Poetry is a powerful way to pass family culture and legacy on to our children.  The poems I learned in my childhood have truly become a part of me.  I have sweet memories from my early homeschool years, and one of the most vivid is my mother teaching us this poem…

I was only eight years old, but I can still hear in my mind her exact inflection as she taught us each line. My mother loved the poem because it reminded her of times as a child when she would do exactly what the poem describes.  She would raise her hands up and say to the heavens, “I am happy!”

I have thought of this poem on many occasions, such as when I am outside on a beautiful morning.  It makes me want to pause and thank the Lord for my many blessings. This was one of the first poems I ever taught my kids.  I shared with them how I remember their grandma teaching it to me and now they would know it too.  They loved that thought!

Now I want to go ask my grandparents what poems they learned and liked when they were young!  Why haven’t I done that yet?  It would certainly be an enjoyable part of family history for me to pass down to our children.  In those older generations, every child had memory work to learn and then perform for their teacher and classmates.  It has become a lost art.  But we can carry on that tradition of memory work in our homes!

Oh, and I have to tell you, one of my new favorite things to do with my children is to have poetry tea times.  We sit around the table, drink juice and share a treat, while enjoying poems together.   I first learned about poetry tea times from Julie at Brave Writer and it has been a wonderful addition to our homeschool!  Poetry doesn’t need lessons, young children will love poetry when they are free to discover the beauty of it, as part of a bonding time with you.

Please know that you are making sweet memories, and giving your children a great gift, when you enjoy and memorize poetry together!  Values can be taught, delight in nature and God’s gifts awakened, the beauty of language discovered, relationships strengthened, all by simply enjoying poetry together.  Poetry is powerful!

Our Favorite Short Poems

Below is a link to printables of some of our favorite short poems.  Included are:

• To the Sun by John Drinkwater
• Little Things by Julia Abigail Carney 
• My Gift by Christina Rossetti
• Try, Try Again
• A Child of Royal Birth by Anna Johnson
• I Am Only One by Edward Everett Hale
• All the Water in the World
• Clouds by Christina Rossetti

Download Free Printable – “8 Poems for Children”

Our Favorite Poetry Collections

Some of our favorite poetry books are:

A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (I had this beautiful version growing up and I just love Gyo Fujikawa’s illustrations)

Favorite Poems Old and New compiled by Helen Farris 

The Poetry for Young People series (wonderful, it gives a bit of background into the poets, gives the context of the poems, even defines some of the more difficult words)

My Book House volume 1 – In the Nursery (this is a hard volume to come by as it was usually the most well-loved and used, so if you find one snap it up)

Childcraft volume 1 –  Poems and Rhymes (The 1976 version was mine when I was a child, oh how I love this book!  The illustrations transport me back to when I was a little girl)

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (silly poems, Hug O’ War on page 19 is a favorite)

Poetry for the Well-Educated Heart compiled by Marlene Peterson. Here is the free PDF version of her poetry book.)

Ambleside Online has a fabulous collection of poems, organized by year and completely free!  Here is the link to their Year 1 Poetry Anthology.

A Word About Mother Goose

Don’t forget that children love the rhythm and sound of Mother Goose.  The rhymes seem like silly nonsense, but they meet a child where they are and help foster an appreciation for language.  And they are delightful!  Marlene at Well-Educated Heart has collected an awesome list of free poetry collections, including many beautiful old Mother Goose books.

One of the things Marlene recommends is to write out the rhyme or poem for your child, and let them add their own drawing to go with it.  Save it in a binder, and they can start their own poetry collection!

Please Share Your Favorites

I want to hear from you!  Do you have any poems that you loved learning as a child?  Are there any poems or poetry collections for young children that you enjoy?  We are always looking for more suggestions!

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