Mother’s Day is almost here, and with it comes plastered hands, macaron necklaces and painted paper. If the children are helping you create the perfect Mother’s Day present, consider having them write a poem. In addition to teaching about writing, rhymes, and poetry, having a child write a poem for the holidays. smile mom
Help the child choose the form of the poem. This is a great opportunity to teach children about many types of poetry. It is probably easiest to make a rhyming poem, but older children can explore other poetic forms. Acrostic poems (where the first letter of each line creates an additional message) are great for holidays. Use the letters of words like ‘mother’, ‘love’, or even ‘Happy Mother’s Day for each line To get started, some useful information about poetry forms can be found at www.writing.com. Just type “poetry forms” to find brief explanations of various forms.
Let the child choose a topic. Thought poems are not about flowers, butterflies, and love (although those are very nice things). Maybe a child wants to write about how they love themselves when mom takes them to soccer practice. It will be easier for a child to write about something that he really feels about it. Just make sure they choose something they can write about positively. A song about hating cabbage may be sincere, but not exactly appropriate for Mother’s Day.
make children’s artwork to accompany the song. A drawing written around makes a perfect poem for a Mothers Day card. Take it a step further, and art frame (dollars are a great place to find frames) Mother’s Day gift complete it is.
It might be helpful to have a rhyming glossary nearby. If a child wants to rhyme Mississippi, lizards, or tulips, and you draw a blank, a rhyming dictionary will be a great help. Check out www.rhymezone.com for an easy to use dictionary. You’ll just type the child in the word, and a variety of rhyming options will be displayed.
For a special Mothers’ Days touch, the boy will recite his poem to his mother on the big day. If the child is a performer, a videotape rendition would make a sensitive and entertaining gift.
The most important thing to remember is that the child should write a poem for the mother’s help to do so. Although not perfectly metered, nor written in straight lines, this is their creation. The more they work on it, the more special it will be.
