Poetry for Nursery-Age Children (2)

POETRY FOR NURSERY-AGE CHILDREN

Many people do not recognize the endless benefits poetry has on the young learner. Poetry offers rich vocabulary, introduces children to rhyming concepts, and allows them to think symbolically. We can find age-appropriate poetry in nursery rhymes, songs, and picture books for birth through five years old.

 

POEM SUMMARY

 All of Me explores different body parts and how they help children function throughout the day. Examining body parts can be an exciting concept to explore, especially when the children can reenact the movements and skills from the poem. 

POEM EVALUATION

All of Me by Jessica McDonald is an example of an individual poem. Quality individual poems consist of interesting and understandable content, careful word choice, meaningful poetic devices, and a structure that supports the readers' overall understanding (Galda et al., 2017, p. 353).The word choice in the poem is age-appropriate for toddlers and preschool children because they are common and simple terms. Throughout All of Me, different poetic devices of rhyme and repetition help the child form connections and expand their knowledge. The purpose of the poem is to teach children that they are important and that their body is wonderful just as it is. The addition of simple photos will help young students understand and perform tasks. The lines and style are appropriate for nursery-age children.

MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITIES:

1. GET MOVING- Children should be encouraged to move their bodies to the actions in the poem. For example, they can clap their hands, hug themselves, snap their fingers, etc., as they go through the poem together.  

2. OBSTACLE COURSE- The children can explore what they can do with their bodies by creating an obstacle course that targets their gross and fine motor skills. Children will be encouraged to jump on one foot, weave in and out of cones, and crawl through tunnels.

  

READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:

1. What are hands for?

2. What else do our legs help us do?

3. What do you like most about yourself?

SIMILAR POEMS BY OTHER AUTHORS:

1. The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll

2. Spring 

3. My Body 

4. The Fat Cat

References

Carroll, L. (1865). The Crocodile. 

Galda, L., Liang, L. A., & Cullinan, B. E. (2017). Literature and the child. Cengage Learning. 

McDonald, J. (n.d.). All of Me. 

My Body. (n.d.)

Spring. (n.d.). 

The Fat Cat. (2021). YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlqsFufSUEQ.