I try to expose my kids to all types of music. In the age of internet radio, it’s so easy to pick a genre and see what happens. On any given day, my kitchen may be filled with the sounds of rock, bluegrass, jazz, reggae, classical, or music from regions all over the world. Still, I do get requests for music that fits firmly into the category of American kid music.
The upside is that the lyrics of American kid music are safe for little ones and seem to pacify my toddler on his rowdiest of days. The downside is this stuff can be really tough for adults to listen to day in and day out. Many of the songs are repetitive with overly-charismatic singers chuckling every few seconds. You also find compilations of children singing regular pop music, which drives me bananas. It’s edited for content, but I still feel uneasy when I hear a little girl singing Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle.” Or, if your children are like mine, they get hooked on a movie soundtrack (for us it’s Cars and Cars 2). I don’t care if it has pop music mixed in with the movie score. There is a limit on the number of times I can listen to “”Route 66” or Finn McMissile’s theme music.
Thankfully, in recent years there has been a swell of great kid music in the US. These are songs geared towards children but made intentionally to be fun for all ages. Members of bands whose genre is not kid music have become parents and released kid friendly albums that they would want to hear. The variety is amazing, and you no longer have decide between Barney or Raffi (no offense to Raffi…the man works hard and children love him. It’s just nice to have more options).
Here is a list of my top 10 favorite kid songs:
“Frogs” by Caspar Babypants: From the President of the USA front man Chris Ballew, this song is good fun. And if you get to see him live at one of his kid shows, he often ends with this while jumping off of something.
“Why Does the Sun Shine?” by They Might Be Giants: In the thick of the dark, gray Pacific Northwest winters, this high power rock song gets us all up dancing and thinking of brighter days to come.
“See You on the Moon” by Great Lake Swimmers: This song brings you back to daydreaming about what you may want to be when you grow up. I’m still trying to figure it out, so I always catch myself humming along.
“I’m Me” by Charlie Hope: A wonderful self-affirmation song, celebrating the limitless power of each individual.
“We’re Going to be Friends”: Take your pick of the original version by The White Stripes or Jack Johnson’s cover. Invoking nostalgia, this song perfectly captures the feeling of heading out for the start of school year and making that special connection with someone.
“The Disappointing Pancake” by Lisa Loeb: Sometimes you can’t do the things you set out to do, but your story isn’t over, as shown in this tale of an inedible pancake that made an impact in other ways. The point is to keep looking for your talents. We all have them.
“Bad Day” by Barenaked Ladies: A ballad of sorts about a kid who feels rejected and is bumming out in his room until his dad gives him a pep talk. Kid music is usually “up.” I like that this explores the naturalness of feeling low, and I like that it’s the dad who comes in to make an emotional connection.
“When One Became Two” by The Verve Pipe: Tracing a family through various stages, this song makes you ponder the days that have passed and the days still to come. They start with a union between two people, cover the birth of twins plus a few more, and end with the announcement of the grandchildren. I choke up every time.
“Where’s the Music?” by Medeski, Martin & Wood: This is just a straight up, ripping jazz song.
“Conjunction Junction” from Schoolhouse Rock: As an American who grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons in the 1980’s, I have to pull out some Schoolhouse Rock. You can’t beat a groovy grammar lesson.
Of course, nothing’s better for me than when my sons perform their own concerts. Jingle Bells is a crowd favorite any time of the year.
What type of music fills your home? How do you find music that the whole family can enjoy?
This has been an original post to World Moms Blog by Tara B. of Washington (State) USA.
Credit of the righteous photo goes to the author.
Oh we listen to all sorts too, Tara! We had one morning where we went from The Gypsy Kings to Red Hot Chillie Peppers to Mozart and then on to Johnny Clegg….our boys love different genres too and I am so pleased that they aren’t hooked only into the stuff on commercial radio. Love that you listed a whole heap of music you recommend. 😀
I like your style, Karyn! I think switching it up is so much fun.
Tara, The 3 of us have no similar taste in music. That’s one sore spot when we tune in to the FM while we are in the car. We all have a fight, and finally my son turns it off! And we all sulk!!!
But I always hop on to WMB when it is your day to see your pictures, more than the post!! Ha ha!! I always find your pics lifting up my mood. You did not disappoint me today either 🙂
Thank for you chiming in and for your praise of my pics! We go through our share of radio arguing too. In the end of the day, Mom still has control of the dial, though ;-).
It’s great to expose your kids to a wide variety of music when they’re small. I actually sang the same lullaby to my unborn baby every day for the last 2 months or so of my pregnancy. She really seemed to recognize it and be soothed by it immediately after birth. 🙂
My kids are respectively 20 and 17 years old now and (unlike some of their peers) still enjoy everything from Classical music to Heavy Metal! What really amazed my husband and I, though, is that a lot of their favourites are songs from the 80s! We went to a live show in which they only did covers of 80s hits and all of us had a wonderful time. We were really surprised by how many of the lyrics our daughter knew off by heart and the gusto with which she sang along.
Moments like those create the best memories, because there’s nothing like music to transport back to a particular time, place and event. 🙂
I love hearing about your kids, Simona. The story of singing to your baby is so sweet. And hearing how you all can enjoy a show together….with 80’s music, no less….gives me hope for the years to come. Thank you for commenting.
I love that picture Tara! Your son is an adorable rock star! 🙂 We also listen to loads of different kinds of music. For instance boh kids (who are similar in age to yours) were singing Weezer last week, and my son played Black Eyed Peas all evening last night, while my dough tear hums the Nutcracker suite all the time (and will tell you it’s her favorite if you ask her). Something you should look into for great
“kids” music though is Putayamo CDs. My favorite is their World Playground CD. They have great songs in every language! It’s one CD that we can all agree to. 😀
Putayamo is fabulous! And how fun that your kids go from Weezer to the Nutcracker. Thank you for the remarks on the photo and for commenting
Rock on! I love that so many of my favorites – They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, Lisa Loeb – have been making music for kids. My kids listen to everything in our collection (and we bought ourselves about 10 years by simply telling them that the Violent Femmes were singing “Why can’t I get just one truck?”). I also have two friends who are actually making fabulous children’s music: 1) Dave Poche with the Imagination Movers (great New Orleans-infused music, in spite of Disney) and 2) Ivar Nergaard, who has a fabulous Norwegian children’s CD about a boy named Mulle Miktor http://www.amazon.com/Mulle-Miktor-Sangen/dp/B001TU3YOO
You know the Imagination Movers personally ?!?! I’m so star struck via your comment right now 😉 And you Violent Femmes comment made me laugh out loud. I should also note a great group in NYC making jazzy kids music under the name King Pajama: http://www.kingpajama.com/
I was doing so well with my first kids with the children’s songs in French. Then, I seemed to rebel after I had my younger daughter, and we only listened to mommy music in the car. Now, we just listen to the soundtrack from Lion King 1 and 1/2. We have been slacking in the music department, recently. We used to do mommy and daughter dance nights, and put on music and dance our hearts out. I have to bring that back!
Thanks for the list, Tara!!
Jen 🙂
I love the idea of dance nights! I will fit that into our weekend.
Love the list Tara, thanks for sharing – and that picture rocks!
Our girls listen to anything we listen to (which runs a wide range). I love when they can identify the singer or song just with the opening!
A couple of times of week we have a pre-bedtime dance party. Each one gets to pick three songs that we dance to. The oldest has gotten really interested in Stevie Wonder lately and the youngest keeps asking for Hall & Oates. It’s so fun to see/hear their musical palates develop!
I love that your kids are developing their favorites! So fun. I get a kick out of my sons recognizing a son and artist that isn’t “kid” music. For example, they really love Paul Simon’s Graceland album. Thanks for your comments, Eva!
By me, the downside is the fact that my seven year old knows all the words to all the songs that her older siblings listen to….
That’s a good point! My son was singing a song and dancing the other day, and the lyrics were completely inappropriate. He said a friend at school sings the song. I asked him if he knew what the words meant, which he didn’t, and I explained that they were using some grown up words in the song that weren’t quite right for him. But I let him know he didn’t do anything wrong, just asked him to be aware and ask if he doesn’t know what something means.
Thanks for your comments, Susie!