Building Back Better with Poems

Abstract

During the 2020–21 school year, remote instruction due to COVID-19 significantly limited children’s access to school-based social interactions. As schools return to in-person instruction, we ask: Can poetry and metaphor be used to develop theory of mind (ToM)/reflective functioning and emotional literacy in the early elementary setting? This article documents the use of poetry in a pandemic pod with four children ages four to eight years, demonstrating the relationship between children’s developing understanding and use of metaphor and their emotional literacy skills. Although the psychological significance of ToM is well documented, the field of education rarely focuses on the role school environments play in supporting this essential building block of learning. Our findings support the use of content-rich instruction and the significant role parents and teachers play in supporting the emotional development of children.