Why We Include Poetry in Every Theme (Even the Hard Ones)
There is a scourge on children's literature, and it is bad poetry.
You know the kind I mean—sing-songy, not-quite-rhyming lines, full of forced metaphors and wildly uneven syllables. It tries so hard to be clever or educational or cute...and instead ends up grating like a preschool xylophone in the hands of an overtired toddler.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
You Can Read the Good Stuff
The world is full of great verse. Think A.A. Milne, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Edward Lear! Children don’t need poetry dumbed down for them. They deserve the good stuff: rich language, deep emotion, playful rhythm. And yes, sometimes even a little challenge.
Sure, reading William Blake’s “The Tyger” might require a bit of a mental stretch (for your kids and maybe for you, too). But that stretch is good. It’s where growth happens. Plus, great poetry is simply fun to read!
That’s why every single Theme in the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum includes a poetry suggestion! Sometimes it’s a classic, and sometimes it’s an original poem written specifically for our community. Either way, you’ll find that poetry isn’t just sprinkled in for flavor. It’s baked right into the heart of our interdisciplinary approach.
4 Gentle Poetry Tips for Homeschoolers
Read them morning and night: Try reading poetry before bedtime or while your child is eating breakfast. Those two times work really well for listening.
Make them available: Keep a poetry anthology on the dresser or in with the cookbooks. Adding poetry into your daily routine will make it, well, routine!
Don't overthink it: Don't feel like you must pair every poem with activities or discussions of new vocabulary words or anything "schoolish." Just read and enjoy them!
Repeat: When reading a poem, routinely read it aloud twice in a row. This is especially important with the short poems. If a poem is on the longer side, read it again the next day.
Poems 4-Ever? Us, Too!
When you read a poem to your child, you're building something bigger than just “reading comprehension.”
You’re creating a shared memory that may be giggly and playful or tear-jerkingly beautiful.
And that, sweet friend, is deeply, unapologetically Montessori!
Start your 7-Day Free Trial and explore the Child of the Redwoods Curriculum. Every Theme includes poetry as an essential part of the Montessori homeschool experience.
