Although the idea of having rhyming poetry for the kids is a good one, free verse poetry writing has also entered this realm. The reason is that now children have also some understanding of free verse poems and they understand the message and theme. Some of the best free verse poems for children are as follows.
Poem #1
You Took the Last Bus Home by Brian Bilston
The poem titled ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’ by Brian Bilston is one of the best free verse poems written specifically for kids. As free verse poems have no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern to create music, they depend on the sound and syllables for music and the theme for popularity. These five lines show the poet in deep rumination thinking about the arrival from the school to his home but the you-centric approach of the poem now questions the choice of his friend with a simile. He reminds him that has reached home through the bus but he used to do it by train. The question of it is different this time and the school life of the poet has not emerged out of this seemingly inquiring situation. Some best verses of the poem are as follows.
- You took the last bus home.
- You go it through the door.
- Like that time you caught a train.
Poem #2
Fog by Carl Sandburg
Although it does not seem to have been written for the children, the mention of the cat has brought this poem to this list among the best free verse poems because kids like animals, and they always love to have one as a pet. This short six-lined poem shows the use of a cat as the fog has been compared to it. The rest of the four lines just show the description of the cat such as how it sits, where it lives, and what it does with its haunches. However, it does not state where it moves out of the poem. The best verses of the poem are as follows.
- It sits looking.
- The fog comes / on little cat feet.
Poem #3
Follow The Moon by Marie Tully
This poem by Marie Tully is selected as one of the best free verse poems written specifically for kids. As it mentions the moon that children love very much and that too in the very first line, it is certainly the best children’s poem. And to top it all, it is a free verse. However, the interesting thing about it is the theme of the moon that the poet presents as playing hide and seek with him. This playful theme starts from the very first line and continues dominating until the last verse of the poem. This use of the moon as a personification has created a beauty of its own coupled with the beauty of the poetry. Some of its best verses are as follows.
- I followed the moon / or did it follow me?
- I tried to trick it / in the shadows I hid.
- Now was my chance.
- I don’t quite know.
Poem #4
Real Silence by Atticus
Despite his anonymity in the Canadian landscape, Atticus is very popular among children for his free verse and deep poems such as this one. It is placed as one of the best free verse poems written for children on account of its unconventional theme. The poet has beautifully presented the personification of silence without naming it. However, one can easily surmise that the person flicking and smoking in the darkness and singing symphonies is silent and showing his silence. For the kids, the character increases the curiosity while for the adults, it is a moment of epiphany. The most popular verses of the poem are as follow.
- I longed for real silence.
- The kind you can’t find.
- And your mind dances alive.
Poem #5
Splishy, Sploshy Mud by Ava F. Kent
This short poem of just six lines is also written for children. The reason is that it presents a very simple poetic output with a simple theme and simple idea. The poet presents the sound or onomatopoeia for the sound that curd makes when it is splashed or when it is used for food. However, the best thing about it is that the poet advises the person in question or the person doing it to create images like pies, mountains, and skies. Although it seems that the poem has a sort of fixed rhyme scheme, it has some features of a free verse poem. That is why it is ranked fifth among the best free verse poems. Some of the most popular lines of this poem are as follows.
- You can make pies.
- You can make mountains.
- Just with splishy, sploshy mud.
Poem #6
Beach by Clara Nanez
This short poem by Clara Nanez with deep symbolic meanings presents the favorite children’s idea of forming imaginative shapes of clouds or on the sand. She, perhaps, presents her own experience of how she used to make a bear, lion, or some other animal on the sand. This, perhaps, is the nature of man or human beings. However, on the other hand, she presents a dove fluttering its wings on the left side showing the inner idea of peace and love. Dove is also associated with poetry and religious ideas. Yet despite all its deep connotations, it seems the best poem for kids. Some of its memorable lines are as follows.
- When I saw in the sky a lion and a bear.
- I see a white dove fly so highly
- Ther is no bear or lion in the sky.
Poem #7
Zig-Zagging by Kelly Roper
This short poem of just eight lines is also one of the best free verse poems written for children. The poet thinks about the most interesting activity of childhood that seems a frivolous act to the adult world. This is creating zig-zagging even on the road or of the road itself. However, the poet has also filled it with philosophical meanings saying that this is something that goes to any place or even to Toledo but that is not a sport. Toledo has been presented as the childhood world of imagination where the persons having no abilities devoid of some weak character features are unable to go. Some of the best verses of this poem are as follows.
- Zig-zagging down the road.
- Or wind up in the next surprise sinkhole.
- Driving in Toledo is not a sport / For the timid or the sane or the under-insured.
Poem #8
Up Above by Becki B
This short poem, too, has only eight lines but an interesting idea that we as children have always thought about during our childhood. That is why the poem has been included among the best free verse poem written for children. The idea is the nanny sitting in the rocking chair and enjoying the activities of the children. However, the interesting thing about Becki’s poem is that she has placed the nanny in an astrologically better situation when a person talking about her becomes an adult. Some of the most popular lines of this poem are as given.
- “Up above / Sits our nanny.
- She’s is smiling down upon us.
- Her star is shining brightly.
Poem #9
The Pool by H.D.
Written in a monologic form, this short poem is ranked as one of the best free verse poems written for children. Here, H. D. poses a question to ask something from a thing that is “banded one” and whether it is a sea fish or something else. However, the poet seems to tell it that it has some signs of a sea-fish, but it is not. Yet, he would cover it with his net. The very crispy lines, interrogative sentences and unanswered ending show that the children would become quizzical after reciting this short poem. That is why it has also been included among the best free verse poems. Some of its memorable lines are two rhetorical questions – one given in the beginning and one at the end.
Poem #10
Autumn by T.E Hulme
A celebrated poet, T. E. Hulme has beautifully presented the idea of a cold autumn night on a moonlit night. However, the mention of children makes it one of the best free verse poems written for children. The poet has used a very good simile of a farmer and a moon to state that both seem to have some relationship with the world of human beings – one the provider of food and the other the provider of happiness. Whereas the moon is ruddy, the farmer, too, has his face red, but the poet does not stop to talk to them as both have stars like faces. Interestingly, the poet associates all of them with children. Some best lines from the poem are as follows.
- And saw the ruddy moon lean over hedge.
- I did not stop to speak, but nodded.
- With white faces like town children.
