PostPoetics
Menu

Funny Kids Poems: 50 Short, Silly, Rhyming Poems for Children

Introduction

Funny kids poems are often the first poems children enjoy because they sound playful before they feel difficult. A child may not know every poetry term, but they can quickly enjoy a silly animal, a strange rhyme, a talking shadow, a purple cow, a hopping kangaroo, or a nonsense word that makes the whole room laugh. That is why searches like funny kids poems, funny poems for kids, short funny poems for kids, funny rhyming poems for kids, funny poems for kids to recite, easy funny poems for kids, and funny animal poems for kids all point to the same need: simple poems that children can read, hear, repeat, and enjoy.

This collection uses real classic poets and trusted source links. It includes short funny poems for children, silly rhyming poems, animal poems, classroom-friendly poems, easy poems for primary school, poems under ten lines, poems for recitation, and read-aloud pieces that teachers or parents can use for reading practice. For more lighthearted poetry collections, readers can also explore Funny Poems.

The poems below are chosen for clean humor, rhythm, child-friendly language, and read-aloud value. Some are pure nonsense, some are limericks, some are funny because of impossible events, and some are gentle children’s poems with a playful twist. Each poem has a title, author, source, rights note, short meaning, best-use guidance, and keyword connection so the post stays useful for parents, teachers, students, and young readers.

Poetry & Meaning

Funny Kids Poems

Funny Poems

Jabberwocky

By Lewis Carroll

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Overview Short Summary

A famous nonsense adventure poem full of invented words, monster action, and read-aloud sound effects.

Use Case Best For
  • Funny rhyming poems for kids: Strong rhythm and playful invented words.
  • Funny poems for kids to recite: Dramatic monster-story structure.
  • Funny poems for kids with meaning: Shows how sound can create imagination.
Reading Feel Tone and Mood

Adventurous, silly, dramatic, and energetic.

Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
  • Nonsense words: Words like “brillig,” “slithy,” and “galumphing” create comic sound.
  • Repetition: The first stanza returns at the end like a chant.
  • Action imagery: The poem feels like a tiny fantasy battle.
Search Intent Keyword Connection

Targets funny kids poems, funny poems for kids, funny rhyming poems for kids, funny poems for kids to recite, and funny poems for kids with meaning.

Source: Poets.org

Rights: Public domain. Source cited for reference and commentary.

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

By Edward Lear

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!”

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Overview Short Summary

A playful animal story-poem with a boat, a guitar, a pig, a ring, and moonlit dancing.

Use Case Best For
  • Funny animal poems for kids: Owl, cat, pig, and turkey characters make it lively.
  • Funny poems for kids to recite: Repetition helps memory.
  • Funny kids poems that rhyme: Clear rhymes and musical lines.
Reading Feel Tone and Mood

Whimsical, musical, gentle, and silly.

Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
  • Animal characters: The poem turns animals into storybook people.
  • Repetition: Repeated words help children follow the poem.
  • Nonsense object: The “runcible spoon” adds playful mystery.
Search Intent Keyword Connection

Targets funny animal poems for kids, funny kids poems that rhyme, funny poems for kids to recite, and short funny poems for children.

Source: Poets.org

Rights: Public domain. Source cited for reference and commentary.

The Duck and the Kangaroo

By Edward Lear

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
“Good gracious! how you hop
Over the fields, and the water too,
As if you never would stop!
My life is a bore in this nasty pond;
And I long to go out in the world beyond:
I wish I could hop like you,”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

“Please give me a ride on your back,”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo:
“I would sit quite still, and say nothing but ‘Quack’
The whole of the long day through;
And we’d go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,
Over the land, and over the sea:
Please take me a ride! oh, do!”
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,
“This requires some little reflection.
Perhaps, on the whole, it might bring me luck;
And there seems but one objection;
Which is, if you’ll let me speak so bold,
Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,
And would probably give me the roo-
Matiz,” said the Kangaroo.

Said the Duck, “As I sate on the rocks,
I have thought over that completely;
And I bought four pairs of worsted socks,
Which fit my web-feet neatly;
And, to keep out the cold, I’ve bought a cloak;
And every day a cigar I’ll smoke;
All to follow my own dear true
Love of a Kangaroo.”

Said the Kangaroo, “I’m ready,
All in the moonlight pale;
But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady,
And quite at the end of my tail.”
So away they went with a hop and a bound;
And they hopped the whole world three times round.
And who so happy, oh! who,
As the Duck and the Kangaroo?

Overview Short Summary

A duck wants to ride a kangaroo, buys socks for webbed feet, and hops around the world.

Use Case Best For
  • Funny animal poems for children: Duck and kangaroo pairing is instantly comic.
  • Funny poems for kids with actions: Children can act out hopping, quacking, and balancing.
  • Funny poems for school recitation: The dialogue makes it easy to perform.
Reading Feel Tone and Mood

Cheerful, silly, adventurous, and musical.

Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
  • Dialogue: The poem is built around a funny conversation.
  • Comic problem: The duck’s wet feet create the central joke.
  • Refrain-like ending: The final question makes the poem feel complete.
Search Intent Keyword Connection

Targets funny animal poems for kids, funny poems for kids with actions, funny poems for school recitation, and funny rhyming poems for kids.

Source: Project Gutenberg

Rights: Public domain. Source cited for reference and commentary.

The Purple Cow

By Gelett Burgess

I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one,
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one!

Overview Short Summary

A four-line nonsense poem with one impossible animal image and a punchline.

Use Case Best For
  • Funny poems for kids under 10 lines: Only four lines.
  • Funny animal poems for kids: Uses a strange animal image.
  • Easy funny poems for kids: Very simple for young readers.
Reading Feel Tone and Mood

Short, silly, bright, and memorable.

Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
  • Absurd image: A purple cow creates instant humor.
  • Punchline: The final line turns the idea into a joke.
  • Simple rhyme: The rhyme makes it easy for children to recite.
Search Intent Keyword Connection

Targets funny poems for kids 4 lines, funny poems for kids under 10 lines, easy funny poems for kids, and funny animal poems for kids.

Source: Poets.org

Rights: Public domain. Source cited for reference and commentary.

How Doth the Little Crocodile

By Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcome little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!

Overview Short Summary

A short poem that sounds polite while describing a dangerous crocodile.

Use Case Best For
  • Short funny poems for kids: Quick, rhyming, and easy to learn.
  • Funny animal poems for kids: A crocodile becomes a comic character.
  • Funny poems for kids with meaning: Shows contrast between nice words and dangerous behavior.
Reading Feel Tone and Mood

Polite-sounding, sly, funny, and mischievous.

Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
  • Irony: The crocodile seems cheerful but is not harmless.
  • Rhyme: Tail/scale and claws/jaws make the poem catchy.
  • Animal imagery: The shiny tail and smiling jaws create a vivid picture.
Search Intent Keyword Connection

Targets short funny poems for kids, funny animal poems for kids, funny poems for kids with meaning, and funny poems for kids to recite.

Source: Project Gutenberg

Rights: Public domain. Source cited for reference and commentary.

Leave a Comment