My oldest daughter just started Kindergarten. In preparation, we attended an annual program held at the kid’s museum in our area. Even though I’ve chosen to homeschool my daughter, I still wanted her to participate in the program for the day.
The staff encouraged the kids to get their own library card. They attended a morning circle group. They participated in PE class. They rode a school bus. They went through a lunch line and recycled their trays. They participated in various Science experiments. And they received a lot of information about staying active.
I especially appreciated the information encouraging parents and teachers to use music in keeping kids active and moving. Numerous studies support the value of music in education. We know that it improves brain function, early learning, and other thinking skills. It’s invaluable for young minds in an academic, physical, and emotional way. For excellent articles on the value of music see here and here.
Of course, we understand the importance of staying active too. We as parents don’t need to rely on Physical Education or Extracurricular activities at school to foster a healthy active lifestyle in our children. It’s a gift we give them to encourage their early, natural inclination for healthy activity. It benefits their mental health, as well as their immediate and long-term physical health.
Below, I’ve shared a list of fun songs so you can incorporate music with movement in your family. I definitely intend to use these songs throughout our school days and weeks to keep my girls active. It’s recommended by the American Heart Association to give your children at least 60 minutes of activity per day.
As a homeschooling mom, I think incorporating music and motion in 15-minute increments four times a day is an excellent way to transition between the learning activities throughout the day. And it’s a fun way to reduce sedentary time. You can read more about the benefits of exercise for children here.
Here is a list of 50 Songs to ACTIVEate Your Children. I’ve provided a link to the digital music on Amazon where available. Some songs are free, some are free with Amazon PRIME, the others are typically under a dollar. You may recognize some of these songs from Story-Time at your local Library if so, you’ll understand these songs are largely meant to appeal to young children and will either promote movement through storytelling, exercise or motivation to dance. This is not fine classical music. 🙂
- YMCA
- Hokey Pokey
- Wheels on the Bus
- Shake your Sillies Out
- Ring Around the Roses
- Penguin Salute
- Sid Shuffle
- Peanut Butter Jelly Time
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- I Gota Feeling
- If You’re a Kid
- Going on a Bear Hunt
- I like to Move It (from Madagascar)
- Ice Cream and Cake
- Disco Duck
- Walk Like A Dinosaur
- Chicken Dance
- The Twist
- Twist and Shout
- Macarana
- My Whole Body Can Move
- The Duck Song
- Move to the Sounds
- Bear’s Now Asleep
- Jump Shake And Move
- Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
- 5 Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed
- The Gingerbread Man
- Clap Your Hands
- Stomp Clap
- Act it Out!!
- Pop Goes the Weasel
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- Skidamarink
- Move It!! To The Music
- Pizza Dance
- Apples & Bananas
- The Crazy Frogs – The Ding Dong Song
- London Bridge is Falling Down
- Locomotion
- Shout!
- The Bunny Hop
- Limbo Rock
- Hot, Hot, Hot
- Cha Cha Slide
- The Train
- Cupid Shuffle
- Dalmation Disco
- Pink Elephants On Parade
Want to have this list on hand to reference through the school day or take this list to the store? Click the box below.
There are different types of music appropriate for different types of activities, learning and retention being one. I’ll expound on this in a different article in the near future. 🙂
P.S. What is your child’s favorite song to dance to?
