Poems About Summer: Fun and Inspiring Verse to Share with Kids

Summer brings sunshine, free time, and an opportunity to explore the world through words. Poems about summer capture the warmth, adventure, and wonder of the season. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or student, sharing summer poetry can deepen language skills, spark creativity, and give kids a lyrical lens on summer’s beauty.  WuKong ELA offers interactive reading and writing practice that supports this kind of poetry learning. Poetry helps children link reading skills, creativity, and what they see in the real world.

21 Amazing Summer Poems for Kids

1. Summer Song by William Carlos Williams

Wanderer moon

smiling a

faintly ironical smile

at this

brilliant, dew-moistened

summer morning,—

a detached

sleepily indifferent

smile, a

wanderer’s smile,—

if I should

buy a shirt

your color and

put on a necktie

sky-blue

where would they carry me?

Key words: brilliant, indifferent, detach

2. In the Mountains on a Summer Day by Li Po

Gently I stir a white feather fan,

With open shirt sitting in a green wood.

I take off my cap and hang it on a jutting stone;

A wind from the pine-trees trickles on my bare head.

Key words: gently, jutting, trickle

3. The Book of Nature by Charter Keeler

There are many good books, my child,

And a very good book for you

Is the book that is hid in the greenwood wild,

All bound in a cover of blue.

‘Tis the book of the birds and the bees,

Of the flower, and the fish in the brook:

You may learn how to read if you go to the

Trees

And open your eyes and look.

Key words: wild, bound, brook

4. Mud by Polly Chase Boyden

Mud is very nice to feel

All squishy-squash between the toes!

I’d rather wade in wiggly mud

Than smell a yellow rose.

Nobody else but the

rosebush knows

How nice mud feels

Between the toes.

Key words: squishy, wiggly, mud

5. Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson

In winter I get up at night 

And dress by yellow candle-light. 

In summer, quite the other way, 

I have to go to bed by day. 

I have to go to bed and see 

The birds still hopping on the tree, 

Or hear the grown-up people’s feet 

Still going past me in the street. 

And does it not seem hard to you, 

When all the sky is clear and blue, 

And I should like so much to play, 

To have to go to bed by day?

Key words: hop, clear, candle

6. Goodnight, Great Summer Sky by Rose Styron

Goodnight, great summer sky

world of my childhood and the star-struck sea.

White chaise from that ancestral southern porch my raft,

white goose-down quilt my ballast, under Orion on the green-waved lawn I float, high-new moon, old craft

tide strong as ever to the sheer horizon.

Over the seawall, on the dock

Andromeda their strict and jeweled guard as tall Orion-seas and lawns ago-chose to be mine, our children sleep: Alexandra, Tom under their folded goose-wing sails true friends in dream,

the folly wrangle of their sibling day outshone by starlight.

Calm island evening, never-ending sea-our lovers’ rages, too, are quiet, drowned.

Miracle of midsummer, the trust of dark sails us beyond this harbor.

Key words: chaise, horizon, starlight

7. Summer Stars by Carl Sandburg

Bend low again, night of summer stars.

So near you are, sky of summer stars,

So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars,

Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,

So near you are, summer stars,

So near, strumming, strumming,

So lazy and hum-strumming.

Key words: bowl, strumming, lazy

8. Warm Summer Sun by Mark Twain

Warm summer sun,

Shine kindly here,

Warm southern wind,

Blow softly here.

Green sod above,

Lie light, lie light.

Good night, dear heart,

Good night, good night.

Key words: kindly, sod, lie

9. Summer Rain by Debbie Hasbrook

I know it can’t be summer,

It’s raining and raining outside.

The thunder cracks and lightening smacks,

I’m glad that I’m inside.

Then all of a sudden the sun peeks through,

As if to say hello,

I guess it needs to rain sometimes,

For the flowers and trees to grow.

Key words: glad, sudden, peek

10. Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St.Vincent Millay

I will be the gladdest thing

Under the sun!

I will touch a hundred flowers

And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds

With quiet eyes,

Watch the wind blow down the grass,

And the frass rise.

And when the lights begin to show

Up from the town,

I will mark which must be mine,

And then start down!

Key words: gladdest

11. Summer Rain by Amy Lowell

All night our room was outer-walled with rain.

Drops fell and flattened on the tin roof, And rang like little disks of metal.

Ping!-Ping!-and there was not a pin-point of silence between

them.

The rain rattled and clashed,

And the slats of the shutters danced and glittered.

But to me the darkness was red-gold and crocus-colored

With your brightness,

And the words you whispered to me

Sprang up and flamed -orange torches against the rain.

Torches against the wall of cool, silver rain!

Key words: brightness, rattle, clash

12. Still Life With Invisible Canoe By Idra Novey

Levinas asked if we have the right To be the way I ask my sons

If they’d like to be trees

The way the word tree

Makes them a little animal

Dancing up and down

Like bears in movies

Bears I have to say

Pretend we are children

At a river one of them says

So we sip it pivot in the hallway

Call it a canoe

It is noon in the living room

We are rowing through a blue

That is a feeling mostly

The way drifting greenly

Under real trees

Is a feeling near holy

Key words: pivot, drift, sip

13. The Cry of The Cicada by Matsuo Basho

The cry of the cicada

Gives us no sign

That presently it will die.

-Translation by William George Aston

Key words: cicada, presently

14. Summer in The South by Paul Laurence Dunbar

The oriole sings in the greening grove

As if he were half-way waiting,

The rosebuds peep

from their hoods of green,

Timid and hesitating.

The rain comes down in a torrent sweep And the nights smell warm and piney, The garden thrives, but the tender shoots Are yellow-green and tiny.

Then a flash of sun on a waiting hill,

Streams laugh that erst were quiet,

The sky smiles down with a dazzling blue

And the woods run mad with riot.

Key words: hesitate, thrive, peep

15. A Bird Song by Christina Rossetti

It’s a year almost that I have not seen her:

Oh, last summer green things were greener

Brambles fewer, the blue sky bluer.

It’s surely summer, for there’s a swallow:

Come one swallow, his mate will follow,

The bird race quicken and wheel and thicken.

Oh happy swallow whose mate will follow O’er height, o’er hollow! I’d be a swallow, To build this weather one nest together.

Key words: swallow

16. Golden Sun by Lenore Hetrick

Great, glorious, golden sun,

Shine down on me today.

You are the life of all this earth,

You and your magic ray.

You are the life of bird and plant,

All must depend on you.

Shine down, great sun, the whole day long!

Shine from the heaven’s blue.

And I will welcome your golden rays,

For you mean life to me,

And you mean happiness and health,

Strength and energy.

Shine down, great sun, on flower and field,

And never say goodbye.

Forever and ever give us your light

From out the side, blue sky.

Key words: ray, happiness, strength

17. Summer Time by William Wilson

Sun shines on your skin and mine

Until it sets way after nine.

Memories made with a cold drink in hand.

Moments to cherish with feet in the sand.

Everyone laughing, smiles on every face.

Remember the moments, those were the days.

Turn up the music, sing it out loud.

Indigo skies, no sign of a cloud.

Mutter the words that no one will know.

Everlasting memories; where does time go?

Key words: indigo, mutter

18. Barefoot Days by Rachel Field

In the morning, very early,

That’s the time I love to go

Barefoot where the fern grows curly

And the grass is cool between each toe,

On a summer morning – O!

On a summer morning!

That is when the birds go by

Up the sunny slopes of air,

And each rose has a butterfly

Or a golden bee to wear;

And I am glad in every toe –

Such a summer morning – O!

Such a summer morning!

Key words: toe, fern, curly

19. We Have a Little Garden by Beatrix Potter

We have a little garden

A garden of our own,

And every day we water there

The seeds that we have sown.

We love our little garden,

And tend it with such care,

You will not find a faded leaf

Or blighted blossom there.

Key words: faded, blossom

20. Dusk in June by Sara Teasdale

Evening, and all the birds

In a chorus of shimmering sound

Are easing their hearts of joy

For miles around.

The air is blue and sweet,

The few first stars are white,

Oh let me like the birds

Sing before night.

Key words: ease, shimmering

21. August by Celia Thaxter

Buttercup nodded and said good-by,

Clover and daisy went off together,

But the fragrant water lilies lie

Yet moored in the golden August weather.

The swallows chatter about their flight,

The cricket chirps like a rare good fellow,

The asters twinkle in clusters bright,

While the corn grows ripe and the apples mellow.

Key words: nod, moored, twinkle

What Makes a Great Summer Poem

Summer poems for kids take children to warm, sensory-filled moments. They show kids playing under sunny skies, dipping their toes in ponds, and chasing fireflies at dusk. These poems offer more than just nice pictures.

First, summer poems for kids invite children to notice nature’s small wonders: soft breezes, buzzing insects, sun-warmed stones. That sensory awareness strengthens vocabulary, listening skills, and curiosity.

Second, reading or reciting poems about summer boosts fluency and expression. Language becomes fun and musical, easy to weave into backyard play or lazy afternoons.

Ways Summer Poems for Kids Support Creativity and Language

Summer poems for kids help children learn descriptive words. They invite kids to play with rhythm, metaphors, and pictures made with words. Poems about summer also help children connect their own memories to what they read or write.

For parents and teachers looking to support young readers further, exploring grade-level appropriate books can strengthen reading skills alongside poems about summer. For example, Wukong Education offers a great curated list of 3rd grade reading books that can complement poetry reading and help build fluency and comprehension.

Snippets of Summer: Poem Examples to Try

“The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver offers a reflective, nature-poetic invitation that resonates with older readers as well as adults. Its line “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” remains unforgettable.

Short poems, such as “Summer Shower” (Emily Dickinson) and “Summer Fun” by Carolyn Brunelle, are perfect mini-readings that evoke cooling rain showers or playful energy.

Classic rhymes like Robert Louis Stevenson’s “At the Seaside” and Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18 (Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day)” bring timeless charm to summer reading lists.

How to Use Summer Poems for Kids in Teaching

Want to make summer poetry part of education? Here are some ideas:

Teaching Summer Poems for Kids in Reading and Writing Lessons

Begin by reading aloud to let children feel the rhythm of each line. Use voice, movement, or pictures to make the poems come alive. Pair summer poems for kids with art activities. Children can draw or color a scene from a poem to deepen comprehension and creativity.

Use summer poems for kids as writing prompts. Ask children to describe their summer sounds, smells, or adventures using imagery like flower petals or sun rays. Turn the poems into a performance through a backyard recital or family reading circle to build confidence.

Supporting Summer Poems for Kids Learning at Home

Parents can read summer poems for kids about summer at night or at breakfast. They can ask children what pictures or memories come to mind. Parents can help children write a few lines about their favorite summer moments.

Early reading comprehension is a key foundation for enjoying poems about summer. Parents can find helpful strategies and materials tailored for beginners in Wukong Education’s guide to 1st grade reading comprehension. This resource supports children in developing strong understanding skills that will deepen their appreciation of poetry and other texts.

Growing with Summer Poetry

Summer poems for kids do more than sound sweet—they engage students across reading, vocabulary, and imagination. With rich imagery, rhythmic patterns, and real-world connections, summer poems become memories.

To extend the joy of learning, don’t stop at poetry. Transfer the creative spark into other subjects, just as phonics uses phonograms to build reading confidence, poetry builds emotional resonance and language awareness, too.

At WuKong Education, we provide comprehensive English Language Arts (ELA) programs that integrate poems into engaging lessons. It offers over 180 vocabulary words, which is great for expanding the language children use when they describe summer scenes in poetry.

Demi

I am an educator from Yale University with ten years of experience in this field. I believe that with my professional knowledge and teaching skills, I will be able to contribute to the development of Wukong Education. I will share the psychology of children’s education and learning strategies in this community, hoping to provide quality learning resources for more children.