One of the most impactful ways that you can teach kids the power of the written word is through poetry. That’s why we’ve put together this list of fun second-grade poems to help you get started. You’ll find poems that are short and sweet and others that will jump-start those growing minds.
1. Second Grade Superstars by Anonymous
“I’m a success!”
2. The Porcupine by Ogden Nash
“Any hound a porcupine nudges …”
3. At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
“First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black …”
4. Mary’s Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale
“Mary had a little lamb …”
5. I Taught My Cat To Clean My Room by Kenn Nesbitt
“… to use a bucket, brush and broom.”
6. A Silly Crow by Andrea Crawford
“Here is a very silly crow …”
7. Snakes by Mariah Deitrick
“A snake can glide from side to side …”
8. [An ancient pond!] by Matsuo Basho
“With a sound from the water …”
9. The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll
“How doth the little crocodile …”
10. My Dog Does My Homework by Kenn Nesbitt
“… at home every night.”
11. My Big Fat Cat by Christian M. Mitewu
“I own a big fat cat- / The fattest for miles around.”
12. The Parakeets by Alberto Blanco
“They talk all day …”
13. The Pasture by Robert Frost
“I’m going out to clean the pasture spring …”
14. How Not To Have To Dry the Dishes by Shel Silverstein
“(Such an awful, boring chore)”
15. The Goops by Gelett Burgess
“The meanest trick I ever knew …”
16. If I Were in Charge of the World by Judith Viorst
“I’d cancel oatmeal …”
17. My Best Friend by Abby Jenkins
“Black and white / Thick and furry …”
18. Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards
“Once there was an elephant …”
19. The Forest by Annette Wynne
“The forest is the town of trees …”
20. The Butterfly Ballad by Guy Belleranti
“Butterfly starts as an egg …”
21. I Made a Meme This Morning by Kenn Nesbitt
“I posted it online.”
22. In cold spring air by Reginald Gibbons
“white wisp- / visible …”
23. The Storm by Dorothy Aldis
“In my bed all safe and warm …”
24. Seashell by James Berry
“Shell at my ear –”
25. A Jelly-Fish by Marianne Moore
“Visible, invisible …”
26. Rain Sound by Lillian Morrison
“At first it’s like drumming …”
27. Nicknames by Kenn Nesbitt
“My aunt calls me ‘Elizabeth.'”
28. Dirt on My Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy
“There’s mud on my boots …”
29. Tiger by Valerie Worth
“The tiger has swallowed a black sun.”
30. Your Best by Barbara Vance
“If you always try your best …”
31. Walking with My Iguana by Brian Moses
“When the temperature rises…”
32. Magic Carpet by Shel Silverstein
“That will whiz you through the air…”
33. The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear
“In a beautiful pea-green boat…”
34. The Tyger by William Blake
“Burning bright in the forests of the night…”
35. The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
“Came whiffling through the tulgey wood…”
36. The Quangle Wangle’s Hat by Edward Lear
“On the top of the Crumpetty Tree…”
37. When the Teacher Isn’t Looking by Kenn Nesbitt
“When the teacher’s back is turned…”
When the teacher’s back is turned,
we never scream and shout.
Never do we drop our books
and try to freak her out.
No one throws a pencil
at the ceiling of the class.
No one tries to hit the fire alarm
and break the glass.
We don’t cough in unison
and loudly clear our throats.
No one’s shooting paper wads
or passing little notes.
She must think we’re so polite.
We never make a peep.
Really, though, it’s just because
we all go right to sleep.
38. The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash
“Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth…”
39. For Sale by Shel Silverstein
“One crying and spying young sister for sale!”
40. The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson
“When I was sick and lay a-bed…”
41. Adventures of Isabel by Ogden Nash
“Isabel met an enormous bear…”
42. Homework! Oh, Homework! by Jack Prelutsky
“I hate you! You stink!”
43. Recipe For A Hippopotamus Sandwich by Shel Silverstein
“A hippo sandwich is easy to make…”
A hippo sandwich is easy to make.
All you do is simply take
One slice of bread,
One slice of cake,
Some mayonnaise
One onion ring,
One hippopotamus
One piece of string,
A dash of pepper —
That ought to do it.
And now comes the problem…
Biting into it!
44. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field
“Sailed off in a wooden shoe…”
45. The Duck and the Kangaroo by Edward Lear
“Said the Duck to the Kangaroo…”
46. Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
“There was no joy in Mudville…”
47. The Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
“I never saw a Purple Cow…”
48. The Duel by Eugene Field
“The gingham dog and the calico cat…”
49. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out by Shel Silverstein
“She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans…”
50. The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
“Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly…”
51. The Tale of the Sun and the Moon by Kenn Nesbitt
“The sun was in his bathing suit, the moon in her pajamas…”
52. Clouds by Christina Rossetti
“White sheep, white sheep…”
White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,
You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go?
53. The Acrobats by Shel Silverstein
“I’ll swing by my ankles…”
54. When Tillie Ate the Chili by Shel Silverstein
“She erupted from her seat…”
55. The Crocodile’s Toothache by Shel Silverstein
“The Crocodile went to the dentist…”
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