Tea time with toddlers?

[alisoncooks]

Anyone do a Tuesday Tea with the younger set?

 

I am looking for some fun, lil' traditions to incorporate into our week and my 2 girls would probably enjoy this. We have several great poetry books that are just itching for a special time to be read...(because, otherwise, they seem to be easily forgotten.)

 

I guess I would be doing all the reading, since both DDs are nonreaders. What do your non-readers do during tea times/poetry readings? Or do you save this for when your children are older?

[Aspasia]

We don't do tea times (though I'm very interested in them), but I like to read poetry to my kids while they eat. DH is rarely home for dinner, so that's actually my favorite meal to read to them. It really calms them and makes the bedtime routine so much easier. Honestly, the effect on bedtime is kind of remarkable. But we also do it over breakfast and lunch sometimes. My dd LOVES poetry, and she is always asking me what it means. It makes me so happy. :001_wub:

[Kuovonne]

I started doing poetry tea times when my girls were about your kids' ages: 5 and 3. I read poetry to them and they ate their snacks and drank their lemonade. My older DD would sometimes recite a poem or nursery rhyme she had memorized. When she got a little bit older, she read poems too. Sometimes they would request specific poems. For my younger DD, it was all about the yummy snack.

[Chelli]

I read a poem during Circle Time each morning to dd8 and dd4. They love it as well.

 

I'm reading Where the Sidewalk Ends right now.

[Kuovonne]

I forgot to add, we've been doing tea time for three years and my kids still love it. All three of us take turns reading poems. The girls set the table and arrange the fake flowers. I truly believe that steady diet do poetry has helped give my daughter Appreciation for language she has now.

[plath]

Ooh I love this idea! Dd *loves* poems.

[arcara]

I've never heard of this! What a beautiful idea!!

[TracyP]

We only started Tea Time this year, but all the kids participate. My little kids drink milk out of their tea cups. (not including baby, she sits in her high chair with a sippy cup). Everyone picks 2 poems or nursery rhymes to take turns reading. I usually read for the 3 and 4 yo although they will occasionally attempt to recite one from memory. My kids love it.

[alisoncooks]

Glad to hear others include their youngers.

I think we will begin this...my girls will love it.

 

BUT we are not tea-drinkers...:o

Maybe it'll be hot chocolate in our tea cups (coffee for mommy). :p

[Rosie_0801]

We have a weekly playdate and do a "tea time" with watered down apple juice. :p The other mum and I read a poem each, which is interspersed with telling them to hush and listen. As far as we can tell, the only one who appreciates the poetry is her baby, but our two girls very much like pouring the tea!

 

Hopefully the poetry will grow on them too. :rolleyes:

 

 

Rosie

[KristenR]

I love this idea!! I have been debating on starting one and seem to get distracted and forget about it until someone mentions it on here again. I just thought of a fun idea to add... I think I'll head down to a Goodwill or cheap store somewhere to have my kids pick up their own "special" tea-time cup. Maybe we can find some cute "kid" printed ones or something.

 

We don't do tea times (though I'm very interested in them), but I like to read poetry to my kids while they eat. DH is rarely home for dinner, so that's actually my favorite meal to read to them. It really calms them and makes the bedtime routine so much easier. Honestly, the effect on bedtime is kind of remarkable. But we also do it over breakfast and lunch sometimes. My dd LOVES poetry, and she is always asking me what it means. It makes me so happy. :001_wub:

 

Do you mind giving some suggestions for poetry books to read to a younger crowd? Which ones have you had success with?

[Alice]

We do tea time sporadically. Sometime it is poetry, sometime it's a current read aloud, sometimes it's random picture books, sometimes it's books that go along with history. I started when my oldest was very little and we've kept it up. The kids all love it, and get very excited when I say it is tea time. For us it's really just a read-aloud time with a snack and tea. But they think of it as really special.

 

 

 

Do you mind giving some suggestions for poetry books to read to a younger crowd? Which ones have you had success with?

 

My guys don't love poetry but have all liked A.A. Milne's poems at a young age.

[KristenR]

And do you guys do tea time everyday? once a week? just special occasions?

[Rivka]

We do teatime once a week, on the weekend so all of us can be together. I usually offer herbal tea, a sweet baked good, and crumpets with butter.

 

My 3yo loves it. He picked out his own teacup at the thrift store. He usually wants to recite a nursery rhyme, although this isn't a requirement. He is also free to leave the table when he's done eating. That keeps it enjoyable.

 

I alternate reading poems to each child. Sure hits for the young one are A.A. Milne and "Isabel met an enormous bear." He has started requesting his favorites, which is awesome. Sometimes when the kids are done my husband and I will linger reading to each other. :-D

Edited April 24, 2012 by Rivka

[TracyP]

And do you guys do tea time everyday? once a week? just special occasions?

 

We do Tuesday Tea. It takes the place of our afternoon snack that day. When I am really on the ball I bake something special. That usually doesn't happen so we eat cinnamon toast with our tea. We substitute hot chocolate sometimes, and once we had kool-aid and popcorn.

 

We have The Real Mother Goose, Random House Book of Poetry for Children, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and a Child's Garden of Verses. I really like Random House for its variety, my youngers prefer nursery rhymes, and my olders love Shel Silverstein. I try to get something different from the library every now and then, but we haven't loved anything so far.

[Chelli]

We have used:

 

Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young

 

Random House Book of Poetry for Children

 

Where the Sidewalk Ends

 

The Real Mother Goose

 

Upcoming poetry books I'm planning on using:

 

A Light in the Attic

 

A Child's Garden of Verses

 

The Complete When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six

 

The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease also lists poetry books and anthologies for different grade levels.

 

HTH :001_smile:

[Aspasia]

We like the Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems, the Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems, and nursery rhymes. I recently acquired the A.A. Milne book but we haven't cracked it yet. Seriously, my dd will listen to lengthy adult poems and actually ask specific questions about the content. I'm sticking with some of this heavier stuff unless/until she decides she wants the sillier stuff. :tongue_smilie:

[Julie Smith]

We don't do tea time, but I make buckets. I take a tupperware dish with Esperanto compartments. I fill each section with something different, usually cut up fruit and vegetables.

 

Mt kids now often ask for a bucket.

[MadsandLilysMom]

We love tea time in our house. I splurged and bought a very nice full size Reutter tea set that has pictures of the mice from the Brambley hedge books on it. It makes tea time very special. We try to do tea time weekly, but I would love to make it a daily activity now that my 4 year old has finally given up her nap.

 

 

And do you guys do tea time everyday? once a week? just special occasions?

 

We do tea time weekly. I want to say thank for the TumTum and Nutmeg recommendation. I saw your post and pulled it off our bookshelves to read last week. We are on the last book of the Rose Cottage Tales and I am sad to see them end. General Marchmouse is a hoot!