Why My Limerick Poem for Kids “Extra” is More Than Just a Laugh: Teaching Semantics Through Wordplay

Extra

There once was a worm known as Wurst

Who decried that his dream had been burst

But still he would beg

For one extra leg

Unbeknownst that he needed one first

Mark Bird

As a writer who loves crafting poems and limericks for kids, I enjoy playing with language in ways that spark curiosity and giggles. My poem “Extra” is a great example—it’s short, silly, and packed with a deeper layer of meaning hiding beneath the rhyme.

The star of this limerick is Wurst, a worm with big dreams and one very specific wish: an extra leg. The twist? He doesn’t have any legs to begin with. That’s where the semantic fun comes in. Kids laugh at the irony, but they’re also learning an important concept: what “extra” really means depends on context. You can’t have an “extra” of something you don’t already have—and that’s a gentle introduction to semantics in action.

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or just a lover of witty verse, “Extra” is a reminder that even the silliest creatures can teach us something new.

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‘Extra’: a limerick poem for kids about a worm with an impossible dream