Poetry for Kids

Funny poetry for kids by children’s author and former US Children’s Poet Laureate, Kenn Nesbitt.

Episodes

My Sister Found Some Scissors

July 21, 2025 • 1 min

This poem was inspired by some real-life hair-raising moments in my family. When my daughter was about six years old, she decided, without warning, to cut her own hair one morning before school. Let’s just say the results were… not great. I had to do a quick fix before we dashed out the door. Then,... Read more »

Mark as Played

The Showdown

July 14, 2025 • 1 min

My friend and colleague Alan Katz , author of the “Silly Dilly” song books such as Take Me Out of the Bathtub, mentioned that going to be doing a performance called “The Joke Show” and he said that it’s called a “show” because you’re expected to “show up.” Since we both write funny poems, I... Read more »

Mark as Played

Ice Pops, Ice Pops

June 30, 2025 • 1 min

Summer is here, and the days are getting hot! I wrote this poem a couple of years ago for Storyworks 2 magazine, just in time for the end of the school year. Now that July has arrived again and the days are scorching, it felt like the perfect moment to share it on the website,... Read more »

Mark as Played

Bernadette the Burper

June 23, 2025 • 2 mins

Sometimes the silliest ideas make for the funniest poems. This one started with a simple question: What if someone was really, really good at burping? I mean unbelievably good. That idea made me laugh, so I knew I had to run with it. The result is a poem that plays with repetition, exaggeration, and a... Read more »

Mark as Played

I Found a Secret Passageway

June 16, 2025 • 2 mins

Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. Have you ever found something unexpected—a hidden passage, a strange map, or a place no one else seemed to know about? Did you then keep it a secret too, or was it too good not to share? This poem is all about discovering a secret place and exploring the... Read more »

Mark as Played

Hyper Nate

June 8, 2025 • 1 min

Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt I thought of the idea for this poem while I was out on a brisk walk one day, feeling unusually full of energy. That got me thinking about how some kids just seem to have endless energy—always moving, always playing, always going. I began imagining what it would be... Read more »

Mark as Played

Annette the Detective

May 27, 2025 • 2 mins

Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. I’ve always enjoyed writing poems about characters who are a little… well… less than excellent at what they do. There’s something especially funny about someone who tries their best but still manages to get everything hilariously wrong. Over the years, I’ve written about a pirate who’s never seen the... Read more »

Mark as Played

The Sofa Ate My Father

May 19, 2025 • 1 min

Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. One of my favorite things about writing poems is playing with language—especially when it comes to words or phrases that can mean more than one thing. Sometimes, we use expressions that sound perfectly normal… until you stop and really think about what they say. And when you do, well,... Read more »

Mark as Played

The Underwear Tree

May 12, 2025 • 2 mins

Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. This poem was inspired by another poet I greatly admire—Jack Prelutsky. I had been reading his poem “As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed,” which is a wonderfully silly poem that features underwear. That got me thinking, “Maybe it’s time I wrote an underwear poem too.” I also... Read more »

Mark as Played

Mother’s Day Breakfast

May 5, 2025 • 1 min

Welcome to Poetry4kids. I’m Kenn Nesbitt. Today’s poem is all about a well-intentioned surprise that doesn’t go quite as planned. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, one young child decides to do something extra special—make breakfast and deliver it to Mom in bed. But sometimes, even the best ideas can turn into a bit... Read more »

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com