The Benefits of Poetry for Teenagers

Poetry for teenagers offers many benefits because it helps them to think, reflect, manage emotions, and to better understand life. Learn more.

Reviewed and approved by the pediatrician Marcela Alejandra Caffulli.

Written by Maria del Mar Garcia Martin

Last update: 17 February, 2023

Poetry is a precious commodity that society needs but that, on many occasions, is unknown or not adequately recognized. With this in mind, you may wonder why it’s important to bring teenagers closer to poetry. There are several reasons given by academics, teachers, therapists, and experts in the educational field that support its relevance for the development of young people. We tell you more about the benefits of poetry for teenagers below.

Learn about the benefits of poetry for teenagers

From childhood, it’s important to understand the value of poetry. Its musicality, rhythm, and aesthetics awaken creativity and a love for books. But not all parents know how to introduce their kids to poetry. In fact, sometimes this isn’t easy either, and this literary genre is often loathed because parents and educators don’t know how to choose the right poems that may interest young people.

1. Poetry promotes emotional education

According to a 2022 study published by the University of Barcelona, poetry in the classroom aims to incorporate emotional education so that adolescents learn to manage their emotions. In that study, adolescents were encouraged to write their own poems and read them in a sharing recital. In addition, another option that also proved successful was to choose anthologies of contemporary and modern authors that represented them.

It’s likely that students see poetry as something old-fashioned and having nothing to do with their reality. In this regard, it may happen because the first contact with the genre is carried by the hand of authors of old times, with difficult texts and without a previous connection that allows them to feel identified. As a result, teens don’t know how to appreciate that it’s actually a method of expression that is freely available to them whenever they need it.

2. It helps them form their own opinions, the therapeutic function that explains one of the benefits of poetry for teenagers

The stage of adolescence is the most delicate because it’s the period when individuals forge their own identities. There’s no doubt that society demands critical thinking and also self-knowledge. Therefore, reading poetry invites teens to develop opinions that are critical and that are their own, where tastes and interests are valued so that all this is linked to emotions.

3. Poetry promotes tolerance and mutual respect

When someone writes a poem, their identity comes out in a poetic voice. The same happens when the reader reads a poem and makes their own interpretations, either unconsciously or consciously. That’s why poetry opens up a sea of possibilities. It’s a different and plural form of expression that invites respect for the variability of opinions. A good way to promote this value offered by poetry in the classroom is to read several poems and invite students to give their point of view about them: What they’ve transmitted, what they’ve felt when reading them, or if they have seen something that’s caught their attention.

4. Poetry invites teenagers to understand life

As mentioned in the following research conducted in 2021 at the University of Jaén, when reading a poem, the individual reads it through the lens of their own thoughts, life experiences, and feelings. Therefore, from that experience, the poem also becomes their own. In this regard, it should be noted that there are several authors who’ve mentioned that poetry is linked to life in an almost magical way. For example, Federico García Lorca, Ángel González, and contemporary poets such as Medel, among others, are just some of them.

Poetry is an intrinsic part of everyone

Now that you know about the benefits of poetry for teenagers, it’s time to put its reading and study into practice. To do this, we advise you to opt for quality poetry anthologies by authors that appeal to this age group.