Birthday Suit: A Body Positivity Poem for Kids about Loving the Skin You're In.

Birthday Suit

Birthday suit - the best to wear

Elastic-tastic shell

A magic suit that grows with you

so style it, wear it well

Don't squeal Eww and Ich and Yuck

when leaping from the bath

Window-wipe the steam away

Towel-shimmy. Laugh!

Banish shame, “Get out my brain!”

Be natural, young and free

Baby-naked in the world

like you were born to be

Next time you are all alone

in your protective suit

Greet your goose bumps with a grin

Face yourself. Salute!

Toast the person who you are

Love yourself. Be proud

Body beautiful. Unique!

You’re YOU. You’re not the crowd!

Wait before you pull on jeans

embarrassed, full of shame

Mirrors are for looking in

Admire your super-frame

Belly dance, fandango, lock

Beyoncé on the mat

Cart wheel, back spin, somersault

Cha Cha with the cat

Never would you go to school

with everything exposed

not unless you've lost your mind

(or reaaally hate your clothes)

But those moments, all alone

Just me, myself and I

Bathe in all your gorgeousness

and don’t submit to shy

Love the hidden parts as much

Your secret, beating dreams

Inside-outside wizardry

A body wonder team

And never let the labels scar

or stitch onto your heart

Rip them out and throw them out

They weren’t there at the start

May you wear it long and well

Designer suit of birth

A tailored, one-off miracle

A stunning beast of Earth

©2009 Mark Bird

💡 KS2 Poetry, Drama and Literacy Lessons for Teachers:

As the writer of "Birthday Suit", I created this Body Positivity Poem for Kids to help young people celebrate their bodies with humour, pride, and self-love. The poem offers the perfect foundation for creative writing and drama activities that explore confidence, identity, and body acceptance in a joyful, age-appropriate way.

In poetry sessions, students can write their own verses about what makes them unique—from freckles to farts—using rhyme, rhythm, and metaphor to express self-worth. Drama lessons might include solo performance pieces or group scenes where students 'salute' themselves or create imaginary adverts for their own magical 'birthday suits'.

The poem also encourages journaling and mirror-affirmation exercises, helping children to banish shame and embrace their ‘inside-outside wizardry’. Fun, freeing, and empowering, "Birthday Suit" invites students to laugh, move, and speak with boldness—because their bodies are brilliant. #BodyPositivityPoemforKids #LoveTheSkinYoureIn