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.
“I’m a success! I’m going far!”
“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 …”
“Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow …”
“He puts my pants and shirts away …”
“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.”
“An ancient pond!
With a sound from the water …”
“How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail …”
“He answers each question
and gets them all right.”
“I own a big fat cat-
The fattest for miles around.”
“They talk all day …”
“I’m going out to fetch the little calf …”
“(Such an awful, boring chore) …”
15. The Goops by Gelett Burgess
“The meanest trick I ever knew
Was one I know you never do.”
“I’d cancel oatmeal,”
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.
“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 …”
“Butterfly starts as an egg,
Let’s see what happens next.”
“I posted it online.”
“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 …”
“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.’”
“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 …”
“When the temperature rises
to above eighty-five,
my iguana is looking …”
“That will whiz you through the air …”
“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 …”
“Came whiffling through the tulgey wood …”
“On the top of the Crumpetty Tree
The Quangle Wangle sat …”
“When the teacher’s back is turned,
we never scream and shout.”
“Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth …”
39. For Sale by Shel Silverstein
“One crying and spying young sister for sale!”
“When I was sick and lay a-bed …”
“Isabel met an enormous bear,
Isabel, Isabel, didn’t care …”
“I hate you! You stink!”
“A hippo sandwich is easy to make.
All you do is simply take …”
“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe …”
“Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
‘Good gracious! how you hop!’”
“The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play …”
“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 …”
“She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans …”
“Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly …”
“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 …”
“I’ll swing by my ankles …”
“She erupted from her seat,
She gulped a quart of water …”
“The Crocodile
Went to the dentist
And sat down in the chair …”
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