I’ve discovered that youngsters enjoy poetry…reading it, listening to it and writing it.  The other day, when I was substitute teaching, the first graders recited poetry from their reading book. 
During story time, I read some of my poems from my story/poetry anthology, Tales of Adventure & Discovery.  Often I teach poetry workshops for youngsters.
Frequently when youngsters attend a writing workshop, they want to write poetry.  So I start with simple ones that don’t necessarily rhyme.  However, some youngsters are very adept at rhyming, so automatically incorporate this into their writing.
I remember from my childhood, reading Robert Louis Stevenson’s poetry.  Even …read more