Early Years - Why do we use The Poetry Basket?

Each day we have whole class carpet session where we learn to recite a poem from ‘The Poetry Basket’. We build up a library of poems by learning a new poem each week. The poems enable children to encounter, learn and make sense of new vocabulary in a meaningful context and children are often able to make thoughtful predictions as to the meaning of new words. The children learn actions to support their memory and repeat the poems using expression and intonation.
Reciting the poems increases children’s memory and supports the development of the phonological awareness skills of rhyme and rhythm. Children demonstrate increased confidence to recite and perform the poems together as a class and as some as individuals. Children can demonstrate their expressive interpretation when performing.

Some of our EYFS staff have met and had training with Trisha Lee from the Makebelieve Arts website - the lady on the screen in the videos.

This is what Trisha has to say about the benefits of the Poetry Basket

Learning poems together is an enjoyable way of experiencing the play of language.
Reciting poetry together is a bonding experience.
Saying poems out loud emphasises the sounds and rhythms of language or the syllables contained in each word, a vital part of learning to read.
When reciting a poem with actions, children discover and use new words in an almost effortless way. It is as if the rhythm and the structure of the verse give context to these unfamiliar phrases.
Poetry develops the skill of prediction, where the rhyming structure of the poems allows children to guess what word might come next.
As children recite poetry, the neurons in their brain light up. By repeating and learning new poems regularly, they strengthen their ability for memorising in this way.
The more poems children hear and recite, the more capable they become of recognising and memorising patterns, a vital part of early maths.
And finally, the most important benefit that I have come across… Learning poetry together is FUN.

Our children at Kings Road certainly enjoy it!