Six Fun Ways of Celebrating National Poetry Month
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Want to learn six fun ways of celebrating National Poetry Month? This is the time to showcase those great poetry books in your library or classroom! As a librarian, of course I start by reading some poetry. Kids respond best to poems that are funny, rhyming and relatable. I’m sure you have many poetry books in your collection on themes such as school, siblings, homework, sports, video games, pets, chores, etc.
Read Some Poetry
During April, I read some poetry at the beginning of each library class, even if the lesson focuses on some other topic.
Display Poetry Books
I also put poetry books on prominent display. Now is the time to reinforce the Dewey Decimal System, by pointing out the 811 (American poetry) and 821 (British poetry) sections. Make a big deal, in case this is a little visited part of the library.
Showcase Poetry on Bulletin Boards
There are several large bulletin boards inside my library and a couple more in the hallway. I change my bulletin boards every month, to reflect seasons, holidays, themes and special events. Try this: scan some covers of poetry books and a few inside pages, so kids can read the poems as they line up for lunch or dismissal.
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Put a Poem in Your Pocket
There is a Poetry Month tradition to “put a poem in your pocket.” You should show students that you are participating, by pulling out a poem from your pocket. Alternatively, you can insert poems on your white board by using magnetic pockets. Or, just staple pocket-shaped pieces of construction paper to your bulletin board, with poems tucked inside.
Invite a Poet to Visit
If you are lucky enough to have the budget for a guest author, consider inviting a poet. Even if you can’t afford to sponsor an in-person performance, many authors now do school visits via video chat. (You won’t have to give them lunch, or pick them up at the train, LOL). We had Douglas Florian one year. He was terrific! He writes poetry and illustrates his own books. His animal poetry books include Mammalabilia, Insectlopedia, Beast Feast, In the Swim, Dinothesaurus.
We had the kids do projects after reading his books, which flew off the shelves for years to come! Be sure to point out his author’s “self-portraits” at the back of each book!
Follow Up with Poetry Activities
There are so many engaging poetry activities out there, that it should not be hard to make poetry fun! Try this Jeopardy style game, reviewing types of poetry, figurative language, parts of a poem and more.
Primary grade students can begin to appreciate poetry by identifying rhyming words. As I tell older students, not all poetry rhymes (think haiku) but poetry for children often does. Practice rhyming words with these fun games:
Buy rhyming word activities on TpT
Why not celebrate poetry all year long, not during just one month?
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