明代科舉以制義取士，吸引大量人才投入，啟蒙教育也多以經書的章句訓詁、八股文的寫作教習為重，許多兒童被要求專心舉業、心無旁騖，詩歌啟蒙教習因而受到衝擊。但舉業的教習內容，與詩歌寫作基本訓練原有互通之處，同時詩歌本屬傳統語文教育的一環，也是文人發抒才華、立言不朽的重要形式，因此本文由明代詩人王世貞的學詩經驗出發，探討明代兒童的啟蒙學詩經驗、明代家長和兒童對於學詩一事的考量與心態、明人對詩歌的價值判斷及教習次第、明代兒童詩作的紀錄與接受概況，並探討詩歌啟蒙教習所反映的詩學意義，藉以一窺明代詩壇的多元面向。

The Ming dynasty civil service exams attracted the participation of many talented scholars, whose successes in the exams primarily depended on their skill in stereotyped essay writing. Early education also focused primarily on the explanation of classical texts and stereotyped essay writing, and many children were expected to focus solely on preparing for civil service exams. This caused a decline in the role that poetry writing played in early education. Nevertheless, there were some points of commonality between the two. Poetry has traditionally been an important element in language and literature education, as well as a way for the literati to show their talent and leave a lasting literary legacy. Thus this study begins with a look at Wang Shizhen’s 王世貞 experiences in learning poetry, then goes on to discuss Ming dynasty children’s experiences learning poetry, parents and children’s thoughts and attitudes regarding poetry, the style of education and value placed on poetry, and a survey of children’s reception of poetry, together with some examples of their poetry. Finally, the significance of poetics as reflected in poetry writing in early education will be addressed, revealing the many different aspects of Ming dynasty poetry.