughts at that moment. 

However, it all changed when my daughter was born. I was constantly in search of books that would interest a young one. And the best books found, were ones with rhymes. 

We started with simple books with rhymes like "Run Mouse Run" by Fiona Conboy (A book that has been in my personal library for 10 years, and is a must read to my babies).

Then,we progressed to slightly longer ones like "There was an Old Woman who swallowed a Fly".

 

By then, I was hooked on poetry.  And so was the little one. And the magnificent thing about it was that she was not particularly interested in the pictures.  She was more mesmerised with the words.  The rhythm, the wit and the emotions that is beautifully crafted in the few stanzas of the poem.

It was then also that I fell head over heels in love with poetry. At that point, I had nooooo idea why poetry had left such a great impact in my child's reading development.

It was when I was pursuing my Trinity Guildhall Foundation Teaching Certificate and  various other Teaching Certificates , did I fully realise the great importance of poetry and rhyme in developing a child's literacy.  And it has proven to be true with my kids.

So why is poetry and rhymes so potent in developing a child's reading?

Poetry & Rhyme...

• Develops Rhythm -

Making it easier for children to learn new words.  For example, it easier for one to teach 5 words with the simple phrase "The fat cat sat on the mat with a hat", then to teach the words individually.

• Builds a Child's Phonemic Awareness -

Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. The beauty of poetry is that when one recites it, one would naturally have to place emphasis on the sound and rhythm of the words used. One would have to be conscious of the pitch, volume  and intonation. All these play a part in solidifying a child's reading abilities.

•  Teaches Self-Expression -

A poem will only come to life when its words are recited with the correct speed, appropriate pauses, voice, volume, pitch and inflexion. Through poetry recitation, children are taught that words are not mere words, but are vehicles for them to express themselves.

• Assist in Memorising

When we were young, we were taught to memorise certain important facts through a song or a poem. Why? Because it works! In reciting a poem, a child's auditory and visual faculties are both engaged in picking up the patterns and sequence in the poem.  This helps them develop the memorisation skills.  The ability to pick out patterns and sequences also makes it easier for a child to learn a new language and in his reading comprehension.

• Develop Physical Awareness

When a child recites a poem, he needs to be conscious of his breathing, his gestures, his facial expressions and many others.

• Develops confidence

Inevitably, with all of the above, a child who recites a poem would naturally develop confidence in public speaking. This is especially true and I can personally attest to it.  When we were in Primary School my mum, without fail, would register my siblings and I for any poetry recitation competition, storytelling competition, fancy dress competition, what have you, that was organised by our school.  To date, we can still remember the poetry that we recited when we were in P1. The stories that we read out.  The costumes that she stitched and prepared for us.  The memory of practising and reciting to her and finally to a hall full of students, though was extremely daunting and nerve-wrecking; was one of the key moments in our lives.  No doubt, these events had  helped develop our confidence one way or another. Thank you, mama!

And DO NOT be afraid to read to your young child a book or a poem with no pictures in them.  You will be surprised at how they could be enraptured with the beauty of words.

And it has been tried and tested on my kids. We read selected the poems from Penguin's Poems for Life (Penguin Classics) compiled by Laura Barber, together, and it evoked a plethora of emotions from the kids.  From laughing their hearts out at the humour and wit of some of the poems; to tearing at some others. So try it. Pick up a poem. You'll be surprised ;-)