Held annually on the 21st of March, World Poetry Day was first introduced by UNESCO in 1999.
It promotes the reading, writing and publishing of poetry around the world, helping to bring together people in every culture and on every continent – with all invited to join in.
Poetry can often be considered old fashioned so World Poetry Day aims to change this with a new, younger audience that may not have previously been aware of this traditional form of expression and descriptive language, by promoting over on social media and other apps.
Love, loss and humour can all be captured in a poem that allows the reader to use their imagination and be transported by the words, feel the emotions and can appeal to audiences of all ages. Some of our greatest poets and their poems are still used, studied and loved hundreds of years on.
Songs and simple poems that rhyme are often the starting point for children, they allow them to remember and recite the content in a fun and engaging way – many songwriters began writing poetry before their words were put to music.
Children’s Laureate 2011-2013 and famous author Julia Donaldson wrote many of her books including The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom in rhyme. These wonderful books have become favourite bedtime stories for millions of children, bringing poetry into their early lives without them even realising.
“It’s terribly kind of you, Fox, but no – I’m going to have lunch with a gruffalo.” The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
Poetry can improve creative thinking, which is especially important in childhood as it teaches children how to express their emotions and encourages creative thinking.
It also allows them to look deeper into the meaning of the words as they study classic poems in secondary school and understand the bigger issues such as war, injustice and loss that were the poems inspiration as well as learning about different cultures.
To find out more about World Poetry Day, and for free resources to help celebrate the event please click here.
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