While I am a fan of classic poetry, when it comes to my own children, I like to spice up what I read with a mix of poems that rhyme or don’t! Now, I particularly love poems that rhyme, and so does my seven-year-old. The rhythm just makes the reading experience more magical for some reason.
You’re probably familiar with nursery rhymes, books with rhymes, or standard lit; however, I can almost guarantee that you and your students have never read the below poems that rhyme!
Keep reading for 5 Poems That Rhyme For Kids your students won’t soon forget!
Need help with Test Prep? Check out this FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities to help students achieve success on standardized tests!
Why read poems that rhyme?
Poems that rhyme are fun to teach for many reasons:
- They have a musical quality.
- They teach rhyming skills.
- They tell stories.
- They relay themes in an interesting way.
- They have an interesting rhythm.
So check out these fun poems that rhyme below!
5 Poems That Rhyme For Kids
1. “If I Were a Butterfly” by Kristin Menke
This poem tells the story of a frustrated caterpillar in the midst of metamorphosis who wishes it could be a butterfly! The end of the poem presents a fun twist students may not expect…Don’t you just love poems that rhyme and also have a twist ending?
“If I Were a Butterfly”
by Kristin Menke
I gotta tell you everything
about my little life
I’m sitting here all wrapped on up
and stuck without a knife
It’s quiet now, except for me
I can’t quite hear outside
of this snug and a tiny place
Trust me; I’ve tried and tried
Before I got myself wrapped up
I saw so many things
Bugs with red spots, those with blue
And intricate lace wings
Some were tall and some were short
With long thin legs and thick
While others had on armor
Or looked like a simple stick
Masses of small honey bees
with black stripes and light yellow
and in the mud most wriggling worms
seemed happy and quite mellow
But my most favorite one of all
I’d wish upon a star
that I could be like that one bug
and soar away afar
If I could be a certain bug
And choose my very fate
I’d become a butterfly
And not some grubby bait
If I were a butterfly
I’d show off my bright hues
to all those who’d stop to look
and pay their rightly dues
To see the paint upon my wings
and softly curled antennae
They’d describe my flawless face
Like a shiny copper penny
But alas, I’m not what I
had hoped that I would be
so when I bust up out of here
at least I will be free
Now, I wait impatiently
trapped in a cocoon
Perhaps, I may break through one day
In April, May, or June
Need activities for poems that rhyme, like “If I Were a Butterfly?” See here!
2. “A Dragon’s Egg” by Kristin Menke
If your students are fans of poems that rhyme, they will enjoy reading “A Dragon’s Egg!” It relays the story of a kid who goes on a “quest” to discover a dragon’s egg. Along the way, there is confusion, many disappointments, and some unexpected surprises!
“A Dragon’s Egg”
by Kristin Menke
I think I found a dragon’s egg.
I found it by the lake.
It’s pastel blue and pretty, too.
Quite oval and opaque.
I told my mom about the egg.
Revealed by simple luck.
She asked, “My dear, is it oval and blue?
If it is, it’s from a duck!”
Crushed, I headed to the barn
And couldn’t believe my sight!
I stumbled upon a dragon’s egg!
Bit small and pristine white!
I brought it to my mom and said,
“A dragon’s egg, I’m thinkin’”
She asked, “My dear, is it small and white?
If it is, it’s from a chicken!”
Determined, I climbed up a tree
And glimpsed with my delight
A green and speckled egg within
A nest warm, woven tight.
I told my mom about the tree,
Saw a dragon’s egg below.
She asked, “My dear, is it green and speckled?
If it is, it’s from a crow!”
Resolute, I journeyed on
And discovered a quiet stream.
When all at once I saw an egg
Like a ping-pong, round and cream.
I raced to my mom with the dragon’s egg
Careful not to let it curdle.
She asked, “My dear, is it round and cream?
If it is, it’s from a turtle!”
I kept trudging on until
I could not see too clear.
When my defeat just bubbled up
Into a single tear.
Now, I’m done lookin’ and told myself
To make my way back home.
Perhaps, I’ll search another day,
I’m too tired to the bone.
I reached the house and ate some food
And then bathed in some bubbles.
Afterwards Mom listened on
As I relayed my troubles.
She gave me a hug and kiss good night
And said, “You never know.
This day could turn from bad to good.
There’s still some time to go.”
I replied, “Okay” but knew
That the rest of this very night
Would end just like this dreadful day
No difference, dark or light
I slumped to my room, ready for bed
And spied something in the dim
A glass box stood on my nightstand
With sand and rocks within
And then to my surprise I saw
A giant lizard to the right
And to the left, a bunch of eggs
Most soft and chalky white.
Disappointed, I thought to myself,
“My mom tried her very best
To help me and encourage me
In my epic dragon’s egg quest.”
I tried to smile and thanked her
For the lizard, eggs, and crate
But it didn’t seem she understood
My chief mission of late.
With a mischievous grin only mothers can make,
Her eyebrows ziggin’ and zaggin’
She asked, “My dear, are the eggs soft and white?
Well, they’re from a bearded dragon!”
A sudden realization made my mouth
Create a big old “Oh!”
I leaped into my mother’s arms
Never wanting to let go.
I’m glad I found some dragon’s eggs
My mom helped in a sense
So when they hatch and crawl on out
A new quest will commence!
Need teaching ideas and activities for poems that rhyme? Click below!
3. “A Frog Who Would Not Move” by Kristin Menke
One of the reasons I love this poem so much is because of its atypical rhymes! There is even a musical element with tons of alliteration that makes it one of my favorite poems that rhyme! Read about a frog in a sticky circumstance who is misunderstood by those around him, something I think we can all relate to.
“A Frog Who Would Not Move”
by Kristin Menke
There was once a frog
Sitting on a sidewalk,
Who would not budge,
Who would not move,
Who would not jump or hop or groove
To the busy beat of the bustling street.
He sat there and he would not move.
A tiny ant came struggling by
With a huge crumb on his back,
Who saw the frog on the sidewalk.
He asked the frog to move aside,
But the frog would not budge.
He would not move.
He would not jump or hop or groove
To the lively beat of the very loud street.
He sat there and he would not move,
So the ant lugged the crumb around him.
A red ladybug ambled by
With her babies in her six hands,
Who saw the frog on the sidewalk.
She asked the frog to move aside,
But the frog would not budge.
He would not move.
He would not jump or hop or groove
To the jocund beat of the jostling street.
He sat there and he would not move,
So the ladybug and family walked around him.
A little boy strolled along
With a large box in his hand,
Who saw the frog on the sidewalk.
He asked the frog to move aside,
But the frog would not budge.
He would not move.
He would not jump or hop or groove
To the crazy beat of the chaotic street.
He sat there and he would not move.
The little boy asked him one more time
To get going or move aside.
He asked the frog,
“Why can’t you move?”
The frog replied,
“My feet are stuck
In this pink muck!
So I cannot move.
I cannot jump or hop or groove to the beat Of this busy street!”
“Can I help?” the little boy asked.
And proceeded to remove the goo
That stuck so strongly to each shoe.
He thanked the boy
And hopped for joy,
For now he could move.
He now could jump and hop and groove With everyone else on this beat-filled street.
Want a test prep quiz, reading questions, alliteration activities, and lesson ideas for one of my favorite poems that rhyme? Get it here!
4. “I Saw the Moon One Time” by Kristin Menke
Poems that rhyme are so effective at almost immediately captivating readers. The sing-song element makes any topic fun to read about! “I Saw the Moon One Time” offers the audience a glimpse into the varied views and phases of the moon!
If you need more poems that rhyme, read this perennial favorite!
I Saw the Moon One Time
by Kristin Menke
I saw the moon one time
Haloed in misty white
It shone right above me
Happy in the night
I saw the moon one time
Dripping in bloody red
The eerie scarlet frightened me
Before I went off to bed
I saw the moon one time
Slivered in a tiny piece
Smiling in the darkness
Like a tiny book crease
I saw the moon one time
A giant before morn
It crawled lower and lower
Like a hermit quite forlorn
I saw the moon one time
Covered in heavy fog
It drifted away into the night
As a river with a log
I thought I saw the moon one time
When stepping out the door
Until I looked up into the black
And saw the moon no more
Want some fun ideas to teach poems that rhyme for National Poetry Month? Click to read!
5. “My Fears” by Kristin Menke
I love teaching poetry about fears because everyone fears something. It could be a fear of spiders, the dark, or even the future. No one can truly escape every fear. Why not let kids read about fears in a safe space?
Poems that rhyme, like “My Fears,” provide a perfect opportunity to make the subject more engaging and palatable.
“My Fears”
by Kristin Menke
They start out quite small creeping into your day
Of what could happen creating dismay.
They dig into your soul and swallow you whole
Until all of your world is in their control.
They whisper in your ear and buzz in your brain
Until they fill your head with what could cause you pain.
They seep into others and fill their being
Until people you love attack without meaning.
These things we call fears come in all shapes and sizes.
Some come as spiders and evil demises.
These things come as tyrants and death and despair
Or something as frightening as losing your hair.
Some come as sickness or a broken finger bone.
These things come as silently as being alone.
Some come as crowds while on stage to speak.
And others come as swiftly without making a squeak.
Some come into elevators, such tiny spaces
Like slides on the playground or miniscule places.
Some come as lightening and thunder with dread
Until all these sounds rattle into your head.
Some come as we dare to step foot out the door
And climb onto a plane shaking us to our core.
Some come as we hear a dog far away
And others still come if we bleed as we play.
Some come as soundlessly slithering snakes
Until every part of us shivers and quakes.
Some come as bees bumbling into our path
As they fly around us filled with hot wrath.
Some come as hatred, what a person could do
And then I remember what is right and true.
These things we call fears hold oh so much power.
They fill all our days and minutes and hours.
If we let them convince us of their total control
They could keep us living in a darkened hole.
It won’t be easy or safe or secure.
The fears may never leave or stop or be cured.
Hang onto hope in the midst of the fright,
No matter how late it drags into the night.
There is so much beauty we see every day,
So do not fear, be strong and brave.
Poems That Rhyme Resource
Do your students need help with poetry test prep and poems that rhyme? This Poetry Comprehension Reading Test Prep Lesson BUNDLE incorporates 86 test prep QUESTIONS and ANSWERS modeled after the various state standardized tests as well as engaging poetry analysis activities (for the poems “If I Were a Butterfly,” “A Dragon’s Egg,” “My Shadow,” “Thanksgiving Day,” “I Saw the Moon One Time,” “A Frog Who Would Not Move,” and “At the Zoo”)!!
These lessons for poems that rhyme are helpful for 2nd, 3rd, and/or 4th graders who need assistance in preparing for reading tests and want to have FUN simultaneously!
Give yourself a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep within teaching literature like poems that rhyme!
Do you need more fun lessons and activities to teach poems that rhyme? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep!
