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!
Great reminders, Irene! And fun to peek at what tickles a five-year-old's (and a grown-up's) fancy. Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteYes, Robyn! And they didn't ven know I was experimenting on them. :) Happy writing to you too, Ms. Short Short Short Haiku!
DeleteFun 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!
ReplyDeleteLinda, 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!
DeleteOh 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.
ReplyDeleteWe 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.
DeleteDitto 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! :)
ReplyDeleteRenee, 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!
DeleteMy kids loved Silverstein at that age, too. 'Spaghetti' by Shel Silverstein always made them giggle.
ReplyDeleteAnd "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!
DeleteWe need to work these kids up to having longer attention spans...I'd go for 6 lines, sneaky!
ReplyDeleteYes, Donna! Let's all be sneaky. :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm with Donna on gradually building up their attention spans!! But give them plenty of short to grow on!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experiment results with us, Irene :-) I will keep that in mind! Donna's suggestion was funny.
ReplyDeleteI take up the challenge to write some shorter and less, well, pointed poems. Rhyme for rhyme's sake!
ReplyDeleteRhyme 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!
DeleteYour 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.
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm thinking short and funny is good for all ages... thanks for stopping by, Ruth!
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteDiane, you are SO right. Here's to more laughter! Thank you.
DeleteReminds 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. :)
ReplyDeleteOdgen Nash! Very good for the giggles. Thanks for sharing!
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