The delightful nonsense of limericks for kids
With their silly rhymes, punny twists, and hilariously cheeky endings, limericks for kids are a match made in heaven. Limericks are an age-old form of humorous verse thought to have originated in medieval Ireland—perhaps in the town of Limerick itself! Usually, limerick examples are found in the form of a five-line poem, with two separate rhyme schemes: one shared by the first, second, and fifth lines, and the other shared by the shorter third and fourth lines. While some funny limericks are based on clever wordplay, these kid-friendly verses are sure to have your children in stitches. You may also want to try some of these other clever jokes like short jokes for kids, riddles for kids, and knock-knock jokes for kids to keep up the laughs.
Gerbil remedies
A creature of charm is the gerbil. / Its diet’s exclusively herbal. / It grazes all day / On bunches of hay, / Passing gas with an elegant burble.
If you liked this, you’ll be sure to like these animal riddles.
He should have shaved
There was an old man with a beard, / Who said, “It is just as I feared! / Two owls and a hen, / Four larks and a wren, / Have all built their nests in my beard!”
This is kind of a bad joke, but that’s what makes it so hilarious.
Pie’s the limit
I know a schoolboy from Dubai, / Who was baked by mistake in a pie. / To his mother’s disgust, / He emerged through the crust / And exclaimed, “What a good boy am I!”
Honestly, eating your way out of a delicious pie sounds pretty good, like these food jokes!
He definitely ate his vegetables
There once was a baby named Lou, / And he grew and he grew and he grew / And he grew and he grew / And he grew and he grew, / But he stopped when he reached six foot two.
Graham Lester has written some of the best limericks for kids. You may also want to try some of these food jokes for kids.
Cat spat
There once were two cats from Kilkenny. / Each thought that was one cat too many, / So they started to fight / And to scratch and to bite. / Now, instead of two cats, there aren’t any.
We have more funny cat jokes where this came from!
Scientific questioning
There once was a fly on the wall. / I wonder, why didn’t it fall? / Because its feet stuck? / Or was it just luck? / Or does gravity miss things so small?
Keep laughing with these hilarious one-liners.
Thin Vin
I know a young fellow named Vin, / Who is really remarkably thin. / When he carries a pole, / People say, “Bless my soul! / What a shock to find out you’ve a twin.”
This one sounds like a classic dad joke.
Brian’s lion
A circus performer named Brian / Once smiled as he rode on a lion. / They came back from the ride, / But with Brian inside, / And the smile on the face of the lion.
You’d be lion if you didn’t laugh at this anti-joke.
The man from Peru…
There once was a man from Peru, / Who dreamt that he swallowed his shoe. / He woke up in a fright / In the mid of the night / To learn that his dream had come true!
This limerick for kids reminds us of the short poem about the old lady who lived in a shoe! What happened to her?
Trumpeting trunk
An elephant slept in his bunk, / And in slumber his chest rose and sunk. / But he snored—how he snored! / All the other beasts roared, / So his wife tied a knot in his trunk.
We have plenty more elephant jokes up our sleeve—or should we say, trunk!
Cat lady
A mouse in her room woke Miss Dowd. / She was frightened, it must be allowed. / Soon a happy thought hit her, / So to scare off the critter / She sat up in bed and meowed.
The bored lady named Sue…
There once was a lady named Sue, / Who had nothing whatever to do / And who did it so badly / I thought she would gladly / Have stopped before she was through.
I’m owl ears…
I know this big owl named Stu, / Who stays up all night yelling, “Hoo!” / Once an old man walked by, / And he started to cry / And answered, “I don’t have a clue!”
This limerick for kids is a hoot, like these bird puns!
Move over, Dr. Doolittle…
“I talk,” claimed a linguist named Hamill, / “With every species of mammal.” / When asked for a reference / He said, “What’s your preference? / My mother-in-law, or my camel?”
Another one by the great Graham Lester!
Green tongue
There once was a farmer from Leeds, / Who swallowed a packet of seeds. / It soon came to pass, / He was covered with grass / But has all the tomatoes he needs.
It won’t mooove
There once was a girl who said, “How / Shall I manage to carry my cow? / Every time that I ask it / To get in my basket, / It makes such a terrible row!”
Mooove over, limericks for kids. We have cow jokes!
Another one bites…
An elderly man called Keith, / Mislaid his set of false teeth. / They’d been laid on a chair, / He’d forgot they were there, / Sat down, and was bitten beneath.
You may also want to check out these dentist jokes.
The troubles of Rose
A bashful young schoolgirl named Rose / Is rather ashamed of her nose. / She distracts people’s stares / With the mice that she wears, / Hanging down by their tails from her clothes.
Graham Lester writes some wonderful limericks for kids, and we love the image in this one!
In DeNile
There once was a princess named Jinx, / Who was asked what she thought of the Sphinx. / She replied with a smile, / “That old fraud by the Nile? / I personally think that she stinks!”
In classical mythology, a sphinx is a monster that combines the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.
Fourth rock from the Sun
There once was a Martian named Zed / With antennae all over his head. / He sent out a lot / Of di-di-dash-dot, / But nobody knows what he said.
Next, read up on these funny puns for kids.