It’s so much fun to see students exploring new ways to use words and learn vocabulary. That’s why poetry is so exciting. We’ve put together this list of sweet poems for 1st graders to use in your classroom or at home. Read them aloud and work through the meaning of each line, assign them for fluency practice, or host a poetry slam.
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1. First Grade Rocks by Lusine Gharibyan
Themes: Fun, School
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
Use this poem to introduce the genre and show students how a repeated phrase and rhyming helps make poetry fun to listen to and read aloud.
2. The Car Trip by Ruth Donnelly
We are going on a trip/Not on a plane! Not on a ship!
Themes: Transportation, Fun
Literary Devices: Simile, Rhyme
This poem has rhythm and is a good way to show students how paying attention to how we read words can feel as important as the words themselves.
3. My Lunch by Kenn Nesbitt
A candy bar/A piece of cake/A lollipop/A chocolate shake.
Themes: Food
Literary Devices: Enjambment, Rhyme
This poem reads as a list of things that kids might want in their lunch box. Read it and talk about how the poet creates images with quick, punchy lines that wrap around from line to line (enjambment).
4. Play by Lill Pluta
I jump. I shake./I dance. I hop.
Themes: Movement, Fun
Literary Devices: Rhyme, Repetition
Rhyming words and short sentences make this poem read quickly, just like the actions that it describes. Use this poem to jump-start students’ own poems about what they do on the playground.
Apples, apples/Growing on a tree
Themes: Apples
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
Poets often use a repeated word or phrase to drive a message home or create rhythm through repetition. “Apples, Apples” is a simple example of this technique.
6. High Diddle Diddle by Unknown
Hey diddle diddle/The cat and the fiddle/The cow jumped over the moon
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This nursery rhyme is one that students may be familiar with from their preschool days. As 1st graders, they can analyze it, talking about rhyme, rhythm, and imagery.
7. Happy Thought by Robert Louis Stevenson
Themes: Happiness
Literary Devices: Rhyme, Simile
This short poem is perfect for a first analysis. Ask students:
- What does the poet mean that the world is full?
- What would make us happy?
- What should readers change to be happier?
8. There Was an Old Man With a Beard by Edward Lear
There was an old man with a beard/Who said, “It is just as I feared!”
Themes: Humor, Absurdity
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Edward Lear is always a fun poet to read, and his poems have a sense of humor that 1st graders can relate to. This one is classic Lear, creating an amusing image in a simple limerick.
9. Baa, Baa, Black Sheep by Rudyard Kipling
Baa, baa, black sheep/Have you any wool?
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Repetition, Onomaetopeia
Another nursery rhyme that students can analyze now that they’re older and can talk about what is happening in this small scene.
10. Buzz, Buzz Bumblebee by Ruth Donnelly
Buzz, buzz bumblebee/In the grass/Fly away/Let me pass!
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Onomaetopeia
Poets use sounds, or onomatopoeia, to create energy in poems. This poem is a good introduction to onomatopoeia, with the buzz buzz of a bumblebee.
11. Opposite Day by Kenn Nesbitt
The day to do things/The opposite way.
Themes: Humor
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
This poem has a definite structure with I-statements and repetition. Work with students to analyze how the author sets up smaller sentences to create the overall poem.
12. There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by Mother Goose
She had so many children she didn’t know what to do
Themes: Nursery rhyme
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Use this poem to talk about how authors, in this case Mother Goose, create a sing-song quality to poetry.
13. Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne
Themes: Childhood, Growing up
Literary Devices: Repetition, Progression
A great counting poem to talk about rhyming. After students read this poem, they can write their own counting poems. What can they rhyme with each number?
14. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Jane Taylor
How I wonder what you are/Up above the world so high
Themes: Nursery rhyme, Stars
Literary Devices: Simile, Rhyme
A poem can be a song, like this familiar lullaby. Talk about how the words create music, and what other poems you can’t help but sing.
15. The Purple Cow by Gelett Burgess
I never saw a purple cow/I never hope to see one
Themes: Humor, Absurdity
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This poem is fun to memorize and recite. Talk about why authors write silly poems. Why might a grown-up poet write a poem about a purple cow?
16. Colors by Rebecca T. Besser
Red, blue, yellow, and green/Four bright colors to be seen
Themes: Colors
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Poems are written about all kinds of topics, including colors. Use this poem to inspire students to write their own poems about something they see around them every day.
17. Scarecrow by Lauren Shirk
Themes: Fall
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Poems are about creating and exploring wonder. Use this poem to talk about how the poet wonders about a scarecrow that she sees. Then, have students write their own poems about what they wonder about.
18. Deep Sea Dance by Kenn Nesbitt
Down on the ocean floor/Deep in the sea/Everybody’s dancing
Themes: Ocean, Silly
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
If you’re looking for a poem that gives students a chance to read and move, this one is perfect! Students will shimmy and shake with the sharks and shrimp. What active poems can students write?
19. Jelly Beans by Valerie Danoff
Jelly, jelly, jelly beans/Belly, belly, belly beans
Themes: Colors, Silly
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
A great example of using repetition (“Belly, belly, belly beans”) and finding inspiration in the small things in life. Use this poem to kick off a poem assignment that asks students to write about something small they love.
20. Bow Wow Wow, Meow, Meow by Kenn Nesbitt
Bow wow wow. Meow meow./My dog and cat are friends somehow.
Themes: Pets
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Another poem that’s great for teaching students what onomatopoeia is, with animal sounds woven into this poem about animals.
21. How Not To Have To Dry the Dishes by Shel Silverstein
If you have to dry the dishes (Such an awful, boring chore)
Themes: Responsibility
Literary Devices: Punctuation, Rhyme
Can you teach 1st grade poetry without Shel Silverstein? We hope not! This poem is a perfect one to introduce how poets can use punctuation to move a poem along and change the meaning of what we read. In this case, Silverstein uses parentheses to insert an aside to the reader and let them in on a joke.
22. The Lion by Hilaire Belloc
The lion, the lion, he dwells in the waste/He has a big head and a very small waist
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
A short poem with a cautionary tale. This poem is good for introducing homophones, in this case “waste” and “waist.”
23. The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll
How doth the little crocodile/Improve his shining tail
Themes: Animals, Humor
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This poem is a great introduction to Lewis Carroll, and it’s a good one to practice tone while reading aloud. Can students read or recite this poem in a scary tone? What about a silly tone?
24. The Little Turtle by Vachel Lindsay
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Rhyme, Repetition
This modern fairy tale is helpful for teaching students to visualize what’s happening in a poem, since it’s a scenario that they can easily imagine—a turtle trying to eat everything in sight.
25. I Heard a Bird Sing by Oliver Herford
I heard a bird sing/In the dark of December
Themes: Animals, Seasons
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Weave this poem into your morning meeting to talk about months in September or December. Or use it to spark a poem-writing assignment involving months and how students feel about their favorite month.
26. Pizza, Pizza, I Love You by Kenn Nesbitt
Pizza, pizza I love you and I hope you love me too.
Theme: Food, Fun
Literary Devices: Structure and shape, Rhyme
This poem, an ode to pizza, is written in the shape of a heart. Great for teaching how “concrete” poetry communicates meaning.
27. The Owl and Raccoon by Debra L. Brown
There once was a silly raccoon/He slept in a tree until noon.
Themes: Animals, Fun
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Poems can tell stories, and “The Owl and Raccoon” is a great one to showcase a short story within a few stanzas. You can talk about the characters, setting, and plot all within a few lines.
28. Guess What I Am by Team TEFL
I am yellow/I am black/I am small/I am furry
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Repetition
This silly poem combines poetry and a riddle. Students can guess what is mentioned in the poem, then create their own riddles.
29. Four Seasons by Andrew Frinkle
Dan likes the spring/Spring is green/Spring is fresh.
Themes: Seasons
Literary Devices: Repetition
This poem, describing what four students like about the four seasons, is a great one to show students how a poem could be collaborative. Then, create a collaborative class poem of your own.
30. The Duck and the Kangaroo by Edward Lear
Themes: Humor, Animals
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This is a longer poem, with multiple complex stanzas. Use it to count the number of stanzas and lines, and then read it like a longer story. It’s OK to put a poem down and come back to it, just like a book.
31. Magic by Shel Silverstein
Sandra’s seen a leprechan/Eddie touched a troll
Themes: Magic, Humor
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This poem has wonderful vocabulary, from the terms for various magical creatures to verbs like “spied.” Talk about whether the narrator should believe all the magic his friends have seen. Or did they make that magic up too?
32. The Pasture by Robert Frost
I’m going out to clean the pasture spring/I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away
Themes: Nature, Animals
Literary Devices: Punctuation, Rhyme
You may associate Robert Frost with poems for older students, but “The Pasture” is a simple scene created using Frost’s sparse style and matter-of-fact tone. Discuss with kids what Frost means by repeating “You come too.”
33. The Quangle Wangle’s Hat by Edward Lear
On top of the Crumpetty tree/The Quangle Wangle sat
Themes: Silly
Literary Devices: Rhyme, Made up workds
This is a more complex poem, probably best saved for the end of a poetry unit when students are used to listening to verse, or with a group that’s ready for silly language and a more complex story.
34. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
Whose woods are these I think I know/His house is in the village though
Themes: Nature, Persistence
Literary Devices: Rhyme, Repetition
Another Robert Frost poem that has a quiet pace and rhythm. Read it so that it ends in a whispering voice when you get to the repeated lines “and miles to go before I sleep.”
35. The Tyger by William Blake
Tyger tyger, burning bright/In the forests of the night
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Questions, Rhyme
Use this poem to teach alliteration in phrases like “burning bright” and “distant deeps.” You don’t have to teach the whole poem—you can focus on the first stanza, which is also the most well known.
36. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field
Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night/Sailed off in a wooden shoe
Students may be familiar with the first part of this poem, where Wynken, Blynken, and Nod sail off in a wooden shoe. Read them the rest of the poem and take time to visualize what’s happening in each stanza.
37. Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson
Themes: Seasons
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This silly poem turns day and night on their heads. Read it and draw what’s happening in each stanza so students can see how the poet moves the poem forward using imagery and action.
38. The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson
When I was sick and lay a-bed/I had two pillows at my head
Themes: Being sick, Playing
Literary Devices: Rhyme
This poem describes a day when someone is home sick in bed. It’s worth taking time to talk about the historical references, like toys the poet is playing with, to create the scene.
39. A Thought by Robert Louis Stevenson
It is very nice to think/The world is full of meat and drink
Themes: Gratitude
Literary Devices: Rhyme
Use this short poem to inspire students to write a poem based on a simple thought they have, showing them that even little acts and ideas are worth writing down.
40. The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Simile, Rhyme
Students will need some support with vocabulary, words like “azure,” “crag,” and “ring’d.” This can be the first close reading of a poem first graders do, reading it and unpacking it line by line.
41. The Raggedy Man by James Whitcomb Riley
O the raggedy man; he works fer Pa/An’ he’s the goodest man you ever saw
Themes: Work
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
Choose one stanza in this poem to read with students to talk about how poets use repetition and punctuation to help the reader hear the poem a certain way.
42. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves/Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
Themes: Absurdity, Humor
Literary Devices: Made-up words, Rhyme
“Jabberwocky,” with the vocabulary made up by Lewis Carroll, is a poem that can be read aloud so students can focus on how the words roll off the tongue and how poets create atmosphere. Even if they don’t know what a Jabberwock or Jubjub bird is, what kind of energy does this poem have? What does it make them think of?
43. At the Zoo by William Makepeace Thackeray
First I saw the white bear, then I saw the black
Themes: Animals
Literary Devices: Repetition, Rhyme
This poem, created using a list format, shows students one way to write a poem using a topic they likely have experienced, a trip to the zoo.
44. Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson
The moon has a face like the clock in the hall/She shines on thieves on the garden wall
Themes: Nature
Literary Devices: Personification
Use one stanza of this poem to talk about how the author describes the moon. You can also introduce personification with the moon’s face shining down on the world.
45. Farewell First Grade by Donna
Themes: School, Graduation
Literary Devices: Rhyme
After a year of reading poetry, wrap up with this poem that has rhyming, rhythm, and a wonderful message for young poets.
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