Poems for Kids

Poetry for Kids

This page contains printable poems for students of all ages. Most poetry printables include reading comprehension questions or vocabulary activities.

Kindergarten - 1st Grade
Phonics Poems

Phonics Poem: Black Cat, Tan Cat Free

This easy-to-read phonics poem has lots of short a words in it, such as cat, fat, glad, mat, tan, bad, and sad.

Phonics Poem: Beg for an Egg Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short e words in it, including beg, egg, get, pen, red, and end.

Phonics Poem: Wet Pet Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short e words in it, including wet, pet, fetch, and better.

Phonics Poem: Pig and the Prince Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short i words in it, such as pig, prince, jig, wig, and sit.

Phonics Poem: Dripping Sink Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short i words in it, such as drip, sink, quick, slip, and sink.

Phonics Poem: Popcorn Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short o words in it, such as stop, hot,top, pot, and hopping.

Phonics Poem: Spot Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short o words in it, such as odd, on, spot, dot, and dog.

Phonics Poem: Mud Puppy Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short u words in it, such as puppy, dug, tub, rug, and tummy.

Phonics Poem: Buggy Bump Ball Member

This short vowel phonics poem has many short u words in it, such as hug, buggy, bump, rug, up, and cut.

1st Grade Poems

Apples, Apples Member

This is a cute sing-songy poem about apple picking. Reading comprehension questions are included on the second page.

Play Free

This poem titled, Play, is filled with fun actions. Kids can read the poem, then try to spot the action verbs. They can also search for rhyming words.

Buzz, Buzz Bumblebee Member

This easy-to-read poem about a buzzing bumblebee has lots of repetition. The file features a vocabulary matching worksheet and a rhyming words activity.

Car Trip Member

This is a creative poem about a car trip to Grandma's house.

Colors Member

In this cute poem, kids read about the colors red, blue, green, and yellow in nature.

2nd Grade Poems

Snakes Free

Read and learn about snakes with this science poem. Students will enjoy discovering why snakes stick their tongue out as they slither along.

First Day of School Member

A nervous child anxiously enters her classroom for the first time. She's got a new lunchbox, new school supplies, and shiny shoes. But will she like her new teacher?

Problem Solved Member

A child is tired of his sister following him around. What is his solution? Read the poem to find out.

Junk Art Member

You can make all kinds of creative, crafty things from junk around the house. This poem will inspire the artist in your students.

Snowy School Day Member

In this poem, a young student waits at the bus stop on a cold, snowy day. He is glad to be inside the warm bus when he rides to school.

In Summer Member

Lotion, bikes, pools, and flip-flops are all signs of summer fun.

Reading Forever Member

Mysteries, joke books, animal books, and biographies are the favorite books of the narrator in this cute poem about reading.

Butterfly Ballad Member

Read the poem, or sing it as a song to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb. This poem describes the life cycle of a butterfly.

3rd Grade Poems

Raccoon Rex Member

Meet a furry, sneaky thief who steals hot dog buns and sandwiches from campers at night. This file includes the poem, several reading comprehension questions, and a vocabulary activity.

Creative Cooking Member

Have you ever had a frosted ketchup pop, pickle-pudding applesauce, or cherry-whipped-cream stew? The creative young cook in this poem makes all kinds of tasty concoctions.

What To Feed a Dragon Member

The narrator of this poem has a pet dragon, but he doesn't know what to feed it. Does it eat cupcakes, fish, applesauce, friend rice, or something else?

Say Cheese Member

The child in this poem has a ball using her mother's camera. She takes hundreds of pictures of zoo animals, insects, his mother, and his friends!

Sock Balls Member

In this poem, students read about the many fun uses for sock balls. This file includes comprehension questions.

Walk With My Dog Member

A boy walks down the street with his dog, Jake, saying hello and greeting his neighbors. Jake only barks at one person - can you guess who it is?

The Race Member

A boy loses a race... against his shadow. This file includes the poem, and a set of comprehension questions.

A Great Catch Member

A child tries to catch an earthworm. However, what he catches isn't what he expects.

Tree House Tools Member

A boy is trying to build a treehouse, but he keeps misplacing his tools. He loses his nails, his hammer, and even the lumber. There's one tool, however, that's impossible to lose. Do you know what it is?

Homegrown Member

Grandma grows spaghetti sauce in her garden! Read the poem and answer the questions that follow.

Soccer Ball on a Saturday Morning Member

Do you know what a soccer ball feels like on a Saturday morning? It's raced, it's chased, it's punted, and kicked. It's kneed and launched and it sails and soars.

Fall Fun Member

Here's a fun poem about creative things you can do with colorful fall leaves.

Months of the Year Member

This is the traditional "30 Days Has September" rhyme to help kids learn the months of the year.

States of Matter Song Member

Learn the three states of matter with this song, which can be sung to the tune of Wheels on the Bus.

Cloud Song Member

Learn about cirrus, stratus, cumulus, and nimbus clouds with this catchy poem/song.

No Flying In School Member

Can you imagine what school would be like if all of your friends- and even your teacher- could fly?

Animals Living Together Member

Read about hawks, eagles, porcupines, opossums, skunks, beavers, and badgers all living together in an ecosystem.

4th Grade Poems

Family Features Free

The boy in this poem is looking in a mirror and he sees that has his grandma's smile, his uncle's toes, his cousin's hair, and his mother's perky nose.

Rabbit Habit Member

If you have a rabbit habit, it means you like to eat vegetables. It's one good habit to have!

Playing Catch Member

While playing ball with her big sister, a girl makes an amazing catch. The game changes, however, when her dog wants to play along.

Sunset Poem Member

This creative poem describes the many beautiful colors of a sunset.

Butter Churn Member

The narrator of this poem wishes she had a butter churn so she could show her friends how to magically turn cream into butter.

Night Story Member

When you can't sleep at night, you may want to try picking up a pen to write!

Desert Flower Power Member

This science poem describes the different types of flowers the grow in the desert.

These Trees Member

Walnuts come from walnut trees. Almonds come from almond trees. Why do acorns come from oaks? A redwood tree is not really red and an ash tree doesn't grow ashes. Reads of this poem will think about why trees have such odd names.

Venus Fly Trap Member

This file contains a short article and a poem about venus fly traps. Reading comprehension questions follow on page two.

Frontier Life Member

Frontier life was challenging for a young girl. Children had to milk the cow, mend their socks, sew, and weed the garden. However, her parents made a special promise that she can go to school if their town gets a teacher.

5th Grade Poems

Flibbertigibbet Member

Are you a flibbertigibbet? A flibbertigibbet's a gossip, a snoop, a tireless tattler in search of the scoop.

The Spelling Bee Member

This is a cute poem about a spelling bee who can spell the name of all the flowers she visits.

Clockatoos Member

Clockatoos are never late. They're almost always on time. But if they're tardy, it may mean their clocks have failed to chime.

Tick Tock Watch Member

In this fun poem, a person is staring at his watch, wondering if it ever gets tired of telling the time.

To The Ferry Member

A group of people stop for ice cream while waiting for a ferry to come. What happens when they stay at the ice cream shop too long?

Fairy Dance Member

A magical fairy is spotted dancing in the garden after a rain storm.

Opossum Member

Learn interesting facts about opossums with this acrostic science poem.

Figurative Language
Poems

Hyperbole Cafe Member

When you dine at Hyperbole Cafe, the soup is deeper than the sea and the bread is longer than a train. The noodles stretch over a mile and the peas are piled a mile high.

Similes Member

This poem has lots of similes! Black as words on printed pages. Sad like tigers locked in cages. Long as thread unrolled from spools. Straight like legs on wooden stools.

Metaphor Family Member

Everyone in the metaphor family is being compared to something! My brother is a dragon. My mom's a teddy bear. I am a shaggy sheepdog with a ton of tangled hair.

Onomatopoeia Member

An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound that it describes. How many onomatopoeia can you find in this poem?

Personification Member

Personification is when a writer makes a non-human object or idea seem like a person. How many times is personification used in this weather poem?

Idioms Member

An idiom is a phrase that isn't meant to be taken literally. This poem includes idioms, such as "tickled pink," "left out in the cold," and "can't have your cake and eat it too."

Holiday Poems

What Kitten Sees (Christmas) Member

What does kitten see when she looks up at the Christmas tree?

Gingerbread Man's Lament (Christmas) Free

This adorable poem is about a fashionable gingerbread man who writes a letter to Santa Claus.

Dad's Perfect Gift (Father's Day) Member

The child in this poem thinks outside the box to find a special Father's Day gift for his dad - and Dad's reaction isn't quite what he expected.

Super Star Dad (Father's Day) Member

The main character in this poem has a Superstar Dad who tells jokes, scares away monsters, and has an appreciation for big bugs.

My Dad (Father's Day) Member

This Father's Day poem is a tribute to loving, supportive dads.

Groundhog's Special Day (Groundhog Day) Member

Students will enjoy reading about this poem on February 2, Groundhog Day. It tells what happens if the groundhog emerges from his burrow and sees his shadow.

Groundhog Day (Groundhog Day) Member

Here's another terrific poem to use i your classroom on Groundhog Day.

Pumpkin Hunt (Halloween) Member

Here's a cute poem about hunting for the perfect Halloween pumpkin in a pumpkin patch. Read the poem and answer the comprehension questions that follow.

Fourth of July (Independence Day) Member

Read this poem when you celebrate the 4th of July.

Labor Day (Labor Day) Member

Celebrate workers of all occupations with this Labor Day Poem. (There is a Canadian version on our Labour Day Page.)

Love Each Other (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) Member

Read about Martin Luther King's dream for racial equality.

American Flag (Memorial Day) Member

Here's a poem about the symbolism behind the design of the American Flag.

Mother's Day Cake (Mother's Day) Member

Find out what happens when a young girl bakes an eleven-layer Mother's Day cake and burns it.

A Simple Request (Mother's Day) Member

This poem is written as a letter in which a child asks, "Why is Mother's Day only one day in May?"