Poetry Activites
- Read a rhyming poem aloud, then reread it emphasizing the rhyming words, and then read one more time leaving out a rhyming word for your child to fill in. ie: "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack jump over the candle_______." ("stick")
- After reading a poem several times have your child try to remember a rhyming pair. Example: in Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star "What rhymes with star?" ("are") or "What rhymes with high?" ("sky"). You can extend this by trying to think up other words that rhyme. ie. "star"= "far", "bar", "car"
- Have your child be a "mistake finder". Say a familiar poem and replace a rhyming word with a "wrong" word that doesn't rhyme. Have your child clap when they hear the mistake. Example: "One, Two, Buckle my shoe; Three, Four, Shut the gate." You can extend this by asking them to correct your "mistake" with the correct rhyming word.
- Have your child reapeat a word you say and then say a rhyming word. Example: You, "rug"; Child, "rug, hug". Good starting words: cat; bed; map; pig; fan; game; toe; pin; fun; bug; cake; bump; boat; light; ball. Extend this by asking them to say as many rhyming words as they can think of.
Poetry Collections
Poems
Time to Rise
by Robert Louis Stevenson
A birdie with a yellow bill
Hopped upon the window-sill.
Cocked his shining eye and said:
"Ain't you 'shamed, you sleepy-head?"
Happy Thought
by Robert Louis Stevenson
The world is so full
of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all
be as happy as kings.
Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Hickory, dickory, dock
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.
Early to Bed
by Benjamin Franklin, from Poor Richard's Almanac
Early to bed and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy,
and wise.
Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John,
Went to bed with his stockings on;
One shoe off, and one shoe on,
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John.
A Diller, a Dollar
A diller, a dollar,
a ten o'clock scholar
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o'clock
But now you come at noon!
Hey, Diddle, Diddle
Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Little Bo Peep
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
Little Boy Blue
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow,
The cow's in the corn;
But where is the boy
Who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haystack,
Fast asleep.
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full.
One for the master,
And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
It's Raining, It's Pouring
It's raining, it's pouring,
The old man is snoring.
He bumped his head
And went to bed,
And he couldn't get up in the morning.
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Shut the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A big fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Dig and delve;
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids in the kitchen;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids in waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My plate's empty.
April Rain Song
by Langston Hughes
Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
The rain makes still pools on the sidwalk.
The rain makes running pools in the gutter.
The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night--
And I love the rain.
The More It Snows
by A. A. Milne
The more it
SNOWS-tiddely-pom,
The more it
GOES-tiddely-pom
The more it
GOES-tiddely-pom
On
Snowing.
And nobody
KNOWS-tiddely-pom,
How cold my
TOES-tiddely-pom
How cold my
TOES-tiddlely-pom
Are
Growing.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
My Nose
by Dorothy Aldis
It doesn't breathe;
It doesn't smell;
It doesn't feel
So very well.
I am discouraged
With my nose:
The only thing it
Does is blows.
Roses Are Red
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
Tommy
by Gwendolyn Brooks
I put a seed into the ground
And said, "I'll watch it grow."
I watered it and cared for it
As well as I could know.
One day I walked in my back yard,
And oh, what did I see!
My seed had popped itself right out,
Without consulting me.
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Jack Be Nimble
Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack jump over,
The candlestick.
There Was a Little Girl
There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
When she was good, she was very, very good,
And when she was bad, she was horrid.
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Georgie Porgie
Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry;
When the boys came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses,
And all the king's men,
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Little Jack Horner
Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said,"What a good boy am I!"
Mary Had a Little Lamb
from the poem by Sarah Josepha Hale
Mary had a little lamb,
It's fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
That was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
"Why does the lambm love Mary so?"
The eager children cry.
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
The teacher did reply.
Hot Cross Buns!
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons;
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
Simple Simon
Simple Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair;
Said Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny";
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed, I have not any."
Old Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor dog a bone,
But when she got there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so her poor dog had none.
Old King Cole
Old King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting-house
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
Along came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.
Ladybug, Ladybug
Ladybug, Ladybug
Fly away home,
Your house is on fire,
And your children are gone.
Three Blind Mice
Three blind mice,
Three blind mice,
See how they run!
See how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice?
Jack Sprat
Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean,
And so between the two of them
They licked the platter clean.
Seesaw, Margery Daw
See-Saw Margery Daw
Jenny shall have a new master;
She shall have a but a penny a day,
Because she can't work any faster.
The Three Little Kittens
by Eliza Lee Follen
Three little kittens lost their mittens
And they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear,
We very much fear
That we have lost our mittens!"
"Lost your mittens!
You naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie!"
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
"No, you shall have no pie."
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
The three little kittens found their mittens
And they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear,
See here, see here!
See, we have found our mittens!"
"Put on your mittens,
You silly kittens,
And you may have some pie."
"Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r,
Oh, let us have the pie!
Purr-r, purr-r, purr-r."
The three little kittens put on their mittens,
And soon ate up the pie;
"Oh, mother dear,
We greatly fear
That we have soiled our mittens!"
"Soiled your mittens!
You naughty kittens!"
Then they began to sigh,
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
Then they began to sigh,
"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
The three little kittens washed their mittens,
And hung them out to dry;
"Oh, mother dear,
Do not you hear
That we have washed our mittens?"
"Washed your mittens!
Oh, you're good kittens!
But I smell a rat close by,
Hush, hush! Mee-ow, mee-ow."
"We smell a rat close by,
Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow."
There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn't know what to do;
She gave them some broth without any bread;
And spanked them all soundly and put them to bed.
Star Light, Star Bright
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.