On 7 October 2010 we celebrate National Poetry Day - and to tie in, we thought we'd bring together some of the best resources and features on the Booktime site.
The important thing to remember about reading poetry with your child is this - it's fun! Children love to sing, be sung to and read nursery rhymes. Poetry is really just a progression of this. You can find poems on a whole range of subjects and whatever you choose is bound to get you and your child having fun together and learning new words.
You don't have to be an expert on poetry to enjoy it - your child will just love that you are spending time with them and playing with words. If you pull out the silly voices and enjoy yourself, then all the better!
Over the last two years we have given out more than 1.4 million poetry books to children - with The Booktime Book of Fantastic First Poems. It's the abridged version of The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems which was our Book of the Month for October.
Around on the Booktime site you'll find some choice pages on poetry:
Activity sheets for the Booktime Book of Fantastic First Poems
Booky's World has a fantastic games section including a fun family rhyme activity
View videos of Michael Rosen reading from the Booktime poetry book - including 'Hey Diddle Diddle' and 'My Dad's Thumb'
Teachers can view tips from Michael about how to make poetry friendly classrooms
Read independent education consultant Wendy Cooling's top tips for reading poetry to children
Our Books for All booklet has a special section of recommended books about rhyme and songs
View the Booktrust Children's site's top ten poetry books for more recommendations
