One of the most impactful ways that you can teach kids the power of the written word is through poetry. That’s why we’ve put together this list of fun 2nd grade poems to help you get started. You’ll find poems that are short and sweet and others that will jump-start those growing minds.
1. Second Grade Superstars by Anonymous
“I’m a success! I’m going far!”
2. The Porcupine by Ogden Nash
“Any hound a porcupine nudges
Can’t be blamed for harboring grudges.”
3. At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
“First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black …”
4. Mary’s Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale
“Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow …”
5. I Taught My Cat To Clean My Room by Kenn Nesbitt
“He puts my pants and shirts away …”
6. A Silly Crow by Andrea Crawford
“Here is a very silly crow.
Upon her head there is a bow.”
7. Snakes by Mariah Deitrick
“A snake can glide from side to side.
They’re really long and like to hide.”
8. [An ancient pond!] by Matsuo Basho
“An ancient pond!
With a sound from the water …”
9. The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll
“How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail …”
10. My Dog Does My Homework by Kenn Nesbitt
“He answers each question
and gets them all right.”
11. My Big Fat Cat by Christian M. Mitewu
“I own a big fat cat-
The fattest for miles around.”
12. The Parakeets by Alberto Blanco
“They talk all day …”
13. The Pasture by Robert Frost
“I’m going out to fetch the little calf …”
14. How Not To Have To Dry the Dishes by Shel Silverstein
“(Such an awful, boring chore) …”
15. The Goops by Gelett Burgess
“The meanest trick I ever knew
Was one I know you never do.”
16. If I Were in Charge of the World by Judith Viorst
“I’d cancel oatmeal,”
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.
17. My Best Friend by Abby Jenkins
“Black and white
Thick and furry
Fast as the wind …”
18. Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards
“Once there was an elephant
Who tried to use the telephant …”
19. The Forest by Annette Wynne
“The forest is the town of trees
Where they live quite at their ease …”
20. The Butterfly Ballad by Guy Belleranti
“Butterfly starts as an egg,
Let’s see what happens next.”
21. I Made a Meme This Morning by Kenn Nesbitt
“I posted it online.”
22. In cold spring air by Reginald Gibbons
“white wisp-
visible
breath of
a blackbird …”
23. The Storm by Dorothy Aldis
“In my bed all safe and warm
I like to listen to the storm.”
24. Seashell by James Berry
“Shell at my ear –
come share how I hear …”
25. A Jelly-Fish by Marianne Moore
“Visible, invisible,
A fluctuating charm …”
26. Rain Sound by Lillian Morrison
“At first it’s like drumming …”
27. Nicknames by Kenn Nesbitt
“My aunt calls me ‘Elizabeth.’
My grandma calls me ‘Liz.’”
28. Dirt on My Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy
“There’s mud on my boots
But I don’t really care …”
29. Tiger by Valerie Worth
“The tiger has swallowed a black sun.”
30. Your Best by Barbara Vance
“If you always try your best
Then you’ll never have to wonder …”
31. Walking With My Iguana by Brian Moses
“When the temperature rises
to above eighty-five,
my iguana is looking …”
32. Magic Carpet by Shel Silverstein
“That will whiz you through the air …”
33. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat by Edward Lear
“The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat …”
34. The Tyger by William Blake
“Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night …”
35. The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
“Came whiffling through the tulgey wood …”
36. The Quangle Wangle’s Hat by Edward Lear
“On the top of the Crumpetty Tree
The Quangle Wangle sat …”
37. When the Teacher Isn’t Looking by Kenn Nesbitt
“When the teacher’s back is turned,
we never scream and shout.”
38. The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash
“Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth …”
39. For Sale by Shel Silverstein
“One crying and spying young sister for sale!”
40. The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson
“When I was sick and lay a-bed …”
41. Adventures of Isabel by Ogden Nash
“Isabel met an enormous bear,
Isabel, Isabel, didn’t care …”
42. Homework! Oh, Homework! by Jack Prelutsky
“I hate you! You stink!”
43. Recipe for a Hippopotamus Sandwich by Shel Silverstein
“A hippo sandwich is easy to make.
All you do is simply take …”
44. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field
“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe …”
45. The Duck and the Kangaroo by Edward Lear
“Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
‘Good gracious! how you hop!’”
46. Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
“The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play …”
47. The Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
“I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one …”
48. The Duel by Eugene Field
“The gingham dog and the calico cat …”
49. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out by Shel Silverstein
“She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans …”
50. The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
“Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly …”
51. The Tale of the Sun and the Moon by Kenn Nesbitt
“The sun was in his bathing suit,
the moon in her pajamas.”
52. Clouds by Christina Rossetti
“White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill …”
53. The Acrobats by Shel Silverstein
“I’ll swing by my ankles …”
54. When Tillie Ate the Chili by Jack Prelutsky
“She erupted from her seat,
She gulped a quart of water …”
55. The Crocodile’s Toothache by Shel Silverstein
“The Crocodile
Went to the dentist
And sat down in the chair …”
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