In order to solve the shortcoming of the routing algorithm designed in the past, the shortest distance-minimum energy consumption routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks is proposed. On the basis of the most commonly used energy consumption model of wireless sensor networks, by setting the node residual energy dynamic adjustment factor, the network model is established based on the dynamic programming method. At each stage, the decision set is dynamically adjusted on the basis of the residual energy of nodes, and the shortest distance-minimum energy consumption routing is selected, and the Omnet++ simulation software is used for the experimental analysis. The results show that the algorithm is relatively simple and it can reduce the energy consumption and extend the life cycle of wireless sensor network.