Poof....then gone

National Poetry Month is winding down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your rhyming on and join the fun! Check out the Academy of American Poets website to find out what events around the country are close to you, plus learn about the origins of this special month and 30 ways you can celebrate the love of poetry! Poetry isn’t just lots of fun to read, it can also be a great tool to teach kids how to read. Reciting nursery rhymes to your kids as infants is one of the first ways they get exposed to the world of literature. The rhythms of the rhymes highlight the sounds and syllables in words—they are the perfect primer for budding bookworms! When your children get a little older, get them on the poetry bandwagon by reading some funny poems that rhyme. Kids love a good belly laugh and there’s no better way to get them hooked on books than to have them laugh out loud! Also consider making poetry time special by bringing out some milk and cookies (or juice and fruit) and having each child read a poem aloud to everyone else. This will help build their confidence and hopefully foster a love of the written word! In honor of National Poetry Month, I've highlighted some great books this week that you can use to teach your child about the fun of words that rhyme. The classic nursery rhyme Jack and Jill gets an update in this version with funny fighting raccoons—but they still go up the hill! Finicky eaters will love Green Goo by Terri Rowe, a tale of a dinner gone wrong.

Another great rhyming tale is the lyrical adventure "If I Could" by Nancy Sweetland, which takes a sweet journey through a child’s daydreams. There are million of poetry resources in stores, on the internet, probably in books you have laying around your own home. Poetry is a fun, quirky way to play with words. It is short, flowing and lots of fun. Integrate poems into your child's reading today. Be blessed and read on.