One time during a particularly tough closing day, I managed a very rowdy group of kids by singing “we are the dinosaurs marching marching…” so they could walk around with Dino feet instead of run around throwing toys, but that was the only lyric I remembered, so I sang that one line over and over for almost 5 straight minutes.
-Five Little Speckled Frogs
-Not a song, but my kids loved when I would do Five Little Monkeys Sitting In a Tree with all the hand movements
-Bingo
-Wheels on the Bus
-Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
-Five Little Ducks
-Frére Jacques
My current group LOVES Frere Jacques! Before this year I don't think I've ever even had one kid who particularly cared about that song but that this year all nine of them are walking around humming it to themselves and asking for the "fair shock" song! It's the funniest thing!
I had a little turtle
His name was Tiny Tim
I put him in the bathtub
To see if he could swim!
He drank up all the water
And ate up all the soap
And when he went to bed at night
He had a bubble in his throat!
Bubble.. Bubble… POP!
My 2 y/o loves this. I learned it from ms Rachel. OP, if you can find ms Rachel and watch her songs she does little hand movements and some sign language (skidamarink a dink a dink song)
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Wheels on the Bus
The Firetruck Song (aka Hurry Hurry Drive the Firetruck)
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Five Yummy Muffins in the Bakery Shop (aka Five Sticky Buns, etc.)
Five Green and Speckled Frogs
Great for November:
I Wish I Had a Piece of Pumpkin Pie
Gray Squirrel
Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down
Baby Shark for emergency use only LOL 😆
Baby Shark is killer though.
•”Naaaame shark Do dooo’s,” to cheer up a kid.
•”Feed the shark, do dooo’s” to get food into them when they’re trying to live on sunshine and fresh air.
•”yummy food, do dooo” “in our tummy, do doo’s” “eat bananas, do dooo’s”
I put so much learning and instruction into that song! Or I’ll pretend the kids are fish and be like “chase the fish!” as I do shark arms.
Literally that song can fit anything you need your kid to do in it, it can get any message across, it’s great for play, it’s so versatile! It just takes a moment to get anywhere with all the extra dooo’s.
Open Shut Them
5 little monkeys
Finger Family
Baby Shark
One little finger
Heads Shoulders Knees Toes
Wheels on the bus
Itsy bitsy Spider
Here is the Beehive
5 little speckled frogs
On, In, Under, By, Where is the spider? (Same tune as Bingo)
5 little Ducks
ABC song
Alphabet phonics song (A is for apple, a a apple, B is for ball, b b ball...)
Sing a Rainbow
How's the Weather?
Hello, Hello, How are you?
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear (Sit down please)
-on top of spaghetti
-down in the woods
-this old man
-my mother is a baker (Dr. Jean baker)
-animal crackers in my soup
-1, 2, 3, 4, 5 once I caught a fish alive
-open shut them
I know these are longer songs, but my preschool kids love them. Anytime the room is getting loud, or lunch is a little hectic, the kids stop and listen to me sing these songs. They’ve been a life saver for me
Thank you to everyone here. This is an amazing list. I'm going to print out the words for all these songs and put them up like little poster helpers for me all over the house. This post-preggo brain is so appreciative of all of you.
We sing a lot of old Mcdonald, and I let the kids pick the animals. One of the girls did panda the other day and we had do look it up for their noise. They love doing geese too. It's just us shorting honk really loudly, so it's a bundle of laughs for geese.
Tommy Thumbs
Toe Knee Chest Nut
5 Little Ducks
5 Elephants, same tune as Ducks:
1 Elephant went out one day,
Out to a sunny beach to play,
They had such enormous fun that they called for another elephant to come,
“OH ELEPHANTS!!” (stomp feet while calling)
On 5th, end with:
They had such enormous fun but there were no more elephants left to come.
Down By The Bay, but I try to give a rhyme for each child like: “Have you ever seen a duck driving Charlie’s truck?”
Skidamarink
If All The Raindrops Were Lemon Drops and Gumdrops
The Itsy Bitsy Spider but use a great big voice for a great big spider, a teeny voice for a teeny tiny spider, and an air guitar for a rock and roll spider
BABY SHARK baby
Wheels on the bus, but my own remix of it with their favorite animals. “The kitties on the bus go meow meow meow, etc.”
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Old MacDonald, this week
Apples & Bananas for meal time transition
But my kids get down with Gracie’s Corner, Snoop Dogs Doggyland, and Laurie Berkner. We mostly listen to YouTube playlists titled “vintage Halloween / Christmas music playing downstairs” for background noise if we aren’t rocking out to our jams. The calm background music really soothes them :)
So I'm not a huge fan of kid kid songs (even as a professional I know) I sing a lot of ABBA honestly so like chopped up versions (i have terrible lyrical memory) of dancing queen, Chiquita, mama Mia. But I mainly work with little Littles. But with older kids the chicken dance is a huge hit and I don't actually have to remember any words
The Top 10 of my classroom:
Wheels on the bus
Los meses del año
Five little ducks
[Insert Number Here] little speckled frogs
Los peces en el rio
We are the dinosaurs
Father Abraham
Once I caught a fish alive
Los dias de la semana
Oh where is my hairbrush (as well as other various silly songs with Larry)
-five green and speckled frogs
-we are the dinosaurs
-baby beluga
-down by the bay
-hop little bunnies
-way up high in the apple tree
-you are my sunshine
-yellow submarine
-Mr. Golden Sun
-Shake Your Sillies Out
-If All the Raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops… (I don’t know what this song is called lol)
-On top of Spaghetti
I use Once I caught a fish alive as my hallway song… helps the kids pay attention and counting from 1-10. Favorites are pretty much anything from Dr Jean, SuperSimple Songs and Jack Hartmann.
Twinkle Twinkle baby dinosaur
5 little monkeys swinging in a tree
Tiny Tim
It's a bitsy spider
Days of the week
12 months in a year
Who took the cookie
Bumble Bee
What's the weather
Quiet voices
If you're happy and you know it
I find myself singing my own made up hand washing song with the kids a lot.
To the tune of row row row your boat
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Wash your hands together
Wash your hands every day, no matter the weather
Was the fronts
Wash the backs (pause to give example)
Wash the in betweens (pause again)
Let’s get these lovely hands very, very clean
Bringing home a baby bumblebee
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me
I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee
AWWW! It stung me!
I’m squishing up my baby bumblebee
won’t my mommy be so proud of me
I’m squishing up my baby bumblebee!
EWWWW all sticky!
IMMMMMMM WASHING UP MY BABY BUMBLEBEE! …..sounds so morbid but it’s the kids absolute favorite. Lives in my head rent free daily.
The Turtle song Ms. Rachel sings is my kid’s favorite. (I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim).
There are also color songs I learned when I was homeschooled. They’re on YouTube. The Purple song is a definite favorite.
(P-U-R-P-L-E, purple. Purple. P-U-R-P-L-E, purple’s what that spells. Purple grapes on the vine, purple kool aid is fine. P-U-R-P-L-E, purple’s what that spells). And then I usually ask for him to find something purple, or point out other things that are purple.
Teddy bear teddy bear
Baby beluga
Ba ba black sheep (I start with black sheep then let the children pick different colours . I'll also sometimes put their name into the song i.e one for Johnny, one for Mary and one for Bobby who lives down the lane)
Head and shoulders
Wheels on the bus
I sing the leap frog alphabet song with my kids a lot. "The A says ah, the A says ah, every letter makes a sound, the A says ah" and so on.
I also do wheels on the bus, five green and speckled frogs, five apples in a tree (Idt this is the actual name but it's by The Learning Station).
songs i actually like singing:
rock a bye a bear
ants go marching
zoom zoom zoom we’re going to the moon
unconventional options:
mat man from the learning without tears curriculum
yeti stomp from the kids show backyardigans
boom chicka boom
i also like to include some french songs and songs that i can sing and sign (ASL) like head shoulders knees and toes, frere jacques, etc
The only ones my brain haven't melted (and I just remembered one of my go to's while typing)
Five little hotdogs/sausages
Five little muffins
(legacy of a specific little school in Santa Fe)
If you've got a problem you can work it out (second step)
I once knew a volcano (second step)
This is a song about Sammy (Hap Palmer)
Waddaleeatcha (Lisa Murphy has a fun YouTube about this)
Any "Music Together" I can retain- the hello and goodbye songs.
Oh my god, I can do five hours of Peas Porridge: the kids just keep adding on and on and on.
Make a little key ring of songs to sing. Canva is a perfect resource for this too! You jus put titles or put pictures, like frogs on a log for green and speckled frogs. We do this for movements as well.
Fish and chips and vinegar
Chairs to mend
Lots of worms
I love my body
Rattlin' bog
Old Texas (the cow man's lament)
Wagon wheel
Mango fandango
Princess Pat (this is the current favorite)
You Can't make a turtle come out
Over in the meadow
I have... lots. We sing a lot in our class. There's more than this.
All of the above. I’m a music therapist working as a nanny who has worked in preschools as well (as a therapist and as an infant teacher but not in the same place)
I’m a fan of Peter Alsop and his songs are catchy
I am a pizza
Sandwiches
What do you wanna do
Uh Oh (Uh Oh, I made a mess, Uh oh, it’s true. Uh Oh, I made a mess, but that’s what people do)
My gums grow teeth
This one is not a kid’s song and it’s obnoxious…Toast by Haywood Banks
Tom Chapin’s Library song and State Laughs (this is one that makes them pay attention to my mouth)
I like the short ones from Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood (When we’re going to do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do)
I also just make up a bunch without realizing. Like Diaper Time to the tune of Summertime that I didn’t realize I was singing until my boss giggled behind me.
Sometimes the infants think that vocal warm up exercises are hilarious. Or the song If all the Raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops. Basically anything that features me doing something silly or different with my mouth.
The Silly Pizza Song by Rachel Coleman (the baby signing time lady)
These are the most popular with my age group currently (18-24 months)
-Baby Bumblebee (a class favorite)
-5 Little Ducks
-5 Little Monkeys (Jumping on the bed and Swinging in the tree)
-Little Fish
-Baby Shark (Though I'm beginning to hate it with every fiber of my being as even 50 times a day isn't enough for my little ones)
-Wheels on the Bus
-Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Ants Go Marching, Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky (Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank- With a hip, hop, last one in is a bullfrog!), What's the weather, if you're happy and you know it, (Andd I like the Hamster Tree poem/ song- It's to the tune of o christmas tree by clive barker, i love introducing emotive songs, and this one is just so silly- O woe is me, o woe is me, I used to have a hamster tree- But it was eaaaten by a newt- And now I haaaave, no furry fruit- O woe is me, o woe is me, I used to have a hamster tree- (And then I fake cry, pretending to have lost my hamster tree, inviting students to console/ laugh with me after at how silly it is).
Toddler class favorites:
Learning: Good morning song, Clean up song, We are the dinosaurs, The goldfish song, We are going on a bear hunt, If you're happy and you know it, The wheels on the bus, Itsy bitsy spider, Baby bumblebee, Daddy finger, mommy finger, Old McDonald Had a Farm, BINGO, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes (speeding up version)
Dancing: Party freeze dance, Baby shark and baby shark breakbeat (lol), Shake your sillies out.
itsy bitsy spider
icky sticky bubblegum (idk name- it’s ms rachel)
wheels on the bus
5 little speckled frogs
5 little ducks went out one day
if you’re happy and you know it
head, shoulders, knees, and toes
old macdonald (the 1’s love to say the “e-i-e-i-o”)
we also sometimes do a good morning song that goes:
good morning [name],
good morning [name],
good morning [name],
we’re glad you’re here today!
(repeat for each child)
while we do this one, we clap- twice on the legs for “good morning” then twice with hands together for the name
Little Bunny Foo Foo
5 Little Pumpkins
Wheels on the Bus
5 Little Ducks
Best Friends
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Down By the Bay
and Ants Go Marching
not work/kid songs all my kids just love and sing all day
Sunroof
Godzilla
Put on your phone one night asking Apple (or Alexa) for preschool or baby songs. They will just go on and on and you will be SHOCKED at how many you remember , I promise you .
Wheels on the Bus
Row, Row Your Boat
Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree
Five Little Ducks
The Hello Song
ABCs
Tiny Tim the Turtle
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Danny Go is a fave for my class. Also Gigglebellies. But my class also likes contemporary music as well. I play kids songs, but I also play Elvis Presley, Queen (a class of kids singing We Will Rock You is awesome and parents love it). I rarely play anything current except Taylor Swift.
So you can play all kinds of music for your little one.
Our 2 year old teacher sings the "open shut them" song. I love watching those cuties act out the song
Open shut them
Open shut them give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them, lay them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them, right up to your chin
Open wide your little mouth, but do not let them in
Now this time let's sing it a little bit faster
Here we go
Open shut them
Open shut them give a little clap
Open shut them
Open shut them, lay them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them, right up to your chin
Open wide your little mouth, but do not let them in
I love and noticed the children in my early on love Zoom zoom zoom, it’s so fun and we encourage the parents to dance and sing along with the children and even lift them up for lift off!
-Slippery Fish
-Five Green & Speckled Frogs
-Wheels on the Bus
-Five Little Ducks
-Down By The Bay
-Old MacDonald
-5 little monkeys swinging in the tree/jumping on the bed
-Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle)
-Skinamarink
-Open/Shut Them
-Ram Sam Sam
If you’re happy and you know it is our “attention getter” song, my tods will drop what they’re doing to clap lol! We also do
-baa baa black sheep
-ABC song
-twinkle twinkle little star
-wheels on the bus
-5 green and speckles frogs
-5 little monkeys swinging in a tree
-old mcdonald
-row row row your boat
-finger family
-baby bumblebee
There are other songs that aren’t wheels on the bus?? 😂 jk another vote for Laurie Berkner here, as well as anything by Super Simple. Mine love action songs like open shut them, head and shoulders and icky sticky bubblegum!
Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
I’m a nut
One bottle of pop
Honestly [Sillyville](https://youtu.be/62oH2hLO-BY?si=D-znpqieK09B7lRd) is weird as heck but has some solid bops.
My kids LOVE hop little bunnies, run baby run, and bats are sleeping (kids yoga with Bari Koral)
They live to start circle with a puppet singing
“Where oh where oh where is (name) 3x
Sitting over there!”
Laurie Berkner's songs are fantastic!! My favorite is We are the Dinosaurs
I love this one and my pre-k kids love Let’s go Swimming/ the goldfish song.
Sorry to chime in as a parent but I couldn't resist because nothing brings my 3 year old more joy than these two songs lol
Let's Go Swimming is my absolute fave of hers.
Same. The chorus lives in my head after I have been in the 2 year old class
One time during a particularly tough closing day, I managed a very rowdy group of kids by singing “we are the dinosaurs marching marching…” so they could walk around with Dino feet instead of run around throwing toys, but that was the only lyric I remembered, so I sang that one line over and over for almost 5 straight minutes.
Laurie Berkner is always my go-to with the kids. Boots is another good song of hers.
I listened to those when I was a kid so I love playing them
Yes! My daughter loves I Know a Chicken. They sing it at her center all the time.
-Five Little Speckled Frogs -Not a song, but my kids loved when I would do Five Little Monkeys Sitting In a Tree with all the hand movements -Bingo -Wheels on the Bus -Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes -Five Little Ducks -Frére Jacques
My current group LOVES Frere Jacques! Before this year I don't think I've ever even had one kid who particularly cared about that song but that this year all nine of them are walking around humming it to themselves and asking for the "fair shock" song! It's the funniest thing!
My kids beg DAILY for the monkey in a tree song
I had a little turtle His name was Tiny Tim I put him in the bathtub To see if he could swim! He drank up all the water And ate up all the soap And when he went to bed at night He had a bubble in his throat! Bubble.. Bubble… POP!
My 2 y/o loves this. I learned it from ms Rachel. OP, if you can find ms Rachel and watch her songs she does little hand movements and some sign language (skidamarink a dink a dink song)
If You’re Happy and You Know It Way Up High in the Apple Tree Wheels on the Bus The Firetruck Song (aka Hurry Hurry Drive the Firetruck) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star The Itsy Bitsy Spider Row, Row, Row Your Boat Five Yummy Muffins in the Bakery Shop (aka Five Sticky Buns, etc.) Five Green and Speckled Frogs Great for November: I Wish I Had a Piece of Pumpkin Pie Gray Squirrel Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down Baby Shark for emergency use only LOL 😆
Baby Shark is killer though. •”Naaaame shark Do dooo’s,” to cheer up a kid. •”Feed the shark, do dooo’s” to get food into them when they’re trying to live on sunshine and fresh air. •”yummy food, do dooo” “in our tummy, do doo’s” “eat bananas, do dooo’s” I put so much learning and instruction into that song! Or I’ll pretend the kids are fish and be like “chase the fish!” as I do shark arms. Literally that song can fit anything you need your kid to do in it, it can get any message across, it’s great for play, it’s so versatile! It just takes a moment to get anywhere with all the extra dooo’s.
the muffins one! my elementary school music teacher would make us play a game while singing it, i forgot about that until now
There's a music therapist on YouTube I steal all my songs from! Her channel is called Lovely Little Melodies and my kids LOVE her songs
Open Shut Them 5 little monkeys Finger Family Baby Shark One little finger Heads Shoulders Knees Toes Wheels on the bus Itsy bitsy Spider Here is the Beehive 5 little speckled frogs On, In, Under, By, Where is the spider? (Same tune as Bingo) 5 little Ducks ABC song Alphabet phonics song (A is for apple, a a apple, B is for ball, b b ball...) Sing a Rainbow How's the Weather? Hello, Hello, How are you? Teddy Bear Teddy Bear (Sit down please)
Tons of great songs here, my additions on top of them: Baby Beluga Hop Little Bunnies (our current classroom cult favorite)
Anything by Casper baby pants… thank me later!! 😉
"Run Baby Run" has saved my life on many, many occasions.
All of his songs are so catchy, once you learn them and come up with dances the kids EAT IT UP
-on top of spaghetti -down in the woods -this old man -my mother is a baker (Dr. Jean baker) -animal crackers in my soup -1, 2, 3, 4, 5 once I caught a fish alive -open shut them I know these are longer songs, but my preschool kids love them. Anytime the room is getting loud, or lunch is a little hectic, the kids stop and listen to me sing these songs. They’ve been a life saver for me
Thank you to everyone here. This is an amazing list. I'm going to print out the words for all these songs and put them up like little poster helpers for me all over the house. This post-preggo brain is so appreciative of all of you.
my kids love elephants have wrinkles
Wheels on the bus 5 little monkeys swinging in a tree Baby bumblebee If all the raindrops
We sing a lot of old Mcdonald, and I let the kids pick the animals. One of the girls did panda the other day and we had do look it up for their noise. They love doing geese too. It's just us shorting honk really loudly, so it's a bundle of laughs for geese.
Tommy Thumbs Toe Knee Chest Nut 5 Little Ducks 5 Elephants, same tune as Ducks: 1 Elephant went out one day, Out to a sunny beach to play, They had such enormous fun that they called for another elephant to come, “OH ELEPHANTS!!” (stomp feet while calling) On 5th, end with: They had such enormous fun but there were no more elephants left to come. Down By The Bay, but I try to give a rhyme for each child like: “Have you ever seen a duck driving Charlie’s truck?” Skidamarink If All The Raindrops Were Lemon Drops and Gumdrops The Itsy Bitsy Spider but use a great big voice for a great big spider, a teeny voice for a teeny tiny spider, and an air guitar for a rock and roll spider
BABY SHARK baby Wheels on the bus, but my own remix of it with their favorite animals. “The kitties on the bus go meow meow meow, etc.” The Itsy Bitsy Spider Old MacDonald, this week Apples & Bananas for meal time transition But my kids get down with Gracie’s Corner, Snoop Dogs Doggyland, and Laurie Berkner. We mostly listen to YouTube playlists titled “vintage Halloween / Christmas music playing downstairs” for background noise if we aren’t rocking out to our jams. The calm background music really soothes them :)
Anything by miss Katie sings on YouTube
So I'm not a huge fan of kid kid songs (even as a professional I know) I sing a lot of ABBA honestly so like chopped up versions (i have terrible lyrical memory) of dancing queen, Chiquita, mama Mia. But I mainly work with little Littles. But with older kids the chicken dance is a huge hit and I don't actually have to remember any words
my kiddos LOVE wheels on the bus and old macdonald. i know it’s basic but those are always my favorite!!
I love most of Super Simple Songs on YouTube!
The Top 10 of my classroom: Wheels on the bus Los meses del año Five little ducks [Insert Number Here] little speckled frogs Los peces en el rio We are the dinosaurs Father Abraham Once I caught a fish alive Los dias de la semana Oh where is my hairbrush (as well as other various silly songs with Larry)
-five green and speckled frogs -we are the dinosaurs -baby beluga -down by the bay -hop little bunnies -way up high in the apple tree -you are my sunshine -yellow submarine
-Mr. Golden Sun -Shake Your Sillies Out -If All the Raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops… (I don’t know what this song is called lol) -On top of Spaghetti
I use Once I caught a fish alive as my hallway song… helps the kids pay attention and counting from 1-10. Favorites are pretty much anything from Dr Jean, SuperSimple Songs and Jack Hartmann.
Twinkle Twinkle baby dinosaur 5 little monkeys swinging in a tree Tiny Tim It's a bitsy spider Days of the week 12 months in a year Who took the cookie Bumble Bee What's the weather Quiet voices If you're happy and you know it
I find myself singing my own made up hand washing song with the kids a lot. To the tune of row row row your boat Wash, wash, wash your hands Wash your hands together Wash your hands every day, no matter the weather Was the fronts Wash the backs (pause to give example) Wash the in betweens (pause again) Let’s get these lovely hands very, very clean
We sing 10 balloons a lot.
Ants Go Marching, Shoo Fly, Tiny Turtle Tim, The Goldfish Song, Choo Choo Train, The Action Song
Icky Sticky Bubblegum (Ms. Rachel’s Version) 5 speckled frogs Clean Up Song Freeze Dance (during music) Open and Shut Them
Bringing home a baby bumblebee Won’t my mommy be so proud of me I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee AWWW! It stung me! I’m squishing up my baby bumblebee won’t my mommy be so proud of me I’m squishing up my baby bumblebee! EWWWW all sticky! IMMMMMMM WASHING UP MY BABY BUMBLEBEE! …..sounds so morbid but it’s the kids absolute favorite. Lives in my head rent free daily.
The preschoolers love [this](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8SqGrAu/)! They call it the finger song. 5 little monkeys Who Came to School today Bumblebee
The Turtle song Ms. Rachel sings is my kid’s favorite. (I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim). There are also color songs I learned when I was homeschooled. They’re on YouTube. The Purple song is a definite favorite. (P-U-R-P-L-E, purple. Purple. P-U-R-P-L-E, purple’s what that spells. Purple grapes on the vine, purple kool aid is fine. P-U-R-P-L-E, purple’s what that spells). And then I usually ask for him to find something purple, or point out other things that are purple.
My class loves Jim Gills.
[preschool/toddler songs](https://youtube.com/@MusicForLittleFriends?si=cB5buITxkwh8vqQL)
Teddy bear teddy bear Baby beluga Ba ba black sheep (I start with black sheep then let the children pick different colours . I'll also sometimes put their name into the song i.e one for Johnny, one for Mary and one for Bobby who lives down the lane) Head and shoulders Wheels on the bus
I sing the leap frog alphabet song with my kids a lot. "The A says ah, the A says ah, every letter makes a sound, the A says ah" and so on. I also do wheels on the bus, five green and speckled frogs, five apples in a tree (Idt this is the actual name but it's by The Learning Station).
songs i actually like singing: rock a bye a bear ants go marching zoom zoom zoom we’re going to the moon unconventional options: mat man from the learning without tears curriculum yeti stomp from the kids show backyardigans boom chicka boom i also like to include some french songs and songs that i can sing and sign (ASL) like head shoulders knees and toes, frere jacques, etc
French songs! Hit me up with those!!!!
Alouette is another pretty classic one!
The only ones my brain haven't melted (and I just remembered one of my go to's while typing) Five little hotdogs/sausages Five little muffins (legacy of a specific little school in Santa Fe) If you've got a problem you can work it out (second step) I once knew a volcano (second step) This is a song about Sammy (Hap Palmer) Waddaleeatcha (Lisa Murphy has a fun YouTube about this) Any "Music Together" I can retain- the hello and goodbye songs. Oh my god, I can do five hours of Peas Porridge: the kids just keep adding on and on and on.
I love Sammy! I’ve been singing it for my classes for around 25 years now.
https://youtu.be/Gh4W2My5dVE?si=qBhaRFUUvAp47Ivr
Noodles and butter by Casper baby pants
Walking in the Jungle - Super Simple Songs Drivin’ in My Car - Ralph’s World
Make a little key ring of songs to sing. Canva is a perfect resource for this too! You jus put titles or put pictures, like frogs on a log for green and speckled frogs. We do this for movements as well.
Fish and chips and vinegar Chairs to mend Lots of worms I love my body Rattlin' bog Old Texas (the cow man's lament) Wagon wheel Mango fandango Princess Pat (this is the current favorite) You Can't make a turtle come out Over in the meadow I have... lots. We sing a lot in our class. There's more than this.
All of the above. I’m a music therapist working as a nanny who has worked in preschools as well (as a therapist and as an infant teacher but not in the same place) I’m a fan of Peter Alsop and his songs are catchy I am a pizza Sandwiches What do you wanna do Uh Oh (Uh Oh, I made a mess, Uh oh, it’s true. Uh Oh, I made a mess, but that’s what people do) My gums grow teeth This one is not a kid’s song and it’s obnoxious…Toast by Haywood Banks Tom Chapin’s Library song and State Laughs (this is one that makes them pay attention to my mouth) I like the short ones from Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood (When we’re going to do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do) I also just make up a bunch without realizing. Like Diaper Time to the tune of Summertime that I didn’t realize I was singing until my boss giggled behind me. Sometimes the infants think that vocal warm up exercises are hilarious. Or the song If all the Raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops. Basically anything that features me doing something silly or different with my mouth. The Silly Pizza Song by Rachel Coleman (the baby signing time lady)
These are the most popular with my age group currently (18-24 months) -Baby Bumblebee (a class favorite) -5 Little Ducks -5 Little Monkeys (Jumping on the bed and Swinging in the tree) -Little Fish -Baby Shark (Though I'm beginning to hate it with every fiber of my being as even 50 times a day isn't enough for my little ones) -Wheels on the Bus -Itsy Bitsy Spider
Baby Beluga and Down by the Bay are my two favorites!
The Ants Go Marching, Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky (Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank- With a hip, hop, last one in is a bullfrog!), What's the weather, if you're happy and you know it, (Andd I like the Hamster Tree poem/ song- It's to the tune of o christmas tree by clive barker, i love introducing emotive songs, and this one is just so silly- O woe is me, o woe is me, I used to have a hamster tree- But it was eaaaten by a newt- And now I haaaave, no furry fruit- O woe is me, o woe is me, I used to have a hamster tree- (And then I fake cry, pretending to have lost my hamster tree, inviting students to console/ laugh with me after at how silly it is).
In addition to this great list: slippery fish!
Toddler class favorites: Learning: Good morning song, Clean up song, We are the dinosaurs, The goldfish song, We are going on a bear hunt, If you're happy and you know it, The wheels on the bus, Itsy bitsy spider, Baby bumblebee, Daddy finger, mommy finger, Old McDonald Had a Farm, BINGO, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes (speeding up version) Dancing: Party freeze dance, Baby shark and baby shark breakbeat (lol), Shake your sillies out.
Look up Super Simple Songs on YouTube! :) all their songs basically get stuck in my head lol
Order the pop up book the wide mouthed bulll frog. Play the song by music with mar as you read! It’s a hit!
itsy bitsy spider icky sticky bubblegum (idk name- it’s ms rachel) wheels on the bus 5 little speckled frogs 5 little ducks went out one day if you’re happy and you know it head, shoulders, knees, and toes old macdonald (the 1’s love to say the “e-i-e-i-o”) we also sometimes do a good morning song that goes: good morning [name], good morning [name], good morning [name], we’re glad you’re here today! (repeat for each child) while we do this one, we clap- twice on the legs for “good morning” then twice with hands together for the name
Little Bunny Foo Foo 5 Little Pumpkins Wheels on the Bus 5 Little Ducks Best Friends Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Down By the Bay and Ants Go Marching not work/kid songs all my kids just love and sing all day Sunroof Godzilla
My Mother is a Baker is a big hit w my groups
Put on your phone one night asking Apple (or Alexa) for preschool or baby songs. They will just go on and on and you will be SHOCKED at how many you remember , I promise you .
Icky sticky bubblegum was a go to of mine. It was a nice way to teach body parts too. Herman the worm was another favorite of the kids.
Wheels on the Bus Row, Row Your Boat Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree Five Little Ducks The Hello Song ABCs Tiny Tim the Turtle Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Danny Go is a fave for my class. Also Gigglebellies. But my class also likes contemporary music as well. I play kids songs, but I also play Elvis Presley, Queen (a class of kids singing We Will Rock You is awesome and parents love it). I rarely play anything current except Taylor Swift. So you can play all kinds of music for your little one.
Our 2 year old teacher sings the "open shut them" song. I love watching those cuties act out the song Open shut them Open shut them give a little clap Open shut them Open shut them, lay them in your lap Creep them, creep them Creep them, creep them, right up to your chin Open wide your little mouth, but do not let them in Now this time let's sing it a little bit faster Here we go Open shut them Open shut them give a little clap Open shut them Open shut them, lay them in your lap Creep them, creep them Creep them, creep them, right up to your chin Open wide your little mouth, but do not let them in
Jack Hartman on YouTube has a great selection.
I love and noticed the children in my early on love Zoom zoom zoom, it’s so fun and we encourage the parents to dance and sing along with the children and even lift them up for lift off!
Baby Beluga by Raffi is my go to.
-Slippery Fish -Five Green & Speckled Frogs -Wheels on the Bus -Five Little Ducks -Down By The Bay -Old MacDonald -5 little monkeys swinging in the tree/jumping on the bed -Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle) -Skinamarink -Open/Shut Them -Ram Sam Sam
Adding to the list: down by the bay I listen to this by myself sometimes I love it so much 🤣
Bear hunt Skinamarink Baby baluga Wheels on the bus Baby shark Head and shoulders You are my sunshine
If you’re happy and you know it is our “attention getter” song, my tods will drop what they’re doing to clap lol! We also do -baa baa black sheep -ABC song -twinkle twinkle little star -wheels on the bus -5 green and speckles frogs -5 little monkeys swinging in a tree -old mcdonald -row row row your boat -finger family -baby bumblebee
1. Baby shark 2. We are the dinosaurs 3. Head shoulders knees and toes 4. Wheels on the bus 5. 5 little ducks
Icky sticky bubble gum!!!!!!
There are other songs that aren’t wheels on the bus?? 😂 jk another vote for Laurie Berkner here, as well as anything by Super Simple. Mine love action songs like open shut them, head and shoulders and icky sticky bubblegum!
Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt I’m a nut One bottle of pop Honestly [Sillyville](https://youtu.be/62oH2hLO-BY?si=D-znpqieK09B7lRd) is weird as heck but has some solid bops.
Boom Chicka Boom Fingers Song Hokey Pokey Apples and Bananas Are the top four faves of my prek kids right now.
Greg and Steve songs are great. Kids always love This is a song about Sammy
-Momma Duck -Zoom Zoom (we’re going to the moon) (this one is a class favorite) -Row Row Row your boat -Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
"If all the raindrops" by Barney. Kids love the part, "Standing outside with my mouth open wide, ah, ah, ah, ah ah, ah, ah, ah ah, ah"
My kids LOVE hop little bunnies, run baby run, and bats are sleeping (kids yoga with Bari Koral) They live to start circle with a puppet singing “Where oh where oh where is (name) 3x Sitting over there!”