Come Back Soon: NCERT Class 2 English Poem (Mridang Unit 3)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Children love vehicles, and this poem names many of them in a quick, bouncy rhythm. It ends with a sweet wish that brings a smile.

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From NCERT’s new English book Mridang for Class 2, unit “Going Places”. Unit 3.

What your child learns

Names of vehicles: bus, train, boat, plane, taxi, rocket
Sorting vehicles by land, water and air
Opposite words: near and far
The short 'u' sound as in 'bus' and 'hut'

What the poem is about

The poem lists many ways to travel: by bus, train, boat, plane, taxi and car. You may go to a place near home or far away.

At the end, the poem imagines taking a rocket all the way to the moon. But it gently asks the traveller to come back soon. The feeling is of excitement about travel, along with the warmth of wanting someone to return home.

New words, with Hindi meanings

train: a long vehicle that runs on rails (हिंदी: रेलगाड़ी)
boat: a small vehicle that moves on water (हिंदी: नाव)
plane: a vehicle that flies in the sky (हिंदी: हवाई जहाज़)
taxi: a car you pay to ride in (हिंदी: टैक्सी)
near: close by, not far (हिंदी: पास)
far: a long way away (हिंदी: दूर)
rocket: a vehicle that goes into space (हिंदी: रॉकेट)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Name three vehicles from the poem.
Where does the rocket go?
What does the poem ask at the end?
Which vehicle have you travelled in, and where did you go?

Answers for parents

A bus, a train and a boat.
The rocket goes to the moon.
It asks the traveller to come back soon.
For example: I went by train to my uncle's house in Lucknow.

Grammar corner: Opposite words

Opposite words have very different meanings. 'Near' and 'far' are opposites. Learning words in pairs helps children remember both.

The bus stop is near my house, but the airport is far.
The rocket goes up, and then it comes down.
The train is fast, but the cart is slow.

Practice at home

Sort into land, water or air: boat, bus, plane.
Fill in the blank with the opposite of 'near': The moon is very ___.
Say aloud: Which vehicle would you take to the moon?

Answers: 1. Land: bus; Water: boat; Air: plane · 2. far · 3. A rocket.

Try this

Play 'Where shall we go?'. Name a place, like 'the market', 'the river' or 'the moon', and the child shouts the vehicle that could take them there and acts it out: steering a car, rowing a boat or blasting off in a rocket.

Tip for parents

When you see a vehicle on the road, ask your child its name in Hindi and then in English: 'रेलगाड़ी — train'. Let your child mix languages in one sentence, like 'Hum train se jayenge'. Each new English word is a win, so praise it.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Come Back Soon about?

It names different ways to travel, near or far, and ends with a rocket ride to the moon and a wish to come back soon.

Which vehicles are named in Come Back Soon?

A bus, a train, a boat, a plane, a taxi, a car and a rocket.

Is Come Back Soon in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is the first chapter of Unit 3 in NCERT's new Mridang book for Class 2.

Learn every Class 2 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →