Whether you’re a parent with children divided about math or just want to get rid of the negative connotations surrounding this subject, you’ve come to the right place.  

Remember, “One two buckle my shoe, three four knock on the door?” Our earliest, stumbling engagement with poetry generally coincides with our first interest in numbers. Through counting and rhyming, we start to make sense of the world, forging numbers into sequences and connecting words in a variety of ways. While most of you may be familiar with at least one or two math rhymes that ingrained your understanding of math as children, these are some unfamiliar but fun poems that can broaden children’s understanding. 

The use of poems is one of the tried-and-true teaching tools for teaching children how to count. While most schools and education systems overlook math poems in favor of number rhymes, poems are a simple and easy way for children to find inspiration and a variety of ideas that can promote interest and creativity in children.

The seven simple poems can be a fun addition to your child’s daily math lessons and can even change their attitude toward math.

So go ahead and relax while reading our fantastic collection of math poems!

  1. Eleven Toes by Mr. R.

This hilarious take on adding is about a child attempting to grow an extra toe by using addition.  The poem begins with lines that set the tone for the rest of the poem

 “Adding is fun!

It makes numbers grow!”1

  1. SHAPES by Shel Silverstein.

This poem by Shel Silverstein is a fun poem about shapes in which a square is struck in the back by a triangle outside a rectangular shack, and is picked up and taken to the hospital by a passing rolling circle.

The lines “When a triangle came down – kerplunk! –

And struck him in the back.” can crack you up!2

  1. Marvelous Math by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.

From a penny to a nickel to a dime to a quarter to a dollar, the poem covers it all! Aren’t money and math marvelous after all?

Marvelous Math is a must-read poem for math enthusiasts, or for anyone, for that matter—after all, who doesn’t like

“Dollar, dollar, green and long,

With 100 cents you can’t go wrong.”?3

  1. A Maths Poem by Andrew N.

From decimals, fractions, division, and subtraction, 

Centimeters, meters, milliliters to liters.

Using calculators to find factors!

“Can anyone tell me what is this shape,

Do we use a ruler or maybe a tape?”

This poem covers it all!4

  1. Math by Ettie Christian-Bowling.

This poem addresses the big question—what is the purpose of math?

According to the poet, math takes us down a winding road at times, and can even make you swell up with rage.

And while most people may think of math as a source of stress, this is not the case.

Because math is everywhere, and 

“It’s a worker’s base…

But when it is used,

It leaves a remarkable trace!”

Isn’t that one of the most brilliant responses to that question?5

  1. Silly Spider by Mr. R.

This poem is a humorous take on the nursery rhyme “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” The spider that appears to fall out of the spout has only two very colorful legs. 

After all, it’s a great way to teach kids about counting, adding, and subtracting—

 “So spider’s missing 6 legs,

  His legs count up to 2!”6

  1. Paragliding and Gravity Maths by Ianthechimp.

This beautiful poem connects math to real-world applications such as in adventure sports like paragliding; as it’s all about the math when it comes to paragliding.

 “You launch, fly, land, bash or crash.

How you meet the ground depends on maths.

Maths is key to survival.”

Some people are good at math and can land with ease. Others risk their lives by ignoring the math. Gravity’s math, however, will always win.7

Apart from the above-mentioned poems, there are numerous others that discuss numbers, shapes, patterns, problem-solving, mathematical languages, and much more. Well, now that you’ve read these unfamiliar poems, try and see how they pique your child’s interest and encourage them to come up with their own math poems.

Visit BYJU’S FutureSchool blog to read more such fun and engaging blog posts on math learning.

References:

  1. Eleven Toes: Another fun Math Poem from for K – 2 Classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://mathstory.com/poems/eleventoes/
  2. 6 FUN MATH POEMS | SHEL SILVERSTEIN POEMS – NANA’S CORNER. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.nanascorner.com/6-math-poems-shel-silverstein-poems/
  3. Math Poems. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.tooter4kids.com/classroom/math_poems.html
  4. A Maths Poem « MoreThanMaths.com. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from http://www.morethanmaths.com/fun/poems/mathspoem/
  5. Math. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/math_567030
  6. Adding Double Numbers 1 + 1: Silly Spider Poem – Mr. R.’s World of Math. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://mathstory.com/poems/adding-doubles-1-plus-1/
  7. “Maths” poems – Hello Poetry. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://hellopoetry.com/words/maths/
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