Most adults probably remember reading Shel Silverstein and the joy his book A Light in the Attic brought us. Reading poetry with children fosters creativity and important literacy skills like rhyming. Short poems for kids can also help develop memory skills because students usually can’t wait to share what they learned with family and friends. Since long poems may seem intimidating to younger readers or even those who are just new to poetry, we gathered some of the best short poems for kids. While some are silly and include nonsense words and funny names, others are more serious and tackle important social issues. Check out our complete list of short poems for kids below.
1. The Homework Machine by Shel Silverstein
“Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime.”
2. This Is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams
“I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox”
3. There Was a Young Lady of Clare by Edward Lear
“When she found she was tired, she abruptly expired,
That unfortunate Lady of Clare.”
4. Happy Thought by Robert Louis Stevenson
“The world is so full of a number of things
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”
5. The Stars Are Blinking by Annette Wynne
“The stars are blinking in the skies;
They see some sights that hurt their eyes.”
6. Tiny Little Snowflakes by Lucy Larcom
“Robed so white and spotless,
Flying like a dove.”
7. The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll
“How cheerfully he seems to grin …”
8. How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
9. The Cry of the Cicada by Matsuo Basho
“The cry of the cicada
Gives us no sign
That presently it will die.”
10. I’m Nobody! Who Are You? by Emily Dickinson
“I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?”
11. Sonnet by James Weldon Johnson
“Tho’ thick the battle and tho’ fierce the fight,
There is a power making for the right.”
12. My Missing Shoe by Kate Miller Wilson
“My mother is calling me, and I’m calling you,
Where have you gone, my missing shoe?”
13. I Ate a Chili Pepper by Barbara Vance
“I ate a chili pepper
On a lunch-time dare …”
14. My Long-Eared Dog by Denise Rodgers
“My long-eared dog is very sweet.
He loves to lick my stinky feet.”
15. Poetry Is My Underwear by April Halprin Wayland
“Doesn’t she know
she’s waving my underwear?”
16. On Quiet Feet by Nikki Grimes
“I might even
hear
his heart beat—
but never
his quiet
feet.”
17. My Rock by Pat Mora
“I sit on my desert rock, listen
to the world’s hum.”
18. Cat by Marilyn Singer
“No cat I remember
dislikes December
inside.”
19. A Blank White Page by Francisco X. Alarcón
“is a meadow
after a snowfall”
20. The Promise by Jane Hirshfield
“Stay, I said to my loves.
Each answered,
Always.”
21. Mr. McGallimagoo by James McDonald
“Refer to me by my proper name,
Which is Mr. Hullibajiss.”
22. Dust by P.A. Ropes
“The grey dust runs on the ground like a mouse …”
23. My Griffin by Laura E. Richards
“I keep my Griffin in the barn;
I keep him busy winding yarn.”
24. Fun by Leroy F. Jackson
“I love to hear a lobster laugh,
Or see a turtle wiggle …”
25. A Baby Sardine by Spike Milligan
“’Oh come, come, come,’
Said the sardine’s mum.
‘It’s only a tin full of people.'”
26. Oh, Fly by Jane Yolen
“For oh, you are
a lovely fly.
Just
do not go
and multiply.”
27. Stronger Together by Rupi Kaur
“more women in the arena means
more room for all of us to rise.”
28. Humming Birds by Betty Sage
“I think it is a funny thing
That some birds whistle, others sing.”
29. A Wee Little Worm by James Whitcomb Riley
“A wee little worm in a hickory-nut
Sang, happy as he could be …”
30. Snowball by Shel Silverstein
“I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.”
31. The Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
“I never saw a purple cow.
I never hope to see one.”
32. At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
“Then I saw the elephant a-waving of his trunk;
Then I saw the monkeys—mercy, how unpleasantly they smelt!”
33. Jack and Jill by Mother Goose
“Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water …”
34. Star Light, Star Bright by Anonymous
“Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.”
35. My Cat Is Fat by James McDonald
“I’ve a cat named Vesters,
And he eats all day.
He always lays around,
And never wants to play.”
36. There Was an Old Person Whose Habits by Edward Lear
“There was an Old Person whose habits,
Induced him to feed upon rabbits;
When he’d eaten eighteen,
He turned perfectly green,
Upon which he relinquished those habits.”
37. What Are Heavy by Christina Rossetti
“What are heavy? sea-sand and sorrow:
What are brief? today and tomorrow:
What are frail? spring blossoms and youth:
What are deep? the ocean and truth.”
38. Tommy by Gwendolyn Brooks
“I put my seed into the ground
And said, ‘I’ll watch it grow.’
I watered it and cared for it
As well as I could know.”
39. The Parent by Ogden Nash
“Children aren’t happy with nothing to ignore,
And that’s what parents were created for.”
40. Way Down South by Anonymous
“Way down South where bananas grow,
A grasshopper stepped on an elephant’s toe.”
If you liked these short poems for kids, check out these poems about teaching.
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