15 Short and Easy Poems for Kids to Memorize and Recite

Poetry is a part of your child’s everyday life. Whether it’s nursery rhymes, storybooks, songs, or singalongs, poems fill your child’s day with joy and aid in developing his/her cognitive ability. 

Besides improving comprehension, poems can help your child:

• Understand patterns

• Enrich vocabulary

• Remember information

• Enhance imagination

• Improve reading and speaking skills

To help you start out, we have compiled below a list of famous short poems that are easy and enjoyable to learn and recite. Also, check out these other fun activities that you can do with your child.

How to select poems for kids?

Below are a few tips to help you pick the right poems for your child. 

Choose poems for kids that are:

• Easy to understand and memorize

• Short, rhyming, and fun to recite

• Entertaining and educational

• Meaningful to both you and your child

• A great way to foster a love and appreciation for poetry in your child

Remember to make learning and reciting poems a positive experience for your child, as these shared moments will one day become fond memories for your child.

15 famous short poems for kids

Listed below are 15 bite-sized poems for kids that are easy to remember and a joy to recite. Funny, silly, witty, and thoughtful, these famous short poems for kids are a great way to introduce your child to the world of poetry. So, share these poems with your child and make learning enjoyable for him/her. By memorizing and reciting these poems, your child can improve his/her vocabulary as well as reading and speaking skills while having fun. 

1. The Crocodile

Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile

Improve his shining tail,

And pour the waters of the Nile

On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,

How neatly spreads his claws,

And welcomes little fishes in,

With gently smiling jaws!

2. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Jane Taylor

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

3. Little Miss Muffet

Mother Goose

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

4. Eletelephony

Laura Elizabeth Richard

Once there was an elephant,

Who tried to use the telephant—

No! No! I mean an elephone

Who tried to use the telephone—

(Dear me! I am not certain quite

That even now I've got it right.)

However it was, he got his trunk

Entangled in the telephunk;

The more he tried to get it free,

The louder buzzed the telephee—

(I fear I'd better drop the song

Of elephop and telephong!)

5. The Purple Cow

Gelett Burgess

I never saw a purple cow,

I never hope to see one,

But I can tell you, anyhow,

I’d rather see than be one!

6. Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall

Mother Goose

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

7. Bed in Summer

Robert Louis Stevenson

In winter I get up at night  

And dress by yellow candlelight.  

In summer, quite the other way,  

I have to go to bed by day.  

I have to go to bed and see          

The birds still hopping on the tree,  

Or hear the grown-up people’s feet  

Still going past me in the street.  

And does it not seem hard to you,  

When all the sky is clear and blue,  

And I should like so much to play,  

To have to go to bed by day?

8. At the Zoo

William Makepeace Thackeray

First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black;

Then I saw the camel with a hump upon his back;

Then I saw the grey wolf, with mutton in his maw;

Then I saw the wombat waddle in the straw;

Then I saw the elephant a-waving of his trunk;

Then I saw the monkeys – mercy, how unpleasantly they smelt!

9. Who Has Seen the Wind?

Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I.

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.

10. Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Mother Goose

Baa, baa, black sheep

Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.

One for the master,

And one for the dame,

And one for the little boy

Who lives down the lane.

11. Clouds

Anonymous

White sheep, white sheep,

On a blue hill,

When the wind stops,

You all standstill.

When the wind blows,

You walk away slow.

White sheep, white sheep,

Where do you go?

12. Hickory, Dickory, Dock

Mother Goose

Hickory, Dickory, Dock,

The mouse ran up the clock;

The clock struck one,

And down he run,

Hickory, Dickory, Dock.

13. Happy Thoughts

Robert Louis Stevenson

The world is so full

of a number of things,

I’m sure we should all

be as happy as kings.

14. Little Jack Horner

Mother Goose

Little Jack Horner

Sat in the corner,

Eating a Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,

And pulled out a plum,

And said, "What a good boy am I!"

15. Two Little Dicky Birds

Anonymous

Two Little Dicky Birds,

Sat upon a wall.

One named Peter,

The other is named Paul,

Fly away, Peter.

Fly away, Paul.

Come back, Peter!

Come back, Paul!!

Tips to Teach Poems to Your Child

Teaching poems to your child not only helps in building his/her language and comprehension skills, but it also helps nurture the bond between the two of you.

Here are some tips to make teaching poems to your child fun and easy:

• Sing the poem to a popular, catchy tune. Since music is retained and recalled more easily, your child could find memorizing the poem this way more effortless. 

• Modulate your voice while reciting the poem. Using different scales, speeds, and emphases for different parts can make memorizing and reciting the poem more fun. 

• Enact the characters in the poem. If there are characters in the poem, act them out, giving them each a unique voice. This not only aids in memorization but also makes learning a positive experience.

• Erase the words as you practice. For this, write down the whole poem on a board and get your child to recite it a few times. After that, start erasing the words one by one, either from the top or the bottom. 

• Break down the poem into lines or stanzas, and then teach your child in increments. This takes off the pressure of learning in one go and helps your child memorize more comfortably. 

• Practice using repetition. Let your child repeat the poem over and over till he/she can remember it by heart.

• Explain the meaning of the poem. Tell your child what the poem is about as if you’re telling him/her a story. Understanding what the poem is about can help your child memorize and recite it more easily.

Once your child successfully memorizes a poem, you can make a video of your child reciting the poem alone or along with you. This way, you can create a keepsake for your family as well as share your child’s accomplishments with your family and friends. 

As always, remember to have fun!

Also, do share your favorite poems for kids in the comments below.