Getting Them Started Young

Both of my sons are participating in a summer reading program with the Preble County library system in Ohio. Among the various activities they’ve been asked to complete was writing a…

Both of my sons are participating in a summer reading program with the Preble County library system in Ohio. Among the various activities they've been asked to complete was writing a poem. While I was planning to work with them on that this weekend, imagine my surprise (and joy!) when they both already put together poems with their Nana (my very nice ex-mother-in-law).

Both Benjamin and Jonah not only wrote their own poems, but they had them committed to memory--something their own father can't even do (we Brewers are mostly a forgetful lot). As with most firsts for the duo, I never felt more proud to be their Daddy.

Here's what they wrote:

A bug had a friend named Smug.
They dug in the rug for some slugs.
Then, they gave each other a hug.

-Benjamin, age 6

Once there was a spider
who was a ghost rider.
He went very fast,
and he had a blast!

-Jonah, age 5

While they were both very pleased with themselves for putting together their first poems, Jonah confessed, "Daddy, writing a poem is hard work." My little 5-year-old sounds like he's ready to start teaching creative writing.

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of Solving the World's Problems, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.