Enjoying and learning poetry is all about feeling a connection to what we read, and this is especially important for kids. Many of kids' best winter memories include magical experiences with snow, ice, and Christmas or other winter holidays. Connect poetry to these wonderful moments any time of year with short winter poems for kids.
Snowy Winter Poems for Kids
Snow offers a super vivid sensory experience - from the smell of it outside to the chill when it hits your skin. Snow also offers lots of opportunity for kids to have fun, so it makes it an easy point of connection for them to enjoy poetry. These children's winter poems celebrate the wonder of snow.
Snowflake on My Tongue
Haiku poems are great for younger kids because they are short and simple. This Haiku helps capture the feeling of snowflakes on the tongue.
Snowflake on my tongue
Ice cold then warm and melting
Winter's special treat
A Bandaid for the World
This example of poetry that uses simile compares snow to a bandaid. The poem is inspirational and a bit humorous, making it a great choice for adding to winter coloring pages or pictures.
Snow is like a bandaid,
waiting for the right moment,
when you need it most
serving as a healing component.
Snow is like a bandaid,
it covers up Earth's wounds.
While they sit, those wounds can heal
Until life is ready to resume.
Snow is like a bandaid,
sticking to every inch of land.
When it's ready to come off,
some bits don't peel up easy as planned.
First Snow
This short winter poem that rhymes is easy for kids to memorize. It's also an example of a poem that uses sensory detail.
I could see the flakes and smell the chill
and hear the cold wind blow,
so I grabbed my coat and ran outside
to taste the year's first snow.
Poems About Winter's Chill
Another vivid sensory detail about winter is that it's cold. Kids can relate to these poems about being chilly or seeing how low temperatures affect the world around them.
Mother Nature's Freezer
This metaphor poem for kids suggests winter is actually Mother Nature's freezer. The silly nature of the poem makes it fun, funny, and relatable to both parents and kids.
Winter is Mother Nature's freezer
that's been opened to find a meal.
But when her children need her,
she forgets to close the freezer.
When her babies need warmth
or food or drink,
Mother Nature heeds their call,
leaving frozen food free to squall.
Bits of freezer burn and ice cream,
drift out into the world,
But, Mother Nature doesn't see,
since she's busy with her babies.
Finally Mother Nature is free
and heads back to her kitchen,
she closes the door with a hurried slam
and in trots the spring lamb.
Behold My Breath
One of the most magical things about winter for kids is being able to see their breath. Since this poem is short and rhyming, kids in preschool or Kindergarten could even recite it individually or as a group. It's an easy winter poem for kids to learn and practice reading or reciting with expression.
In and out,
fast or slow,
I feel my breath,
but can't see it go.
When winter arrives
my breath comes alive
In and out,
fast or slow,
In the cold winter air
My breath is there to behold!
Icicle Decorations
Poems about seasonal and holiday decorations, such as short Christmas poems, add atmosphere to any occasion. This acrostic poem about nature's best winter decorations can be used by kids of any age.
Inch by inch
Circling down
Icicles form
Crystal cones
Lavishly decorating
Every home
Poems About Winter Fun for Kids
There are so many ways kids can have fun in the winter, including sledding, building a snow man, and just playing outside. Poems about these activities make it easy for kids of any age to form a connection to what they are reading.
There Was an Old Sled
Inspired by the classic rhyme "There Was an Old Lady," this cute winter poem uses personification to bring winter fun to life.
There was an old sled who was ready to ride,
I don't know why it couldn't slide.
There was a snowy hill sitting under the slide
it glistened and gleamed and begged for a ride.
There was a small boy standing on the hill
who wanted to slide, but stood quite still.
When the moment was right,
the boy sat on the sled.
He pushed off the hill and down they went
The boy and the sled began to slide
on their first and best snowy hill ride.
Once Upon a Winter's Day
Winter adventures with kids often result in funny memories, just like in this funny winter poem about a winter day that's anything but typical.
Once upon a winter's day
I bundled up and walked away.
I should really say,
I tried to walk away,
But the snow wouldn't let me.
It pulled my boots
and turned them to roots
until I was waist deep.
Once upon a winter's day
I bundled up and sunk away.
Into the snow I went.
Now my winter will be spent
stuck in the waist-deep snow
until...
Once upon a winter's day
Mom finds me in the snow.
She'll grab my waist
And yank with haste
then into the house we'll go.
My Angel in the Snow
Making a snow angel is a fun winter activity for kids, and it's also the perfect topic for a short rhyming poem. This is a simple verse that's easy for little ones to learn and enjoy.
In my warmest coat and mittens,
into the cold I go
and wave my arms and move my legs
to make my angel in the snow.
Cozy Winter Poems for Kids
When kids are done having fun outside, it's always nice to come in and have a cup of hot chocolate or a snuggle. Those cozy moments make kid-friendly winter poems.
Huddle for Warmth
Children of any age, even kids in preschool, can recite poems like this easy rhyme. The sentimental undertones would work well on a winter keepsake for parents or other family members.
Fit me with socks,
and a fluffy sweatshirt.
Give me a blanket,
and some hot cocoa.
Tuck in with me
for a warm cuddle
in our winter family huddle.
Cozy Winter Reading
Reading books is one of the ultimate cozy winter activities, especially when kids get to share this time with their parents. This simple little poem is about those snuggly moments.
The wind is blowing outside,
but the lamp is shining bright
I'm cozy on my dad's lap
As we read this winter's night.
Winter Cookie Haiku
A haiku is not only an easy winter poem for kids to learn to read or recite, but it's also something they can write themselves, since the 5-7-5 syllable pattern keeps the verse short and allows for lots of sensory detail. This cookie haiku makes a delicious example.
Cold shoves me inside
where baking cookies smell warm
and taste my mom's hug.
Famous Winter Poems for Kids
Well-known children's poets have unique ways of capturing the spirit of winter with child-like emotion. These famous poems about winter celebrate all that's great about ice and snow.
Snowball By Shel Silverstein
Beloved children's poet Shel Silverstein penned many great poems about winter, but "Snowball" is one of the funniest. The opening line says, "I made myself a snowball as perfect as can be." Then the poem goes on to chronicle what happens when a child decides to keep a snowball. Kids will love the hilarious and relatable ending. "Snowball" was published in Silverstein's book called Falling Up.
Ice Can Scream By Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen is another beloved children's author and poet with several fun and meaningful poems about winter. Ice Can Scream opens with the line "Ice can scream,/Ice can shout:/Winter in and Autumn out." Yolen's personification of ice makes the poem fun for kids as they imagine all the ways ice can be really loud, even if no one hears it. This poem was published in a book of poetry called Once Upon Ice and features dozens of beautiful photographs of ice.
Winter-Time By Robert Louis Stevenson
In A Child's Garden of Verses, Robert Louis Stevenson writes beautiful poems about nature. Winter-Time is a longer poem that ends with the whimsical lines "And tree and house, and hill and lake,/Are frosted like a wedding cake." This poem is filled with imagery that incorporates all the senses as you read.
Snow Kisses By Barbara Vance
Younger kids in Pre-K and Kindergarten will love the short rhyming poem Snow Kisses by Barbara Vance. In only four short lines, the author captures the joy of how it feels to have a snowflake touch your face. The final lines "You'll feel lots of icy kisses/As the snowflakes flutter by" are cute and fun to read.
Tips for Teaching Children's Winter Poems
Poetry isn't hard to love, but it helps if you start early and make some good connections. Maximize kids' enjoyment of the poems they read and help them better understand the concepts with these simple tips:
- Talk about senses. Poems often use sensory details to connect with a reader, and kids can notice these in winter poems.
- Bring in something concrete. If the poem is about snow, bring in a jar of snow or go outside to experience it. Something tangible can help kids understand and remember the poetry they learn.
- Lean on rhyming poems to help kids memorize verses or predict words when they are learning to read. The sing-song pattern of these examples can be familiar and fun.
- Ask questions as you discuss a poem. Ask kids what they feel when they read the poem and what they think about the length, rhythm, rhyme, and other characteristics. This encourages them to think about what they are reading.
Lyrical Winter Love
There's just something magical and unique about winter. Celebrate it with funny, inspirational, or sentimental poems. You can even help your kids get inspired by favorite winter activities and write cold-weather poetry together! Cozy up to a rhyme or two this season and snuggle in with these sweet poems.
