The Actual List of Songs
Below you will find the list of the 30 songs preschoolers and toddlers actually like. You will also find the videos and why we like the songs. We also have a Youtube playlist of the 30 songs preschoolers like!
Less Popular Songs
- Tap Your Sticks
- Tooty Ta Song
- S.T.A.R. Song
- Listen and Move
- Did You Feed My Cow
- Sleeping Bunnies
- Shake Your Shaker Eggs
- Hurry Hurry Drive the Fire Truck
- We are the Dinosaurs
Popular Songs
- Gummy Bear Song
- Going on a Bear Hunt
- Baby Shark
- Five Little Monkeys
- Freeze Dance
- Shake Your Sillies Out
Traditional Songs
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- Itsy Bitsy Spider
- The Wheels on the Bus
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
- Hokey Pokey
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
- Slippery Fish
- Chicken Dance
- Ants Go Marching One By One
- Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle)
- Five Little Ducks
- I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee
- I am a Pizza
- Bingo
Less Popular Songs Preschoolers and Toddlers Like
These are the songs I never heard of before becoming a preschool teacher, but your preschoolers and toddlers will like nonetheless. Don’t forget to check out the Lesser Known Songs playlist on Youtube!
1. Tap Your Sticks
Tap Your Sticks is a slow-paced song designed to help children learn prepositions (in and out), opposites (right and left), and body parts (knees). You may like this song if you need to help motivate your kids and want them to use their listening skills to learn what comes next. My students frequently ask for this song because they enjoy using the sticks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-UKTeWNgOk
Why It’s Good for Children
This song’s slow pace is particularly good for young and new students in a preschool classroom because it allows them to catch up with the rest of the class fairly easily. It teaches them listening skills and how to be attentive and follow along so they know what to do with their items. Kids will also learn fine motor skills by handling stick with their fingers and hands. They also use gross motor skills by waving the sticks up and down, and they can also do other movements such as sitting and standing.
Modifications
If you don’t have sticks, you can use almost anything laying around that are suitable for your students, such as rulers, markers, crayons, etc.
2. Tooty Ta Song
Children love the “Tooty Ta“ song because they are following the directions and know they can get it right. That makes them feel good about themselves.They giggle and laugh and enjoy seeing each other being goofy. They can also be competitive and will laugh and say, “Look! I did it!”
You may love this song because you see and know the children are having fun. They tease each other, especially when the teacher pretends they can’t do it correctly. This allows the children to say, “It is easy! You can do it!” This is a great way for the students to motivate each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea4TVg0_8Dk
Why It’s Good for Children
This song is great for children because they are using their listening skills, as well as learning their body parts. On top of that, the students are excited and are using their gross motor skills. It’s also good for children to know that the teacher are not always right and they can correct them.
Modifications
Some of the students don’t have those skills, but it is okay, because they can also point to their body parts, sit, or stand depending on their comfort level.
3. S.T.A.R. Song
Stop! Take a deep breath! And Relaaaaaaaaaax. We use this song at the end of the day to help relax the students and help them get ready to go home. Children love this song and they sing it loud and proud. Instead of singing, we also use this during circle time. It is one of the Conscious Discipline techniques used in Frog Street also known as one of the calming strategies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0NY4GHgyy4&t=16s
Why It’s Good for Children
This song teaches the students to take the time to think twice before making an impulsive decision. For example, students will STOP, THINK, BREATHE, AND (hopefully) MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.
Modifications
There are really no modifications. However, you can use this calming strategies throughout the day without singing. Instead of singing, just do the hand motions to indicate the different actions.
4. Listen and Move
This song alternates between a slow and fast tempo, where students’ movement matches the song. You may like this song if you enjoy having your students move around the room, tip-toeing one moment, and running the next.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24_xH5uvdA
Why It’s Good for Children
Children will use their imaginations with this song. When the song is slow they can pretend they’re tip-toeing somewhere they shouldn’t get caught. When the song is fast they can pretend they’re running around at the beach with their buddies.This allows the children to pay attention to their surroundings.
Modifications
The children can move about the classroom in a line or a circle. Slow movements may include tip-toeing, walking, making quiet gestures (ssshhhh!), and follow each other. Fast movements can include running, galloping, hopping and ice skating.
5. Did You Feed My Cow
This is a lazy song where students reply to questions the teacher is asking. Did you feed my cow? Yes, mam. You would think kids don’t like this song but they seem to respond well to how different it is from all of the other songs. Kids have fun pretending they’re working with animals!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjXJ1Q_VpfY
Why It’s Good for Children
Let’s face it. Not every song needs to be super hyped up and bursting with energy. We all like to take it easy sometimes. Kids do too.
Don’t forget to craft a cow with your kids!
6. Sleeping Bunnies
Children love this soothing and gentle nursery rhyme where they pretend to be bunnies. Consider adding this song to your playlist of soothing nursery rhymes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHcFQ9gaMF4
Why It’s Good for Children
It helps calm and relax children after an exciting activity. It also increases their vocabulary by learning to pair words with actions. For example, when the song says hop, the children will hop. When the song says it’s time to sleep, the children will pretend to sleep.
7. Shake Your Shaker Eggs
Kids love having a shaker prop along with this song. We use plastic easter egg with rice, beans, or any other noise maker inside, then we securely tape up the eggs. Kids will shake these eggs through out the whole song and be happy about it the entire time. Be careful, though. Kids will start to annoy their peers by shaking their eggs in each other’s faces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPrwQ9L42cs
Why It’s Good for Children
It teaches the children opposites, prepositions, and body parts. It also allows them to use their imagination. For example, shaking it like the sound of a train. This song also allows the children to be engaged, have fun and practice their large motor skills.
Modifications
Use any device that makes noise when children shake them. Try using rattles, bells, tambourines, etc for some extra noise!
Craft some eggs with your kids before you play this song!
8. Hurry Hurry Drive the Fire Truck
Children pretending to be important community helpers in our society is always a good thing. That’s exactly what Hurry Hurry Drive the Fire Truck does. You’ll enjoy seeing your kids strutting around pretending to put out fires!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3LZe7IoOo
Why It’s Good for Children
This song teaches students about safety. When there is a fire, you should pick up your phone and dial 911. It also allows students to pretend they are firemen who are rushing in the fire engine to put out a fire.
Modifications
A bell will totally entice and engage students to want to sing this song. Not only that, it will give a more lively sound effect to the song.
9. We Are the Dinosaurs
Many young children request for this song throughout the day, whether it is circle time or not. They enjoy marching in a circle, especially marching around the room as if they are in a dinosaur world. Just be careful when they scream out “WAKE UP” because it can get pretty loud!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82ooOpJLzr8
Why It’s Good for Children
We Are the Dinosaur allows children to pretend to be dinosaurs using their gross motor skills to march to the rhythm. It also allows young children to improve on their pretend skills such as eating, taking naps, and responding to sounds of noises.
Modifications
Children can put on dinosaur costumes or hold a dinosaur while singing and dancing to the song. Have the children march in a circle or around the open space area with adult supervision.
We also have a dinosaur craft you can make with your kids!
Popular Songs Preschoolers and Toddlers Like
These are the latest songs my students can’t stop talking about. Your preschoolers and toddlers will definitely like these songs. Forget it; they’ll love these songs! Don’t forget to check out the Popular Songs playlist on Youtube!
10. Gummy Bear Song
This is a simple song children love dancing to. There is not a whole lot of moral value behind. Just enjoy the giggling and smiling faces!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=astISOttCQ0
Why It’s Good for Children
Children love dancing to this song, especially jumping up and down and laughing around. This gives children an opportunity to increase their motor skills and being goofy and silly with one another.
Modifications
Provide instruments for the children to add more sounds to the environment.
11. Going on a Bear Hunt
Another song children are constantly asking for which I don’t know how to say, “No”. Every day the children wants to go out hunting for a bear. Why not? They are enjoying and having fun. The rhythm of the song is easy for children to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzIcu6tbEko
Why It’s Good for Children
Music and movement are a great way for children to learn. Children will learn a variety of prepositions and opposites along with motions as they are seeking out to find a bear. Going On A Bear Hunt gives children the opportunity to repeat the words which will improve their language skills along with their pronunciation.
Modifications
Children can march in a circle or around the room. Providing props for the children can make it exciting and real to the children’s eyes. For example, using paper tubes for binoculars.
12. Baby Shark
You probably already know this one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZsoesa55w
Why It’s Good for Children
Young children enjoy sitting down singing this song. This allows the children to be different types of sharks ( Baby, Mommy, Daddy, Grampa and Grandma).
Modifications
You may want to use different props for each shark. Instead of sitting, try having the children walk around the open space.
13. Five Little Monkeys
Children find it fun to be different characters in this song and have the power to be who they want to be. Children enjoys being the mommy and the doctor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pRtNLj_-yY
Why It’s Good for Children
This a great song to teach children to learn math, especially subtraction at a young age. Children can use their fingers to show the amount of monkeys they start off with and end up with at the end.
Modifications
Use props to help the children who are visual learners learn math easier. You may want the children to stand up and jump at the appropriate time.
14. Freeze Dance
Children loves dancing to the Freeze Dance, especially stopping and putting their hand in the air with one foot to the corner to freeze. They also enjoy looking at each other’s freeze move and can be competitive at times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UcZWXvgMZE
Why It’s Good for Children
The Freeze Dance is a great way to wake up and have the children move through the day. They are having fun and enjoying each other. At the same time, the children are listening to the words to know when to stop and go as they are working on their large gross motor skills.
15. Shake Your Sillies Out
Another fun song for children to enjoy jumping up and down with each other. Children request this song at least twice a week, especially if they can’t have the other songs that allow for free movements.
Why It’s Good for Children
Children are having a fun time dancing and learning action words as well as performing the actions. This allows the children to use their listening skills to know what action comes next to ensure they are performing the correct one.
Traditional Songs Preschoolers and Toddlers Like
Here are the songs that have been around forever but preschoolers and toddlers seem to like and love them no matter what. Don’t forget to check out the Traditional Songs playlist on Youtube!
16. Old MacDonald had a Farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6HzoUcx3eo
Why It’s Good for Children
Children enjoy singing and pretending to be animals. They really like to make the sounds of each animal. It is also good for motor skills. With the rhyming and rhythming, the children can keep up with the song. Young children will learn new words and how to pronounce them as well, especially for the ones who need speech therapy.
Modifications
Try using props or make puppets to make it more engaging than it already is. Students likes being one animal and holding up their animal when they hear it. For example, “Old Mac Donald Had a Horse…” the children with the horse will hold up the horse.
We have plenty of farm animals your kids can craft!
17. Itsy Bitsy Spider
There are many versions of the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. Children enjoy using their fingers to pretend to be a spider. It is an easy song to sing for the little ones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_lCi8U49mY
Why It’s Good for Children
Children will be using their hands and fingers to perform the actions to the song. For example, they will use their fingers and hands to have the spider climb up the water spout.
18. The Wheels on the Bus
This is one of the most fun, engaging songs all your preschoolers and toddlers will like. They love to perform the actions that go with he song and never get tired of it. You can use this song to teach your children that buses are fun, especially if they will be riding one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzrjwOQpAl0
Why It’s Good for Children
Many children will be riding buses when they go to primary school. This song gets children acclimated to buses if they never ridden one before.
Modifications
You can bring in a bus prop and point to wheels and show them how the wheels go round and round. You can make and use puppets to identify each item. For example, bus, wheels, horn, driver, people, etc.
19. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
This is a calming song which all of my children love singing and performing the motions to.The children are quiet, attentive and listening as they are following the lyrics. Depending on the actions you use, children are improving their fine motor skills.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCjJyiqpAuU
Why It’s Good for Children
This is a great song to use during nap times or to quiet the children down after an exciting activity. Children will perform the motion and eventually calm down and be ready for the next activity.
20. Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
This is an amazing song to teach children about body parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozzo7GQLoAE
Why It’s Good for Children
Children are learning about their body parts and where they are located on their own body. This teaches the children how to expressively identify and point to their own body parts.They are moving along with the song.
Modifications
You can use a big poster of a person as a visual for students who may need extra support. Or you can point at your own head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
21. Hokey Pokey
Another great song to teach children about body parts in a fun silly way. Your preschoolers and toddlers will always like to dance to this song!
Why It’s Good for Children
Children stand in a circle and dance to the Hokey Pokey. This song allows the children to listen and focus to what will be put in the circle. This song also teaches the propositions in and out along with gross motor skills. Children have a good time and usually enjoy themselves with others.
Modifications
You may find it interesting to sing this song and change the lyrics. For example, you put your whole bottom in, you take your whole bottom out, and so on.
22. If You’re Happy & You Know It
What a great way to teach children about feelings and how feelings can be expressed. Even though there are many different ways to express your feelings, expressing happiness is one of the most common and positive things we can do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eClGqjHz790
Why It’s Good for Children
Children like to imitate each other. Why not do so in front of others? Children will be making their own facial expressions along with noises according to the song’s feelings. They will also be using their gross motor skills to enjoy the song.
Modifications
This song can be done while sitting down but it is much more fun when standing up.
23. Slippery Fish
One of my favorite songs to sing during circle time. Children constantly ask for this song when we are learning about anything having to do with water. This is a wonderful way to teach children about animals that lives in the ocean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl-dDP2LeLs
Why It’s Good for Children
Children have an opportunity to pretend to be different types of animals living in the water. They change the sound of their voice to match the animal that are popped up. Children also use large body movements to perform the action of the animals. Lastly, children are learning different adjectives along with action words such as gliding, lurking, splashing, squiggling, and spouting.
Modifications
You can do this song while sitting, standing or using props to show students what the animals look like.
24. Chicken Dance
The Chicken Dance is a fun song for children before and/or after an activity. The children like to get up and dance to a song with no lyrics. Why not choose this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmV5uHWNag
Why It’s Good for Children
Children have the opportunity to be chicken who are silly and dancing to the music. Using different parts of their body to move is fun for the children. They get to mimic and laugh at each other. Children will learn to do the actions quicker or slower as they listen to the sounds of the rhythm. This also teaches children about speed.
25. Ants Go Marching One By One
Count all the ants! Maybe your kids shouldn’t try this at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjw2A3QU8Qg
Why It’s Good for Children
One of many songs to teach children how to count without mistakes. Children enjoy marching, singing, and counting around the room. Using their motor skills and singing will allow the children to remember how to count in order without any mistakes.
Modifications
Try sitting down and singing this song using props to show children the number of objects to their corresponding numbers.
26. Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle)
A cute and simple song to teach children not to eat soap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FedGgBn9giM
Why It’s Good for Children
Children giggle as they sing to this song as they perform the motion. Children usually take some time to think and wonder if it is true to eat soap and make bubbles. Of course, we all know the answer to that one.
Don’t forget to let your kids craft a turtle when you play Tiny Tim!
27. Five Little Ducks
A simple song to teach children math. Ducks are having too much fun and do not hear their other calling them. One by one, they all disappear. What happen afterwards?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZw9veQ76fo
Why It’s Good for Children
Children have fun singing this song not realizing they are learning math. They are subtracting one duck at a time as they are loudly making the mother’s duck sound “Quack!”. Children hold up five fingers and put one down as they hear the number of ducks who respond to their mother’s calling.
Modifications
Use props to show the students they are taking one duck away at a time which is math.
This is a great time to craft some ducks with your kids!
28. I’m Bring Home a Baby Bumble Bee
Here’s a song about how children need to be careful around bees. They sting! And it hurts!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shi9tJ9S_O8
Why It’s Good for Children
I’m on the fence about this song. Music about killing bees isn’t my favorite thing because I love having bees in my garden. However, it’s a cute song.
29. I am a Pizza
This is a fun song about pizza and its ingredients.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O16-V_JtYs
Why It’s Good for Children
Children like to pretend they are making a pizza for each other or someone else. Children are learning and repeating new words used in cooking. Some actions are used to make this song enjoyable.
Modifications
Use props for this song to show children each items.
30. Bingo!
Do I really need to introduce you to Bingo? This is one of the all time classics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mmF8zOlh_g
Why It’s Good for Children
What a great way to teach children how to identify the letters in this dog’s name. Children are engaged and will follow along by clapping and singing.
Modifications
Make a visual with the letters: B I N G O. When it is time to clap, place a clap icon in front of the letters to remind the children what to do.
No More Songs Preschoolers and Toddlers Like?
Wrong! There are so many songs your preschoolers and toddlers will like that live beyond this list. Keep looking and you will definitely find some great stuff out there!