Friday, July 13, 2012

POEMS FOR 5 & 6 YEAR OLDS

My visiting niece and nephew gave me an opportunity to read poetry aloud. And I was reminded of a few things as we traveled through some Silverstein and Dr. Seuss:

Kids this age like poems that are

1. SHORT (four lines seemed to be the most appreciated)
2. SIMPLE (no complex metaphors; very concrete)
3. CLEVER (word-play was very well received)
4. FUNNY (didn't have to be hysterical --just one chuckle was enough)

The 5 year old's favorite poem was "The Sitter" by Shel Silverstein, as it appears in A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC:


THE SITTER

Mrs. McTwitter the baby-sitter,
I think she's a little bit crazy.
She thinks a baby-sitter's supposed
To sit upon the baby.

- Shel Silverstein

That's it! SO SIMPLE! It's a good reminder to those of us writing for this age audience. It was interesting to me how quickly their attention waned with the longer (although simple, clever, funny) poems.

Today I will write SHORT, SHORT, SHORT.

Don't forget to visit Jone at Check it Out for Poetry Friday Roundup! Also, look for a poem by moi on this Sunday's edition of YourDailyPoem.com!


22 comments:

  1. Great reminders, Irene! And fun to peek at what tickles a five-year-old's (and a grown-up's) fancy. Happy writing!

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    1. Yes, Robyn! And they didn't ven know I was experimenting on them. :) Happy writing to you too, Ms. Short Short Short Haiku!

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  2. Fun to see that they are still loving those silly poems, Irene. It's the age when they really begin to understand jokes, therefore love them in poems too, I think. Thanks for sharing about your sweet visitors!

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    1. Linda, they are indeed SO SWEET. I love being an aunt. And I remember my own kids loving jokes. Thanks for the reminder. Happy day to you!

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  3. Oh my gosh... your niece looks like you You've got to bring her to Florence for a visit... the other two also but just not together.

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    1. We get that a lot -- people think she's my daughter! And, she would love your house, just not the horses. She's not a fan. The other two?? Unstoppable.

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  4. Ditto what StableGranny said - your niece is your mirror image! Lovely! And thanks for this reminder about short and sweet. Sometimes I get all discombobulated when working on a poem, which probably means it's too complex. I'm going to try my hand at some four-liners! :)

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    1. Renee, I love me some complications, apparently... it's a challenge to write simple, I think in part, because simple has been DONE DONE DONE. Thanks for your words about my niece. She's beautiful inside and out. Happy writing to you!

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  5. My kids loved Silverstein at that age, too. 'Spaghetti' by Shel Silverstein always made them giggle.

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    1. And "Spaghetti" is not short! Also, one of my faves was always "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out." LONG. But these days when I go to school visits, I will only read a few lines. I think kids today just can't tolerate waiting as well as older generations. Happy day to you!

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  6. We need to work these kids up to having longer attention spans...I'd go for 6 lines, sneaky!

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    1. Yes, Donna! Let's all be sneaky. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I'm with Donna on gradually building up their attention spans!! But give them plenty of short to grow on!

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  8. Thanks for sharing your experiment results with us, Irene :-) I will keep that in mind! Donna's suggestion was funny.

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  9. I take up the challenge to write some shorter and less, well, pointed poems. Rhyme for rhyme's sake!

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    1. Rhyme for rhyme's sake. When you put it that way, Heidi, I feel kinda silly for not doing that more often. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Your description of what little kids like applies to my seventh and eighth graders, too. I do read more complex things with them, too, but what they really love are the short and funny rhyming poems.

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    1. Yep, I'm thinking short and funny is good for all ages... thanks for stopping by, Ruth!

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  11. I can't fault the kids for liking short, I like it too! Funny is always a plus! We don't encourage laughing as much as we should.

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    1. Diane, you are SO right. Here's to more laughter! Thank you.

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  12. Reminds me of when my youngest daughter was about four years old, and asked me to "Get out that joke book again." I coudn't figure out what she was talking about until she directed me to the poetry book we'd recently read. I'd been reading some Ogden Nash to her. :)

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    1. Odgen Nash! Very good for the giggles. Thanks for sharing!

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