Kids love drama and melodrama. They find expressions impressive. The initial years invested in rearing the child are the best. This is also the personality forming stage. As a parent, caregiver and teacher it should be our earnest effort to instill good qualities in children. The child as it grows imbibes the effects of living in a society but till a not-so- impressionable age, it is best to educate the child gently through poems. Though the poem ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ sounds clichéd, one must look at the excitement it generates in the child. ‘Roly Poly’ and the hushed narration brings ripples of laughter.
The art of story telling is akin to reciting poems. Make use of hand gestures and facial expressions while using words. Phonics is about the correct pronunciation of consonants and this is important as the child knows how each alphabet is spelt. This is the stepping stone to learning spellings and improving vocabulary. Christmas poems are a wonderful way of expressing to the child the glories of Christ, though philosophy and religious matters seem heavy, it is best if the child’s looks forward to the Santa and Xmas tree.
One needs to be patient and with a calm mind to recite the poem. Also each child is different and the levels of grasping is diverse. Hence it is also necessary to initially first attract the child towards the subject. One could use flash cards of ‘Miss Muffet’ and the spider before reciting the poem. Kids love colour and surprises. If you have a theme for animal day in your pre school, then recite the poems with huge cut outs of animals. All about animals can be taught to the child, including the cries of animals and the place of stay.
Another important thing is repetition, though this calls for a lot of patience. Kids love fun and include holding hands, dance-drama with accelerated pitch while singing the song. It is also a good idea to use a musical instrument like a triangle or a guitar while reciting the poems. Allow the child to touch or use the musical instruments and do not mind the cacophony. Also it is to be remembered to incorporate the skills in other languages.
Many times kids are just not in a mood to go with your ideas and hence it would be nice if you could tell the poems while they are having a bath or just when you stroll in the pavement. To keep the attention of children in playschools, there could be teachers in all the four directions doing the actions, so that the child notices the meaning of the poems. Values, manners, discipline, love and cleanliness can be well taught through poems.
