Admiring beauty can make children turn poets

Dr Sachidananda Mohanty, English Professor at University of Hyderabad, says the aesthetic experience a child will go through while writing poetry will make them less aggressive

How can a child be encouraged to write poems?

Writing poetry is a creative work. It requires imagination and an environment which can help the poet to think clearly. It is important for parent to give child space to express themselves. They should be encouraged to admire the beauty around them and put it on a paper. That is how a child will learn to write poetry. A poem cannot be memorised. Generally, a parent expects child to win all the competitions they participate in. This might become hurdle in their smooth flow of their creative thoughts. If the child is encouraged in a right way, he will certainly get recognition.

What are the ways by which this skill can be honed?

When a child is asked to write text or a poem, one might find that the parent ends up doing it. It shows that they do not trust the child’s skills. Child should be encouraged to write it by themselves. Parents can read poetry to the child. Talk to them about the gist of the poem, the manner in which the poet is expressing his thoughts. Poetry is all about the aesthetic experiences. The mood, the tone, the props poet has used should be observed.

Teachers in the class can divide the students in groups and ask them to write poetry about their experience maybe on a historic place they have recently visited. Their mind should be exposed to the poems written by Tagore and other well known poets. It forms a resonance in their mind. They will follow the same flow while writing poetry. There is no particular formula to write a poem but it’s about the approach. Every child has a poet in themselves. It’s all about how the skill is developed. Professional training is an add-on to their skills.

At what age can they start attending classes or workshops?

They should attend training in writing poems only after reaching Class VII o VIII. If they do it at young age, they would kill their original creativity. There is no magic formula about the aesthetic experience. No workshop can help if the child’s approach is wrong. It can be a better world if children are taught to write poetry.

What the materials they can refer to for learning new ways of presenting poetry?

Any good poetry book can be referred. Apart from that, any good poetry book which teaches rhythm, rhyme, parts of speech, alliteration can be referred to. Oxford University Press books can be a great source of information.

How can they realise their potential?

They can send poetry for publication to newspapers and magazines. But they should not get disheartened if it does not get published. Desire for success is not good always. They can put it on their blog. Apart from that, they can also read their poetry to their friends.

What are the guidelines to be followed while preparing poetry?

Creativity cannot be built by following guidelines. Whatever thought comes into a child’s mind should be put on paper. They should keep in mind the demands of the competition like theme and form the poem accordingly.

Can learning to write poems make study easy for child?

It will make study pleasurable to child. Otherwise, it would be rote learning. They will learn the lessons in a creative way.

Does writing poetry make child a better person?

The aesthetic experience a child will go through while writing poetry will make them a better person as it lessens the aggressive behaviour in them.