Poems for Kids

Poems for Kids

Rhyming Children's Poems

Children might not be interested in the mechanics and techniques involved in poetry writing. However, there is an effective way to get them interested in poetry. The key is to read them plenty of poetry written with children in mind. Many children's poems feature things that interest children, things they can relate to, like missing the school bus or cafeteria lunches. Funny poems are the best for getting kids motivated to write their own material. If a poem about underwear or bugs makes them laugh, they are likely to develop a love for poetry even at an early age.

61 All Types of Poems for Kids

1 - 20 of 61

  1. 1. Now We Are Six

    A.A. Milne was an English author who lived from 1882-1956. He is best known for his stories about Winnie the Pooh, which were inspired by his son, Christopher Robin Milne's, stuffed animals. In this poem, a young child recounts the previous five years and how life was just beginning. But six, oh, six is the best year.


    When I was One,
    I had just begun.
    When I was Two,
    I was nearly new.

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    • Stories 14
    • Shares 50261
    • Favorited 74
    • Votes 3501
    • Rating 4.27
    • Poem of the Day
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    I was entered into a competition where I had to say a short poem so picked this and kept reading it until I knew it by heart. The day came, I recited it without stumbling, when I had finished...

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  3. 2. Waiting At The Window

    “Waiting at the Window” is about a child looking outside on a rainy day. He could be wishing to be outside playing, but then he notices the raindrops falling down the window. As he continues to watch, he sees the rain drops falling, and he pretends the raindrops are in a race to see which one will get to the bottom of the window first.


    These are my two drops of rain
    Waiting on the window-pane.

    I am waiting here to see

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    • Stories 3
    • Shares 15364
    • Favorited 31
    • Votes 1217
    • Rating 4.16
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    Isn't it awesome how while there is rain we still have something to do!

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  5. 3. Vespers

    "Vespers" was the first poem published by Alan Alexander Milne. Christopher Robin Milne, A.A. Milne’s son, was the inspiration for this poem, and it showcases him saying his prayers before going to bed.

    Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
    Droops on the little hands little gold head.
    Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
    Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

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    • Stories 9
    • Shares 4344
    • Favorited 8
    • Votes 1045
    • Rating 4.23
    • Poem of the Day
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    I also grew up with A.A. Milne and Childcraft books. "Vespers" is a special kind of magic that happens only a very few times in a person's life. When I was [or when we were] very young, the...

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  6. 4. My Dad Would Like To Be Santa

    I hope this short rhyming poem helps add to the excitement of Christmas for young children.

    • By Graham Craven
    • Published: November 2020 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    His belly's getting bigger,
    And his hair is turning white.
    His eyes shine and sparkle
    Like the stars on Christmas night.

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 2163
    • Favorited 10
    • Votes 306
    • Rating 4.51
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    Perfect for both kids and adults at Christmas - great fun. Best wishes, Ann D Stevenson

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  7. 5. A Lullaby, Sweet Dreams

    Sing this precious lullaby to your child.

    • By Kimberly L. Brennan-Smith
    • Published: February 2006 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    Sweet dreams my darling, the day is done.
    The moon is here to say goodnight to the sun.

    Gather your blankets and climb into bed.

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    • Stories 3
    • Shares 1293
    • Favorited 16
    • Votes 154
    • Rating 4.51
    Featured Shared Story

    I knit a baby blanket with cream and silver shot black, reprising the moon and the stars. Finding this poem to give with the blanket was perfect.

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  8. 6. Sometimes I Dream That I Can Fly

    I wrote about a child who dreams of flying but in the end finds out it's not all they thought it would be.

    Sometimes I dream that I can fly.
    I lift and flap my arms just so,
    And soon I'm soaring to the sky.
    Graceful like a bird I go.

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 2559
    • Favorited 15
    • Votes 273
    • Rating 4.33
    Featured Shared Story

    Thanks, Pat, for your poem. I love the feeling of movement your words create - they really transported me. And I also appreciate your honesty in dealing with the subject of finding and having...

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  9. 7. A Child's Goodnight

    I'm retired and live in southern Pennsylvania, USA, midway between the Amish farms of Lancaster County and the Gettysburg battlefield. When I was teaching in middle school, I noticed that most poems in the textbooks were free verse. As a boy I had enjoyed the cadenced rhymes of Poe, Kipling, Whittier, etc., so I began to write rhymed, metered poems for my students. This is one of them. Its stanzas have an 8-6-8-6 syllable pattern and iambic meter.

    • By Richard Thomas
    • Published: October 2018 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    At night the sun lies down for sleep
    And crickets sing a tune.
    The bullfrogs croak and creatures creep
    Beneath the watching moon.

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 960
    • Favorited 16
    • Votes 136
    • Rating 4.29
    Featured Shared Story

    The poem clearly depicts a child's thoughts at night. Regular rhythm and rhyme reflect the rhythm of sounds of nature as well as the other rhythmical sounds coming from the surrounding.

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  10. 8. Teddy Bear

    "Teddy Bear" was first published in When We Were Very Young, a book of poetry by A. A. Milne.
    The teddy bear in this poem would later become the famous Winnie-the-Pooh from A. A. Milne's famous book series.

    A bear, however hard he tries,
    Grows tubby without exercise.
    Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,
    Which is not to be wondered at;

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    • Stories 5
    • Shares 2866
    • Favorited 15
    • Votes 524
    • Rating 4.29
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    When I was 3 or 4, I recited this poem to the Bayridge Business and Professional Women's bridge club. My aunt and godmother, Margaret Desmond, was hosting them at my grandparents' house in...

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  11. 9. The Land Of Nod

    This poem captures the uniqueness of dreaming. At night, we are given a chance to escape from our reality and be present in an entirely different world. Even though it feels real, it cannot be fully explained or located outside of sleep.

    From breakfast on through all the day
    At home among my friends I stay,
    But every night I go abroad
    Afar into the land of Nod.

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 2262
    • Favorited 12
    • Votes 287
    • Rating 4.20
    • Poem of the Day
    Featured Shared Story

    It's a simple yet great poem. We cannot ignore the importance of sleeping and dreaming. Dream big and try hard to achieve it.

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  12. 10. The Shut-Eye Train

    This famous whimsical poem by Eugene Field (1850-1895) is the perfect children’s poem to read at bedtime. The descriptive language of this fantastical train ride transports readers from reality to a land of imagination as they drift off to sleep.

    Come, my little one, with me!
    There are wondrous sights to see
    As the evening shadows fall;
    In your pretty cap and gown,

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 225
    • Favorited 1
    • Votes 30
    • Rating 4.17
    Featured Shared Story

    Hadn't come across this one before. Not quite as good as "Wynken, Blynken and Nod," but excellent for the period and a precursor to more recent sleepy time travel poems and songs.

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  13. 11. From A Railway Carriage

    Published in the 1885 A Child’s Garden of Verses, this poem mimics the steady movement of a train through the use of rhythm and rhymes. It engages the senses through sights and sounds and will entice children with its excitement and energy.

    Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
    Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
    And charging along like troops in a battle
    All through the meadows the horses and cattle:

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 3147
    • Favorited 9
    • Votes 343
    • Rating 4.15
  14. 12. Wynken, Blynken, And Nod

    “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” is a whimsical poem that’s a perfect bedtime story about the adventures of three little fishermen. It’s a delightful poem to be read aloud to children as they close their eyes and nod their heads. Eugene Field (1850-1895) wrote poetry for children, often with an element of fantasy. Each stanza in this poem is made up of 12 lines, with the last three lines repeating in each stanza.

    Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
    Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
    Sailed on a river of crystal light
    Into a sea of dew.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 463
    • Favorited 6
    • Votes 98
    • Rating 4.13
    • Poem of the Week
  15. 13. Snowy Sunday

    A poem about children enjoying a snowy day.

    • By Khushi
    • Published: December 2017 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    The world is spinning
    round and round
    while snowflakes are falling,
    bound for the ground.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 578
    • Favorited 4
    • Votes 53
    • Rating 4.09
  16. 14. Travel For Fun

    • By Santhini Govindan
    • Published: September 8, 2021 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    I want to travel around the world for fun,
    And see different lands, one by one.
    But I would not like to travel by aeroplane, train, or by car -
    I would like to have a magic carpet that will take me afar.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 287
    • Favorited 4
    • Votes 29
    • Rating 4.59
    • Poem of the Day
  17. 15. My Heart Says Goodnight

    "My Heart Says Goodnight" is a bedtime poem for getting to sleep. Going to bed and getting to sleep can cause stress and anxiety in many of us, young and old. When I was a child, I remember my anxieties when trying to get to sleep, knowing I would have to wake up early for school the next day. Am I the only one still awake in the world? "My Heart Says Goodnight" is a meditation for relaxation for children of all ages.

    • By Sarah Jane E. Conklin
    • Published: November 2020 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    As I lay in bed
    While I go to sleep,
    My thoughts start to swirl 'round my head.
    To quiet my mind, I try to unwind,

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 76
    • Favorited 22
    • Votes 36
    • Rating 4.53
  18. 16. Glad That I'm Me!

    • By Ian Bland
    • Published: November 18, 2021 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    If I was a flag
    I’d be flapping and raising
    If I was a star
    Up high I’d be blazing!

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 407
    • Favorited 10
    • Votes 35
    • Rating 4.51
    • Poem of the Day
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    You can go anywhere you want to. The biggest ride of your life begins in the light of our mind and soul. There is no fear, my dear, in a world of happiness. Any dream can come true. Fly with...

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    Touched by the poem? Share your story! (1)

  19. 17. There Is A Monster Under My Bed

    This was just a random idea--something I thought my grandchildren might enjoy, as we all have let our imagination run wild when faced with something unknown. More often than not, there is a simple explanation for it. Children have wonderful imaginations, and imagining a monster under their bed can be very scary for them. This poem is about how one little boy is able to deal with his.

    • By Ila A. Longley
    • Published: November 2020 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    There is a monster under my bed
    With big red eyes in his bumpy head.

    Long yellow teeth and a big hooked nose,

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    • Stories 2
    • Shares 189
    • Favorited 6
    • Votes 40
    • Rating 4.50
    Featured Shared Story

    Brilliant! Everyone needs a mum and a kiss and their bear. I used to have a little dolly that scared away the monsters. Love your work. Excellent stuff.

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  20. 18. Mystic Magination Night!

    Loving the Fun of this mystical, magical holiday, just a time of fun and imagination for all ages, and the best part are all the sweet treats that come along with it, Happy Halloween to all, enjoy it with fun in your heart no matter your age!

    On one mystic, magic night,
    Jack O Lanterns glowing bright,
    kids with bags of candy sweet,
    roam door to door and street to street,

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 5466
    • Favorited 9
    • Votes 256
    • Rating 4.48
  21. 19. Birthday Wish

    This poem is written for my little sister and goddaughter, Raphaela. It was her birthday this month. She means the world to me. My poem has a rhyming scheme and uses metaphors and similes.

    • By Ciana R. Lewis
    • Published: January 2019 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    A cake with a lit candle,
    Presents with ribbons and bows,
    A bike with pink, glittery handles,
    A little girl who grows and grows.

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    • Stories 0
    • Shares 2891
    • Favorited 17
    • Votes 261
    • Rating 4.47
  22. 20. Fossils

    • By Colin West
    • Published: September 21, 2021 by Family Friend Poems with the permission of the Author.

    O, its bones may be colossal,
    But the trouble with a fossil
    Is that it doesn’t give a clue
    As to the creature’s actual hue.

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    • Stories 1
    • Shares 87
    • Favorited 1
    • Votes 15
    • Rating 4.47
    • Poem of the Day
    Featured Shared Story

    I just love the poem. I had been feeling a bit low, and then I read your poem and the world felt like a brighter place. Thank you.

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1 - 20 of 61

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