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Song Ideas for Kids

Kids love to sing and dance, and music has been proven to be beneficial to a child's development, especially when interactive elements are involved. Here are a few songs that have fun and educational interactive elements that both parents and kids are sure to enjoy.
  1. Apples and Bananas

    • This fun, fruit-filled song starts off with the lyrics "I like to eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas," then moves on to "I like to ate, ate, ate ay-pples and ba-nay-nays," and so on with the rest of the long vowel sounds. Turn this song into an alphabet game by making flashcards with the letters A, E, I, O and U on them and have your kids direct the song by choosing a letter and singing the corresponding lyrics.

    Five Little Monkeys

    • The lyrics of this song begin with "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, 'No more monkeys jumping on the bed!'" and then repeat with four little monkeys, three little monkeys and so on. Have your kids hold up the correct number of fingers as they sing along to each verse.

    Down by the Bay

    • This song features the lyrics "Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, back to my home, I dare not go, for if I do, my mother will say, 'Did you ever see a whale with a great big tail, down by the bay?'" The verse then repeats, with the mother's line changing each time to, for example, "Did you ever see a bee with a sunburned knee, down by the bay?" or "Did you ever see a goose kissing a moose, down by the bay?" Sing these verses with your kids and then let them come up with their own rhyming ones.

    Open Them, Shut Them

    • This song is fun to sing and features an interactive element throughout. The lyrics are as follows: "Open them, shut them, open them, shut them, give a little clap. Open them, shut them, open them, shut them, fold them in your lap." Have your kids open and shut their hands, clap and fold their hands in their lap along with the lyrics. Then come up with your own lyrics, having the kids put their hands on their nose, toes, ears and more.

    The Wheels on the Bus

    • Sing along to the lyrics, "The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town," having your kids move their hands in a circular motion to mimic that of the wheels. Then move on to the lyrics that correspond to other parts of the bus: the wipers on the bus go "swish, swish, swish," the door on the bus goes "open and shut," the horn on the bus goes "beep, beep, beep," the baby on the bus says, "wah, wah, wah," and the mommy on the bus says, "shh, shh, shh." Have your kids come up with corresponding movements for each new sound and then make up a few lines of their own.

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