How to teach a poem to kids in less than 2 minutes and love every second of it…

Day 7 – 31 Days of Poems for Kids:

Kids love words.  Kids love to use words.  Having fun with POEMS is a wonderful way to hear, see and use words.

Take a few moments to share this poem and this little activity with your kids.  You will be amazed at their responses…

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

If your child can read, have him/her read the poem aloud.  Or read the poem to your child.

Talk about the great big things in life, like school and activities and family and friends… and maybe even trains, planes and automobiles that help get us to all our things.

Then talk about the beauty, importance and happiness in very ordinary, very simple things in our lives.

Like a wheelbarrow, probably overlooked. And water or chickens.  Talk about how we do depend on things like wheelbarrows, water and chickens, but don’t give them much thought.

Talk about the great contrast of the colors red and white… and how colors add so much beauty to our world.

Talk about how very ordinary and very simple things enhance your lives… things you often overlook. You may hear answers like “peanut butter & jelly” or “my pillow” or “my sneakers” or “my crayons” or “my nightlight.”  Tell your kids about your extraordinarily ordinary things.

All answers are correct!  Talk about how the simple things make our lives more beautiful and interesting with their colors and their help; things like peanut butter & jelly, pillows, sneakers, crayons, nightlights.

Children love words.  Children love to use words. Have fun with words.

The simple beauty of The Red Wheelbarrow teaches elegance of language, extraordinary imagery and the basic truth and intricacies of life, and even very, very young children understand and grasp these concepts.  The poem itself is like the brush stokes of a marvelous painting.  Let your children in on the magic!

With The Red Wheelbarrow, your children will have the words of one of the world’s most celebrated poems, written by a Pulitzer Prize winning poet, dancing in their heads.  And they will remember.

Reading, learning & literacy begins with words – Spoken, Written & Felt.

If you enjoyed this poem and activity, you may enjoy:

Fog, by Carl Sandburg

from Five Haiku, by Paul Eluard

Love is, by Nikki Giovanni

Temple Bell, by Yosa Buson

The Snail, by Richard Wright

The Red Wheelbarrow, by William Carlos Williams