fAVORITE TODDLER SONGS
WRITTEN BY CHRISTIE ANDREASSI
HAPPY FEET SUFFOLK--THE HAPPY MOM BLOG
What songs on your Spotify are regularly played? While mildly inappropriate, in our house we often get toddler requests for Uptown Funk, Who Let the Dogs Out, and We Will Rock You. However, we have some nursery school favorites too. These are our favorites, but not just because of their catchy tunes. These songs hold educational value, and I’d bet your favorites do too!
1. Wheels on the Bus: There’s no denying this song is on repeat in our household. As a teacher/mom I love this song because it describes functionality of the different parts of the bus, and associates abstract hand motions with the functions of the school bus. I love letting my son pick the next thing on the bus to sing about. We have a toy bus at home and as we play we will often sing. This song encourages inquisitive thinking, descriptive language, and onomatopoeias (words to describe sounds). Our favorite version of this song is by Toddler Tunes. It’s a basic version of this song, but I personally love that the adults on the bus are just called “Parents.” Here’s a link to our toy school bus, too!
2. Five Little Monkeys: What a fun song that sends such a great message! All that jumping and climbing on things could cost you a boo-boo! We’ve sang this song since my son was about 1, and now, at 2.5yrs I love to pause for the “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!” and let my son fill in that part. We use fingers to represent the numbers as they go down, and of course a hand as a telephone supporting counting skills and imaginary play. This one isn’t on a playlist because we love singing it ourselves! How cute are these finger puppets to help you act it out at home?
3. The Goldfish Song by Laurie Berkner Band: We love acting this one out, and using logic to remember why it’s so silly for fish to be brushing their teeth or riding their bike. The movement paired with music is a great way to get active, and the repetitive lyrics make it easy for your toddler to follow along after just hearing it once or twice.
We love using all these songs in class too, but at home they are just as good!