April is National Poetry Month! Teach young children about poetry through books about poetry as well as poetry related lesson plans and activities. Consider the following reading lists and resources for free poetry worksheets, coloring pages, and handwriting practice sheets for your child care center:
Reading List
Poetry Board and Picture Books Baby-Age 3
A Very First Poetry Book by John L. Foster [Oxford University Press, 1987]
A Children’s Treasure of Poetry by Smithmark Publisher [Smithmark, 1999]
Welcome Baby: Baby Rhymes for Baby Times by Stephanie Calmenson and Vanessa Sweet [HarperCollins, 2008]
Bunny’s Nursery Rhymes by Mary Morgan and Aviva Shur [Little Simon, 2007]
Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry by Jane Yolen, Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Dunbar [Candlewick, 2007]
Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry by Bill Martin and Michael Sampson [Simon & Schuster, 2008]
Sweet Dreams: Bedtime Poems and Lullabyes by Bruce Lanksy and Vicky Wherman [MeadowBrook, 1996]
Baby Einstein: Poems for Little Ones by Julie Aigner Clark [Hyperion, 2001]
The Drowsy Hours: Poems for Bedtime by Susan Pearson and Peter Malone [HarperCollins, 2002]
Good Morning, Sweetie Pie and Other Poems for Little Children by Cynthia Rylant and Jane Dyer [Simon & Schuster, 2001]
Poetry Early Readers Ages 4-8
Poetry Speaks to Children (Book & CD) by Elise Paschen, Dominque Raccah, et al [Sourcebook MediaFusion, 2005]
Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Pretlutsky and Marc Brown [Knopf, 1986]
Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry by Ashley Bryan [Atheneum, 2001]
The Golden Books Family Treasury of Poetry by Louis Untermeye and Joan Walsh Anglund [Golden Books, 1998]
Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry by Joyce Sidman and Michelle Berg [Houghton Mifflin, 2006]
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth and Sami Suomalainen [Lobster Press, 2007]
Club pet and other Funny Poems: All Aboard Poetry Reader Station Stop 2 by David Steinberg and Adrian C. Sinnott [Grosset & Dunlap, 2005]
Grasshopper Pie and Other Poems by David Steinberg and Adrian C. Sinnott [Grosset & Dunlap, 2004]
Do Buses Eat Kids? Poems about Schools by Laura Purdie Salas [Capstone Press, 2008]
The Cuckoo’s Haiku by Michael J. Rosen and Stan Fellows [Candlewick, 2009]
Sports! Sports! Sports! by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Brian Floca [HarperTrophy, 2000]
And Then There Were Eight: Poems about Space by Laura Purdie Salas [Capstone, 2008]
Poetry Preschool Worksheets and Printables
There are many resources for free worksheets for daycare providers to use in conjunction with lesson plans and activities. Worksheets for poetry themes should include coloring pages, handwriting worksheets, and printable craft patterns.
The following websites provide free poetry related printables:
KidZone: Haiku instructions and worksheets
ABCTeach: Acrostic forms and poetry prompts
A to Z Teacher Stuff: Poetry activities, finger plays, nursery rhymes, and printables
First-Preschool: Free printable nursery rhyme activities, crafts, lesson plans, and coloring pages
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