The Top 100 Songs Every Child Should Know

As I began to write this post, it didn’t take me even an hour to come up with way more than 100 songs every child show know! One of my most favorite classes in college was Elementary Music Methods, and one of my most favorite jobs was elementary (K-4) music teacher at Willie Brown Elementary school in Mansfield, Texas. I taught some of these songs to my students, and today I’m happy to share them with you.

The Top 100 Songs Every Child Should Know

The songs below are linked to a YouTube video so you can learn it and teach it to your kids. It was my goal to include a variety of types of videos. Some modern, some old, some specifically made for kids, and others not. I hope you enjoy the mixture! (As usual, if you are extra careful about the content your child sees or hears, please preview each video first.)

Head over to get “A Folk Song a Week” online course for elementary!

 

Folk Songs

Bicycle Built for Two

Buffalo Gals

Danny Boy

Down By the Bay

If I Had a Hammer

Inch by Inch (the Garden Song)

I’ve Been Working on the Railroad

Kookaburra

Let There Be Peace on Earth

Make New Friends But Keep the Old

May There Always Be Sunshine

Michael Row the Boat Ashore

Oh Susanna

Old Dan Tucker

On Top of Old Smoky

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Scarborough Fair

She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain

Shenandoah

Skip to My Lou

Simple Gifts

Sweet Betsy From Pike

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The Water is Wide

There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea

There’s a Hole in the Bucket

Waltzing Matilda

You are My Sunshine

Patriotic Songs

America the Beautiful

Battle Hymn of the Republic

God Bless America

My Country ‘Tis of Thee

The Star-Spangled Banner

This Land is Your Land

Yankee Doodle

You’re a Grand Old Flag

Hymns and Christian Songs

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Amazing Grace

Be Thou My Vision

Blessed Assurance

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Fairest Lord Jesus

Great is Thy Faithfulness

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

Holy Holy Holy

How Great Thou Art

It is Well With My Soul

Jesus Loves Me

Kumbaya

My Jesus, I Love Thee

The B-I-B-L-E

The Old Rugged Cross

This Little Light of Mine

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Spirituals

Every Time I Feel the Spirit

We Shall Overcome

Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Get on Board, Little Children

Rocka My Soul

Down by the Riverside

When the Saints Go Marching In

Lullabies

All the Pretty Little Horses

All Through the Night

Hush Little Baby, Don’t Say a Word

Lullaby and Good Night (German Cradle Song/ Brahm’s Lullaby)

Rock-a-bye Baby

Preschool Songs

A Tisket, a Tasket

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

B-I-N-G-O

Down by the Station

Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Five Little Speckled Frogs

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Going on a Bear Hunt

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

If You’re Happy and You Know It

In a Cabin in the Wood

London Bridge

Mary Had a Little Lamb

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

Old MacDonald

Polly Wolly Doodle

The ABC Song

The Eencie Weencie Spider

The Farmer in the Dell

The Hokey Pokey

The Old Grey Mare

The Wheels on the Bus

There Were Ten in the Bed

This Old Man

Twinkle Little Star

Historical Songs

Dixie

Drill Ye Tarriers

Erie Canal

Follow the Drinking Gourd

Over There

Rally ‘Round the Flag

Christmas Songs

Angels We Have Heard on High

Away in a Manger

Joy to the World

Silent Night

Other Holiday Songs

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Over the River and Through the Woods

Cowboy Songs

Git Along Little Dogies

Home on the Range

I Ride an Old Paint

Songs from Other Countries

Adeste Fideles

Alouette

Cielito Lindo

De Colores

Dona Nobis Pacem

Frère Jacques

Hava Nagilah

Sakura

Did I miss any of your favorite songs? Leave a comment below to let me know!

Related Posts:

• The Top 100 Delightful Classical Music Pieces all Children Should Hear
• The Top Composers to Study (with a free printable)
• Free 15-Minute Music Lesson of the Music of Star Wars (with a printable pack)

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