Poems For Kids

On this page you’ll find many different subjects that poets have written about: funny, animals, nature, inspirational, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and so much more. There’s a section for young children that has age-appropriate, short and easy to follow rhymes for little learners. You’ll find many different styles from around the world like free verse, sonnets, ballads, limericks, and haiku. We are always looking for new writing to add that covers a range of subjects for all ages, so be sure to check back often. Also, as a blast from the past we’ve gathered some really great classic poems for kids as well.

Give the gift of learning…

Give the gift of learning this holiday season!

Read Poems Submitted by Our Visitors!

Poetry is a wonderful way to take time out of the day and spend a quality moment with children. Poems represent a person’s inner thoughts, dreams, fears, sadness, love and so much more. In a small amount of words, poems paint a broad picture of the world around. The range of the artistic expression poetry is capable of is endless and that’s an important reason why reading all types of verse to kids broadens their minds and enriches their imagination.

On Rainy Day Poems, we’ve collected poetry from every era and many different corners of the world and all are kid friendly. New themes with numerous types of rhyme, prose, verse, sonnet, haiku and much more are constantly being added. The section Poems for Young Children is filled with short poems that are easy to read and follow. Space poems for kids, like the other themed sections, has both short and simple as well as long and complex.

If it’s animals that interest your child then, check out the animal section for poetry about all kinds of furry and not so furry beasts ranging from sloths to elephants. Because of the special love for horses, cats, and dogs we’ve given them their own sections where you’ll find poems about our sweet pets that evoke every type of emotion, all picked with children in mind. So have a laugh or have a cry or maybe feel a bit empowered by poetry written about a favorite animal.

Have you ever wondered about the poets who pour their hearts into the amazing work they create and you read? On Rainy Day, you’ll find a section dedicated to Famous and up- and-coming poets where you can read about interesting facts on each. Or check out the section that is about poets themselves.

No matter what time of year, the Nature Poems’ section has poetry for every season and every type of weather. The landscapes that poets can describe with words are quite amazing. Along with weather and seasons comes holidays and there is a section full of wonderful poetry covering the many different days of celebration, from Christmas to Halloween and so much more.

From beginning reader to a new learner of the English language, poetry can add a fulfilling way to study and strengthen language skills. Poems represent not only the language but the culture of the time. They look into the past and present through rich language and honest, heartfelt eyes. To really know a nation, read the words of the people, whether verse or prose. With all of the different sections dedicated to the many genres of poetry, a second language learner could plan a poem a day for study.

April is Poetry Month, and a great opportunity to read a new poem each day, so take the poetry challenge and find a way to be poetic every day in the month of April.

Poems can be short, medium, or long, so it makes it very easy and convenient to read a-poem-a-day to a child. The benefits of reading are endless, building imagination, strengthening all school skills, learning patience, exercising the mind, and the list goes on, but most importantly reading in general can be used as a moment to build and strengthen a relationship with a child that will last a lifetime.

Table of Contents for Poems for Kids

• Haiku For Kids
• Earth Day Poems
• Family Poems
• Holiday Poems for Kids
• Tongue Twisters and Riddles
• Poems About Growing Up
• Poems for Kids by some contemporary poets
• Poems for Kids by Ezra Pound
• Poems for Kids by Emily Dickinson
• Poems for Kids by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Poems for Children by Lewis Carroll
• Poems for Kids by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• Children’s Poems by Christina Rossetti
• Poems for Kids Written by African American Poets
• Classic Poems For Kids
• Cautionary Tales for Children
• Cultural Poems for Kids
• Nursery Rhymes
• Poems For Young Children
• Poems Teachers Ask For
• Poems For Kids To Recite
• Horse Poems For Kids
• Unicorn Poems
• Fairy Poems
• Nature Poems
• Dog Poems
• Cat Poems
• Mother’s Day Poems
• Father’s Day Poems
• Read A Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear
• Funny Poems for Kids
• Friendship Poems
• Hindi Poems and Stories
• Birthday Poems
• Prayers For Children From Around the World
• Poetry by Contemporary Poet Willameena
• Poetry by Bob Langill

Birthday Poems

We celebrate birthdays with song why not also add a special birthday poem to that important day. On this page are poems about birthdays from each day of the week in Birthdays by Unknown Author to a reminiscence of years gone by in Willameena’s A Birthday. Each special day that goes by the cake needs to be a little bigger to hold all of the candles, words beautifully articulated in Evelina San Garde’s A Giant’s Cake. Read on for more Birthday poetry…

Unicorn Poems

A collection of poems that will take you to the enchanted forests where unicorns roam. Poetry brings everyday life, as well as the imagination to life. We haven’t found unicorns yet in this world of ours, but you wouldn’t know it by reading the poems dedicated to this enchanted horse like beast. From a frolic in the dew-drop moss to a galloping unicorn under the morning star, read on to envision the beauty and majesty of this mythological creature.

Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes are the classic of classics, so we’ve dedicated a section to these young at heart tales that most of us can remember from our own childhoods. From Hickory Dickory Dock to Little Miss Muffet, young children of today will be happily entertained by the timeless rhymes of yesterday. There’s Mother Goose along with many more and some tangley tongue twisters to build reading and articulation skills.

Poetry by Willameena

This section is dedicated to the young contemporary poet Willameena. From Spilt Tea to The Little Doll the poetry of Willameena will leave the reader contemplating. Edgy rhythm and rhyme that kids will enjoy. For those readers who appreciate Lewis Carroll but still like a modern flare the collection of poems on this page will be a treasure.

The Real Mother Goose

The timeless nursery rhymes collected as Mother Goose, great for young children. Short and simple poems that are engaging for little kids. Little Bo Peep, Jack Sprat and Peter Piper, just to name a few, are a click away in this section dedicated to the classic old bird herself.

Meet Famous Poets

• Meet Ella Wheeler Wilcox and other famous poets.

Prayers for Children From Around the World

• Prayers have a beautiful poetic nature along with deep spiritual meaning. Here you’ll find prayers from all around the world.

• It’s back to school again
  • As quickly as it came, it’s gone and we’re back to school again.
• School’s Out
  • Here comes Summer! Have a blast, enjoy your time, and read this poem.
• A Mother’s Day Poem
  • To all the mothers in the world, a poem for you. 🙂
• Spring Clouds
  • A poem of spring and all that it brings, and the clouds in the sky that say hi to you and I.
• Aim High To The Sky
  • Striving to do better in life, in whatever you do, is something, that I think, rings very very true.
• A New Year’s Wish
  • From all of us at Rainy Day Poems, here’s wishing you a very happy new year! 🙂
• The Bridge of Life
  • Often times it seems as if life just won’t stand still.
• Mr. McGallimagoo
  • Meet Mr. McGallimagoo, but don’t be surprised if he isn’t that happy about being called Mr. McGallimagoo. Just read the poem to find out why. 🙂
• The Pursuit
  • A kids poem about a girl and a butterfly, and getting lost in flight.
• Words of Absurdity
  • Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum All day long they tweedle their thumbs…
• My Cat is Fat
  • Oh Vesters…. why won’t you listen.
• Learning to Fall on Purpose
  • A ballerina through the looking glass, written in the spirit of Alice.
• The Choice of Your Mind
  • A walk into an abstract mind.
• Spilt Tea
  • An imaginative tea party written in Laughing lyrics.
• The Teachings of a Snail
  • Can a snail teach a lesson? Read on and find out.

Poems for kids by some contemporary poets

Poems for Kids by Emily Dickinson

• “Hope” is the thing with feathers
• A Book
• “Arcturus” is his other name
• “Faith” is a fine invention
• “Morning”—means “Milking”—to the Farmer
• A Bird Came Down
• Make me a picture of the sun –
• Carefree Grass
• A Little East of Jordan
• What Inn Is This
• Who Robbed The Woods
• The Murmur of a Bee
• These Are The Days When Birds Come Back
• The Daisy Follows Soft The Sun
• A Drop Fell On The Apple Tree
• A Narrow Fellow In The Grass
• A Thought Went Up My Mind To-Day
• God Gave A Loaf To Every Bird

Poems for Kids by Robert Louis Stevenson

• The Unseen Playmate
• My Shadow
• At The Sea-side
• Young Night Thought
• Rain
• The Cow
• Pirate Story
• Windy Night
• A Good Play
• The Land of Nod
• Good and Bad Children
• My Bed Is A Boat
• The Swing
• Looking-Glass River
• Whole Duty of Children
• From a Railway Carriage
• The Land of Counterpane
• Winter Time
• My Kingdom
• Bed In Summer

Poems for Children by Lewis Carroll

• Acrostic
• All in a Golden Afternoon
• Alice and The White Knight
• Bessie’s Song To Her Doll
• A Boat beneath a Sunny Sky
• Brother and Sister
• The Crocodile
• Dreamland
• Echoes
• Humpty Dumpty’s Song
• The Knight’s Song
• Little Birds
• My Fairy
• The Palace of Humbug
• The Walrus and the Carpenter

Poems for Kids by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• The Arrow and The Song
• The Children’s Hour
• Paul Revere’s Ride
• The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• The Village Blacksmith
• There was a Little Girl
• A Psalm of Life
• The Skeleton in Armor

Children’s Poems by Christina Rossetti

• Caterpillar
• Ferry me across the water
• Flint
• The Rainbow
• A Riddle
• What are Heavy?
• What Does the Bee Do?
• What is Pink?
• The Wind

Poems for Kids Written by African American Poets

• Dogwood Blossom by George Marion McClellan
• A Butterfly in Church by George Marion McClellan
• Heritage by Countee Cullen
• Yet Do I Marvel by Countee Cullen
• From the Dark Tower by Countee Cullen
• Christmas at Melrose by Leslie Pinckney Hill
• Summer Magic by Leslie Pinckney Hill
• The Teacher by Leslie Pinckney Hill
• Youth by Georgia Douglas Johnson
• Rain Music by Joseph S. Cotter, Jr.
• Winter is Coming by Waverley Turner Carmichael
• Sheep and Goat by Thomas Washington Talley
• The Little Rooster by Thomas Washington Talley
• Simon Slick’s Mule by Thomas Washington Talley
• The Origin of the Snake
• Transpositions by Georgia Douglas Johnson
• Query by Georgia Douglas Johnson
• The Dreams of The Dreamer by Georgia Douglas Johnson
• When I Rise Up by Georgia Douglas Johnson

Classic Poems For Kids

• The Fairies by William Allingham
• The Story of Fidgety Philip by Heinrich Hoffman
• The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
• A Visit from ST. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore
• Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley
• Cradle Song by William Blake
• The Fly by William Blake
• Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe
• A Dream Within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe
• The Leak in the Dike by Phoebe Cary
• A Light Exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson
• The Nightingale and The Glow-worm by William Cowper
• The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key
• The Violet by Jane Taylor
• Eletelephony by Laura Richards
• The First Tooth by Charles and Mary Lamb
• Sweet and Low by Alfred Tennyson
• Mary’s Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale
• Lullaby of an Infant Chief by Sir Walter Scott
• If I had but two little wings by Samuel T Coleridge
• The Vulture by Hilaire Belloc
• True Royalty by Rudyard Kipling
• Little Things by Julia Carney
• The Mountain and the Squirrel By Ralph Waldo Emerson
• The Problem by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• I’d Love to be a Fairy’s Child By Robert Graves
• Allie By Robert Graves
• An Alphabet by Edward Lear
• At The Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
• The Baby’s Dance by Ann Taylor
• The Star by Jane Taylor
• Buttercups and Daisies by Mary Howitt
• The Canary by Elizabeth Turner
• The Migration of the Grey Squirrels by William Howitt
• The Fieldmouse by Cecil Frances Alexander
• Answer to a Child’s Question by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• The Story of Johnny Head-in-the-Air by Heinrich Hoffman
• Now the Day is Over by Sabine Baring-Gould
• Adventures Of Isabel by Ogden Nash
• Dentist and the Crocodile by Roald Dahl
• Daddy Fell into the Pond by Alfred Noyes
• Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
• The Duel by Eugene Field
• The Frost by Hannah Flagg Fould
• Little Billee by William Makepeace Thackeray
• Robert of Lincoln by William Cullen Bryant
• Fairy Song by John Keats
• A Boy’s Song by James Hogg
• Little Orphan Annie by James Whitcomb Riley
• The Ivy Green by Charles Dickens
• The Flying Squirrel by Mary E. Burt
• A Life on the Ocean Wave by Epes Sargent
• Farm yard Song by J.T. Trowbridge
• Lochinvar by Sir Walter Scott
• I Remember, I Remember by Thomas Hood
• A Happy Life by Sir Henry Wotton
• The Last Rose of Summer by Thomas Moore

Cautionary Tales for Children

• Jim, Who ran away from his Nurse, and was eaten by a Lion.
• Henry King, Who chewed bits of String, and was early cut off in Dreadful Agonies.
• Matilda, Who told Lies, and was Burned to Death.
• Franklin Hyde, Who caroused in the Dirt and was corrected by His Uncle.
• Godolphin Horne, Who was cursed with the Sin of Pride, and Became a Boot-Black.

Cultural Poems for Kids

• Where the West Begins
• The Concord Hymn
• Mandalay
• The Tapestry Weavers
• The Rivers of France
• Leedle Yawcob Strauss
• The Leap of Roushan Beg
• Each In His Own Tongue
• A Perfect Day
• The Cow-Boy’s Song
• Mother’s Song to a Baby
• She Will Gather Roses
• Rabbi Ben Ezra
• The Song of the Shirt
• Song of the Chattahoochee
• Old Meg
• Assured by Alexander Posey