English Poems, Poems in English, English Poets

14 Short English Poems for Kids to Recite and Memorise

Poetry has so many benefits for kids. It is not only a great medium for rendering information but children also find poems very delightful. Poetry recitation and memorising is a fun activity that you can engage your kid in. Let’s take a look at some famous, funny and rhyming poems for kids. Along with that, we shall discuss how you can select a poem and teach your kid to recite it.

1. Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And every where that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go;
He followed her to school one day,
School one day, school one day,
He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
It made the children laugh and play,
Laugh and play, laugh and play,
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school,
And so the teacher turned him out,
Turned him out, turned him out,
So the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Patiently about, patiently about,
Waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear;
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?
Mary so, Mary so,
Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cried;
“Why Mary loves the lamb, you know,
Lamb you know, lamb you know,
Why Mary loves the lamb, you know”
The teacher did reply;
Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.

2. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

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!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
How could he see where to go?
If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

In the dark blue sky you keep,
While you through my window peep,
And you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

3. Jack And Jill

Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down
And broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got
And home did trot
As fast as he could caper,
Went to bed
To mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

4. Baa, Baa Black Sheep

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

5. Wee Willie Winkie

Wee Willie Winkie
Runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs
In his night gown.
Tapping at the window,
Crying at the lock,
“Are the children all in bed,
For it’s past ten o’clock?”
“Hey Willie Winkie,
Are you coming in?
The cat’s singing purring sounds
To the sleeping hen.
The dog’s spread out on the floor
and doesn’t give a cheep,
But here’s a wakeful little boy
who will not fall asleep.”
Anything but sleep, you rogue,
Glowering like the moon,
Rattling in an iron jug
With an iron spoon,
Rumbling, tumbling round about,
Crowing like a cock,
Shrieking like a I don’t know what,
Waking sleeping folk.
“Hey WIllie Winkie-
The child’s in a creel!
Wriggling off everybody’s kne
Like an eel.
Tugging at the cat’s leg,
Confusing all her thrums-
Hey Willie Winkie,
See, there he comes.”
Weary is the mother
Who has a dusty child,
A small, short little child
That can’t run on his own,
That always has a battle with sleep,
Before he’ll close an eye,
But a kiss from his rosy lips
Gives strength anew to me.

Short Funny Poems

Laughter is the best medicine and what better than tickling your kid’s funny bone with some short funny poems. Here, we have a few recommendations of funny poems for your kids that will surely crack them up, and they’ll be more than eager to learn them.

1. My Cat Is Fat

I’ve a cat named Vesters,
And he eats all day.
He always lays around,
And never wants to play.

Not even with a squeaky toy, 
Nor anything that moves.
When I have him exercise,
He always disapproves.

So we’ve put him on a diet,
But now he yells all day.
And even though he’s thinner,
He still won’t come and play.

2. Topsy-Turvey-World

If the butterfly courted the bee,
And the owl the porcupine;
If churches were built in the sea,
And three times one was nine;
If the pony rode his master,
If the buttercups ate the cows,
If the cats had the dire disaster
To be worried, sir, by the mouse;
If mamma, sir, sold the baby
To a gypsy for half a crown;
If a gentleman, sir, was a lady,—
The world would be Upside-down!
If any or all of these wonders
Should ever come about,
I should not consider them blunders,
For I should be Inside-out!
Chorus
Ba-ba, black wool,
Have you any sheep?
Yes, sir, a packfull,
Creep, mouse, creep!
Four-and-twenty little maids
Hanging out the pie,
Out jumped the honey-pot,
Guy Fawkes, Guy!
Cross latch, cross latch,
Sit and spin the fire;
When the pie was opened,
The bird was on the brier!

3. A Mouse In Her Room

A mouse in her room woke Miss Doud
Who was frightened and screamed very loud
Then a happy thought hit her
To scare off the critter
She sat up in bed and just meowed.
A psychiatrist fellow from Rye
Went to visit another close by,
Who said, with a grin,
As he welcomed him in:
“Hello, Smith! You’re all right! How am I?”
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were caught, so what could they do?
Said the fly, “Let us flee.”
“Let us fly,” said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
A mosquito was heard to complain,
“A chemist has poisoned my brain!”
The cause of his sorrow
was paradichlorotriphenyldichloroethane.

4. McGallimagoo

My name is not McGallimagoo,
Although some would have you think.
All day long they call me this,
And I really think it stinks.

McGallimagoo come here to me
Mcgllimagoo sit down.
McGallimagoo is such a funny name,
But it always makes me frown.

So if you see me on the street,
Please don’t call me this.
Refer to me by my proper name,
Which is Mr. Hullibajiss.

Short Rhyming Poems

Whenever you plan on introducing poetry to your kid, it is recommended that you start with rhyming poems. The rhythmic pattern, similar sounding words, and repetition of words are easy for kids to memorise.

1. Two Little Dicky Birds

Two Little Dicky Birds,
Sat upon a wall.
One named Peter,
The other named Paul,
Fly away Peter.
Fly away Paul.
Come back Peter!
Come back Paul!! 

2. Bed In Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
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?

3. My Doggy Ate My Homework

“My doggy ate my homework.

He chewed it up,” I said.

But when I offered my excuse

My teacher shook her head.

I saw this wasn’t going well.

I didn’t want to fail.

Before she had a chance to talk,

I added to the tale:

“Before he ate, he took my work

And tossed it in a pot.

He simmered it with succotash

Till it was piping hot.

“He scrambled up my science notes

With eggs and bacon strips,

Along with sautéed spelling words

And baked potato chips.

“He then took my arithmetic   

And had it gently fried.

He broiled both my book reports   

With pickles on the side.

“He wore a doggy apron

As he cooked a notebook stew.

He barked when I objected.

There was nothing I could do.”

“Did he wear a doggy chef hat?”

She asked me with a scowl.

“He did,” I said. “And taking it

Would only make him growl.”

My teacher frowned, but then I said   

As quickly as I could,

“He covered it with ketchup,   

And he said it tasted good.”

“A talking dog who likes to cook?”   

My teacher had a fit.

She sent me to the office,   

And that is where I sit.

I guess I made a big mistake   

In telling her all that.

’Cause I don’t have a doggy.   

It was eaten by my cat.

4. Monday’s Child

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go.
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath Day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

5. Little Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie,
He stuck in his thumb
And pulled out a plum and said
“What a good boy am I
What a good boy am I”

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on her tuffet,
Eating her curd and whey;
Along came a spider,
And sat down beside her,
Frightened Miss Muffet away, oh yeah
Frightened Miss Muffet away
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie,
He stuck in his thumb
And pulled out a plum and said
“What a good boy
What a good boy
What a good boy am I”