Why We Need to Teach Poetry and Rhymes
As long as I remember my mother was reading me every poem her hands could get into. I was lucky enough to be born into a family of bookworms. Did you know that the poems and tongue twisters are not only a fun activity? There are proven benefits of reading poetry at an early age. These benefits can be divided into the main categories: cognitive development, physical development, and social/emotional development and of course language development.
Further studies also have shown a relationship between poetry and learning mathematical skills! While repeating rhymes and poems, children actually recognize patterns. Once the child learns to recognize patterns this usually leads to understanding what a sequence is. Recognition of patterns and sequence both of help learning math skills later in their life.
The Origin of the rhyme
This poem origins can be found in England. It was first published in John Harris’s Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation in 1813. However, the poem is known earlier than its published date.
The poem main character is though pertaining to an eighteenth‑century French horticulturist Mauritian Government administrative official called Peter Poivre. Peter Poivre examined Seychelles’s potential for the cultivation of spices. It makes sense that the theory states Peter Poivre is the inspiration for our loved character if you recite the poem!
What Topics the Poem helps to cover
“ Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers–’’ As most tongue twisters, This rhyme prove it difficult for anybody to swiftly articulate the rhyme. It also introduces new vocabulary for young children. This poem is a classic example of alliteration. An alliteration is a special place of consonance where the repetition occurs at the stressed part of the words.
When you recite this poem you are teaching vocabulary, intonation, cadence as with all poetry does. Alliteration makes child-stressing the weight in their sound when they pronounce the words and make them learn about the aspects of the language effortlessly with the natural rhythm of the poem.
How To Teach This Poem
I would read the poem for children and ask them to repeat it after me. Since it is a tongue twister most children would be excited to learn it. ( And usually, children want to learn it in able repeat as rapidly as they can.) Secondly, it is a great idea to divide children into groups and make them recite parts of the poem taking turns. The repetition will increase their memory and social skills as they need to wait patiently for their chance.
Since we are talking about the preschoolers, it is also a great idea of making them draw what they remember they learned. This will allow them to describe the poem, and express the details in their artwork. Listening to the poem, and being able to express the learned content will increase their analytical skills as well as expression.
I would even ask them to review their friend’s pictures and express what they like most about others expressions. Providing feedback will also teach them to motivate their friends.