21 Fun Haiku Poems for Kids of All Ages

Written in a 5/7/5 syllable count, traditional Japanese haikus are three-line poems dating back to the 13th century. Often incorporating images from nature, the haiku became a direct, and sometimes intense, way to express ourselves. The simplicity makes it accessible to people of almost any reading level, making this type of poetry ideal for the classroom. Need some inspiration? We’ve put together this list of fun haiku poems for kids of all ages.

Haiku Poems for Elementary School

1. A Morning (Haiku) by Arun Bahadur Gurung

“Bees nudged the flowers…”

2. Haiku Year by Paul Holmes

“JANUARY…”

3. Spring is in the Air by Kaitlyn Guenther

“Flowers are blooming sky high…”

4. October’s Gold by Paul Holmes

“Like crunchy cornflakes…”

5. The Pink Summer Sphere by Suh Joon Kim

“The chill, worming in…”

6. Beaches by Kaitlyn Guenther

“Sand scatters the beach…”

7. Mellow May by Patricia L. Cisco

“Mellow, mild, May day…”

8. Autumn Love by Savannah M. Jones

“Coolness fills the air…”

9. Snowflakes Haiku by Kaitlyn Guenther

“Snowflakes are our friends…”

10. Meteor Shower by Michael Dylan Welch

“A gentle wave…”

11. In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound

“The apparition of these faces in the crowd…”

12. The light of a candle by Yosa Buson

“…is transferred to another candle—”

13. Haiku Ambulance by Richard Brautigan

“A piece of green pepper…”

14. A Poppy Blooms by Katsushika Hokusai

“I write, erase, rewrite…”

15. Summer Haibun by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

“the cool night before…”

16. After the Gentle Poet Kobayashi Issa by Robert Hass

“New Year’s morning—”

17. Haiku by Etheridge Knight

“Eastern guard tower…”

18. fallen leaves by John Brandi

“the abbot sweeps…”

19. [The earth shakes] by Steve Sanfield

“just enough…”

20. The bottoms of my shoes by Jack Kerouac

“Are clean…”

21. [the snow is melting] by Kobayashi Issa

“And the village is flooded…”

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