5 Fun Poems For Kids To Read No Matter The Age

Feb 5, 2021

FUN POEMS FOR KIDS-Teaching poetry should ALWAYS be fun, especially when it comes to introducing poetry analysis to kids! If we start off by reading old poems with little to no context, focusing on high-level language, or defining literary devices, we may turn kids off before we can get them excited about just having a good time listening to fun rhythms and rhymes.

Don’t get me wrong; I want students to learn, but I want learning poetry to be fun. We can achieve both by connecting to various elements of poetry while teaching the standards and captivating our students!

Let’s look at these 5 Fun Poems For Kids that will engage any student!

Need help with Test Prep? Check out this FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

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Table of Contents

5 Fun Poems For Kids that will ENGAGE, ENTERTAIN, and EDUCATE!

1.“Unique Unicorn” by Kristin Menke

This poem is fun and relevant as it gets kids thinking about who they want to be! You can teach character traits, rhyme, alliteration, etc. Plus, who doesn’t love unicorns?

Want activities to go along with “Unique Unicorn?” Click HERE!

2. “A Frog Who Would Not Move” by Kristin Menke

This poem encourages kids to think about motivation! Why does the frog not move out of the way for heaven’s sake? You can also review internal rhyme, repetition, imagery, conflict, dialogue, and alliteration!

“A Frog Who Would Not Move” Boom Cards Poetry Pack

3. “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson

This awesome poem follows the speaker as he discovers his own shadow and how it changes in various situations! You can teach characterization, theme, rhyme, personification, and imagery!

My Shadow

BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;

For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,

And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.

He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,

And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.

He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;

I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,

I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;

But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,

Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Click >>> for the “My Shadow” Digital Poetry Pack

4. “I Saw the Moon One Time” by Kristin Menke

This poem illustrates the many phases of the moon from a child’s perspective. You could integrate this poem while teaching about science!

5. “A Riddle” by Kristin Menke

This poem challenges students to figure out the answer to the riddle! Using free verse with a first-person point of view, this riddle will engage students as they work to discover the solution! You can add in other riddles or different types of poems!

“A Riddle” Poetry Activity Pack

Check out other Fun Poems For Kids!

This Poetry Comprehension Reading Test Prep Lesson BUNDLE incorporates the Common Core standards and contains test prep QUESTIONS and ANSWERS modeled after the various state exams (for the poems “My Shadow,” “Thanksgiving Day,” “I Saw the Moon One Time,” “A Frog Who Would Not Move,” and “At the Zoo”)!!