Two Left Feet: Idiom Poem for Kids About A Student Learning English

Two Left Feet: Idioms For Kids

Two Left Feet 

I’m the new boy from Spain 

I hate English class 

whenever I speak 

everyone laughs 

It’s these idiom things 

that mess with my head 

they make me see mud 

they’re clear as red 

but today in my class  

I proudly proclaimed 

I get it last! 

then loudly explained 

I trip over my words 

whenever I speak 

but it’s not my fault 

I’ve got two left feet! 

Mark Bird 

As a children’s poet and teacher, I’m always fascinated by the playful confusion that language can create. My poem “Two Left Feet” grew from thinking about how strange English idioms can sound to someone learning the language for the first time. This idiom poem for kids explores the perspective of a new pupil from Spain who finds himself baffled by the expressions he hears in class. Idioms are everywhere in everyday speech, but for learners they can feel like little puzzles hiding inside sentences.

In this idiom poem for kids, I wanted to show how idioms for students can be both confusing and funny. The boy in the poem finally believes he understands the phrase “I trip over my words”… only to explain it by saying he has “two left feet”! Moments like this capture the joy and chaos of learning a language. Idioms might twist our brains, but they also remind us how imaginative language can be.

KS2 Poetry Lesson Ideas and Poetry Worksheet:

Teachers could use this poem as a fun way to explore idioms for students in the classroom. Ask children to illustrate literal versions of common idioms—such as “raining cats and dogs” or “holding your tongue”—before discussing their real meanings. Pupils could also write their own short idiom poem for kids, inventing a character who misunderstands expressions in hilarious ways. Drama works brilliantly too: children can act out idioms literally while classmates guess the phrase and then explain what it really means. These activities help pupils see that language is full of surprises—and sometimes getting it wrong is the best way to learn.

KS2 Poetry Lesson Ideas:

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