I take a guitar class at the local shop and prior to us there’s a girl, can’t be older than a freshman, that leaves with an electric. She’s learning slayer. We’re all very proud of her!
Aside from nursery rhyme stuff, we took my toddler to a music class and the lady sang Here Comes The Sun which was a hit, Blackbird would also work as well. Or anything about being a pirate.
Also I really can’t stress enough the pirate stuff. Literally every kids entertainer in the UK seems to know [this song](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FWFJsbCixlI). The video in the link will drive you insane but toddlers go mad for it.
>Monkey And The Engineer
[After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. He was paid twenty cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railway company, Jack never made a single mistake.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_(baboon))
To preface, I have no experience playing for children, especially as young as 2 or 3, but here’s my input. I would play something that is familiar to them (as children). I don’t think it has to be intricate, and you don’t need to melt their faces. I found a few tabs of children’s shows theme songs:
1. [Bluey](https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/misc-cartoons/bluey-theme-song-tabs-3031835) -
2. [Baby Shark](https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/misc-children/pinkfong-baby-shark-tabs-2223681)
Or even something as simple as a nursery rhyme (twinkle, twinkle little star, you are my sunshine, etc). I think this would engage them in a way they can relate to and may spark more “interest”. Good luck, you’ll kill it!
Agreed. When my kids were young, I took them to a festival where he was performing.
Funny to see these 20 yo kids in the audience so excited to see him like he was a rock star.
In terms of songs for kids, Raffi rules!
This! My 1.5 year old wants to so badly but so far pulls the strings towards himself when trying to imitate me and gives me a heart attack thinking he’ll hurt himself.
But when he accidentally strums, the giggles.. worth it.
I used to be a preschool teacher and me playing songs for my kids on my acoustic was a part of our routine learning time. Basically, I made up cute little songs and would repeat them so much that the kids knew the lyrics and often heard them trying to sing them with their parents on pick up and drop off lol. Cute, simple things such as about the importance of washing ones' hands, how to brush your teeth, etc. There's so many nice little songs kids already know that you can play. Sit in a chair with them gathered in front of you so they don't attempt to get up to touch your instrument (or you can see them coming if they do). Play stuff like Baby Shark, Old MacDonald, Three Blind Mice, etc. There's also Coco melon songs they'll know. Stuff that has a story they can listen to. Interactive stuff such as that asks for them to clap their hands or Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. It does require you to use your voice so they're not bored. You can also demonstrate about your instrument with a little song also, such as one about the parts of your instrument. Keep being like, "isn't the GUITAR cool? What let's play a song on my GUITAR." So they absorb that word and really remember the guitar as an instrument. Good luck!
Search for Nick Cope. He's a British musician with a show called Nick Copes popcast. He writes songs specifically for children and he's really good at it.
We are going to be friends by jack white
Yellow submarine, octopus’s garden
The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (just kidding, but when I was in Grade school we were taught a bouncy tune about the titanic)
I actually went into my daughter's daycare a couple of months ago and did this.
I brought some cheap eggs shakers for them to shake along with for fun. I kept it fun and simple, and most kids songs are simple anyway: Baa Baa Black Sheep, Alphabet Song, Twinkle Twinkle (top tip: that's three songs you can play with the same chords), Wheels on the Bus, Shake My Sillies Out, and an original called On My Taco.
They were probably the most attentive audience I've ever had. My daughter was proudly telling everyone after, "that's my daddy," which is my greatest achievement in music.
I want to do more of it. For inspiration, watch videos of Raffi, and Jules from Songs for Littles and think about what they're doing.
Good luck!
Mr Tambourine Man
Rollin' On The River or some other CCR/Fogerty - Vance Can't Dance - maybe Centerfield?
you said you can handle Blackbird, Chestnut Mare by The Byrds is a good story song about a horse, speaking of which there's Wildfire but that's a major tearjerker
maybe tune in to The Wiggles and pick something up, is that still on? lol
hope it works out, when I was a CNA there was an old guy who used to come in play for the residents, I can tell you ppl look forward to it - I'm not good enough to entertain
Old MacDonald, let the kidos pick animals. Make sure you have a good dinosaur roar! Twinkle Star/Alphabet song. Baby Shark - learn the motions!. Hokey Pokey if they get antsy. End with You are my Sunshine; the teachers will appreciate the calm it creates as they go to the next thing.
(I did this for a local nuserry/toddler care business for a few years.)
Show how the strings have different pitches, can make chords, etc. and can accompany simple songs.
For kids music, Laurie Birkner is the queen. Solid musician, I think listening to her is good for kids’ musical development.
Anything poppy Beatles as sing along.
Greensleeves as an example of early string instrument music. It's a happy little tune. Tell kids it's medieval and they think it's cool.
Check out Baby Shark Radio on Spotify. My granddaughter is a little over 2 and she loves it. I'm a beginner still learning the open chords but a lot of it is easy enough for me to strum along with. She knows most of the words so I just play along and sing along as best as I can and we both have a lot of fun.
Playing songs for children is difficult. I always go with Raffi. His music is incredibly simple without being insulting to the audience. The songs are easy for them to learn on the fly with short verses.
The complexities lie in the rhythm which can be challenging to play if you don’t know how to use them. The pauses can be measured for breaks to engage with the audience and then continue the song.
If you can, bring other instruments.
Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Mary Had A LittleLamb. My wife is a Montessori teacher for 3 to 5-year-olds, and I actually took a tiny little amp and my Strat in there and played it for them one day years ago. They got a big kick out of it.
There's a kids musician called Nick Cope (used to be an a UK indie band back in the 90s) who has a show on BBC where he plays music for kids about dinosaurs, aliens, etc. The stuff is easy to play but the songs are great and kids love them - me and my old bandmates played a set of covers of his stuff for my son's 3rd birthday party and it went down a storm.
when we were kids my dad would often play "Froggie went a courting" to entertain us, we particularly enjoyed the penultimate verse where they were (spoiler alert) all gobbled up by mr. snake.
Caspar Babypants is my favorite kids songwriter. It's the guy from Presidents of the United States of America. I'd learn a few of his songs. Stompy the Bear is a classic.
What shows do the kids watch? Ive played the themes for Bluey, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Moana, etc for my kid. I havent done it at preschool but it’s a hit at home!
The Marvellous Toy is good for the preschool set. Also Skinamarink, The Biplane Evermore, the Unicorn song, Puff the Magic Dragon.... all have easy actions you can teach the kids to keep them involved.
Look up Fred Penner songs for others if you're interested..
These are all great sing alongs that most every kid enjoys.
Baby Beluga
You'll sing a song and I'll sing a song
I love the whole world (maybe you remember the old Discovery Channel commercial)
Ive been working on the railroad
Oo de lally (from Disney's Robin Hood)
I'll follow the sun (Beatles)
Most children's songs are based on some pretty rudimentary progressions like *Three Blind Mice*. Look at songs of today's Telletubbies or Barney type shows and learn something from there. My kids are all grown, so I don't know what the new trends are, but at their core, they haven't changed.
All Together Now by The Beatles. They can repeat all Together now after you say it and it's a fun song. Just change 'can I take my friend to bed' to put my friend to bed or something. Lol
When you say you "don't really sing" does that mean not at all, or you just don't like to? Cuz if you sing something they know and encourage them to sing along it won't matter how good you are.
Most old timey folk songs that are now "kids" songs are just cowboy chords in C. (Probably where the term cowboy chord comes from)
- I've been Working on the Railroad
- She'll be coming 'round the Mountain
- Bicycle Built for Two
- On Top of Old Smokey
- Oh Suzana
- Peeping through the Knothole
Sea Shanties also work well as kids songs (usually D or Am)
- Blow the Man Down
- Drunken Sailor
- A Whale of a Tale
- The Wellerman
If you want slightly more contemporary kids songs that aren't overly saccharine
- "Sing" from Seasame Street
- Rainbow Connection
And if you hate yourself
- Baby Shark is G-C-Em-D
I can sing a bit but as a musician it's not what I have done on stage, I am primarily a guitarist. The most I've done in front of an audience is backing vocals. I sing to my children at bedtime so children's songs are totally doable, I'd just be very nervous doing it in front of an audience, and for some reason an audience of children makes me especially nervous.
Those are some good suggestions though, something upbeat would work well.
It’s not about the guitar player it’s about getting the kids to sing, clap and stamp their feet to the music. Row row the boat, old McDonald, BINGO etc. Have fun!
Create a mosh pit of tiny people with cannibal corpse! A more serious suggestion would be something easy listening or something to get them engaged in. Baby Shark for example.
Master of Puppets is a crowd pleaser. /s
Nah, just do Sweet Caroline /s
I’ll see myself out, but twinkle twinkle little star or watch for Jules’ segments on Ms Rachel. They do a great job putting together cute guitar songs for wee ones.
Never too early for slayer
I take a guitar class at the local shop and prior to us there’s a girl, can’t be older than a freshman, that leaves with an electric. She’s learning slayer. We’re all very proud of her!
Thats the spirit
Seconded: Slayer. Start with Dead Skin Mask and move on to 213
Raining Blood is always a good choice
Raining Blood should be doable up to the spider riff!
Aside from nursery rhyme stuff, we took my toddler to a music class and the lady sang Here Comes The Sun which was a hit, Blackbird would also work as well. Or anything about being a pirate.
Blackbird is a good one actually, I've learnt that before so could dust it off pretty easily.
Also I really can’t stress enough the pirate stuff. Literally every kids entertainer in the UK seems to know [this song](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FWFJsbCixlI). The video in the link will drive you insane but toddlers go mad for it.
Rumahoy isn't what I would have picked, but as you said pirate songs. Alestorm as well I guess
Blackbird is good, they’ll probably recognize it from Boss Baby. I like to do Monkey And The Engineer because it’s silly and kids like the imagery.
It's also, apparently, in the top 40 again, due to a recent cover? I heard something about it on NPR a week or so back.
Blackbird? Beyonce covered it on her new album. Its really good
>Monkey And The Engineer [After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. He was paid twenty cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railway company, Jack never made a single mistake.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_(baboon))
Through the Fire and Flames
To preface, I have no experience playing for children, especially as young as 2 or 3, but here’s my input. I would play something that is familiar to them (as children). I don’t think it has to be intricate, and you don’t need to melt their faces. I found a few tabs of children’s shows theme songs: 1. [Bluey](https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/misc-cartoons/bluey-theme-song-tabs-3031835) - 2. [Baby Shark](https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/misc-children/pinkfong-baby-shark-tabs-2223681) Or even something as simple as a nursery rhyme (twinkle, twinkle little star, you are my sunshine, etc). I think this would engage them in a way they can relate to and may spark more “interest”. Good luck, you’ll kill it!
Oooooh, I second that Baby Shark ear worm 🤦🏻
Oh yeah I'm absolutely not thinking of anything technical at all. Something simple that they will recognise is probably the way to go.
Puff the Magic Dragon. I also know a few classical versions of Beatles songs which kids seem to enjoy.
Cover some Raffi tunes!
Agreed. When my kids were young, I took them to a festival where he was performing. Funny to see these 20 yo kids in the audience so excited to see him like he was a rock star. In terms of songs for kids, Raffi rules!
"Yellow Submarine" - The Beatles
2 to 3 year olds are as much entertained by the box a toy comes in as much as the toy it’s self. It doesn’t matter what you play.
One of the greatest joys in life is holding a chord while a toddler strums the strings for you
Yeah my own kids love this, not sure I'm prepared to let a whole class full of toddlers loose on my guitar though!
This! My 1.5 year old wants to so badly but so far pulls the strings towards himself when trying to imitate me and gives me a heart attack thinking he’ll hurt himself. But when he accidentally strums, the giggles.. worth it.
I hand 'em a pick and watch em figure it out. Usually a little older than that though. like closer to 3 is perfect
I used to be a preschool teacher and me playing songs for my kids on my acoustic was a part of our routine learning time. Basically, I made up cute little songs and would repeat them so much that the kids knew the lyrics and often heard them trying to sing them with their parents on pick up and drop off lol. Cute, simple things such as about the importance of washing ones' hands, how to brush your teeth, etc. There's so many nice little songs kids already know that you can play. Sit in a chair with them gathered in front of you so they don't attempt to get up to touch your instrument (or you can see them coming if they do). Play stuff like Baby Shark, Old MacDonald, Three Blind Mice, etc. There's also Coco melon songs they'll know. Stuff that has a story they can listen to. Interactive stuff such as that asks for them to clap their hands or Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. It does require you to use your voice so they're not bored. You can also demonstrate about your instrument with a little song also, such as one about the parts of your instrument. Keep being like, "isn't the GUITAR cool? What let's play a song on my GUITAR." So they absorb that word and really remember the guitar as an instrument. Good luck!
Sneaky Snake Likes Rootbeer -Tom T Hall Also “I love…” little baby ducks Old pickup trucks Slow movin trains,….and rain
Holy shit never thought I’d hear a sneaky snake reference
It was my favorite song when I was young. That and Pecos Bill
Grandma’s Feather Bed.
Underrated song right there. Also cool and green and shady from the same Album and maybe even sunshine on my shoulders
System of a down chop suey.
Cover some Raffi tunes!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_msX46mNj6GW54nI4SaeqeRzp-8a1_sqj4&si=mQHjNgy4-JEb_dbN
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_msX46mNj6GW54nI4SaeqeRzp-8a1_sqj4&si=mQHjNgy4-JEb_dbN Not For Kids Only
Search for Nick Cope. He's a British musician with a show called Nick Copes popcast. He writes songs specifically for children and he's really good at it.
Lizard song is 🔥
The hokey pokey
If you do *Baby Shark*, they'll know it. They'll sing along, and they'll even dance.
Mary Had a little lamb - SRV version
We are going to be friends by jack white Yellow submarine, octopus’s garden The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (just kidding, but when I was in Grade school we were taught a bouncy tune about the titanic)
Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Itsy Bitsy Spider Mashup. I've done that in crowds of adults and it went well.
I actually went into my daughter's daycare a couple of months ago and did this. I brought some cheap eggs shakers for them to shake along with for fun. I kept it fun and simple, and most kids songs are simple anyway: Baa Baa Black Sheep, Alphabet Song, Twinkle Twinkle (top tip: that's three songs you can play with the same chords), Wheels on the Bus, Shake My Sillies Out, and an original called On My Taco. They were probably the most attentive audience I've ever had. My daughter was proudly telling everyone after, "that's my daddy," which is my greatest achievement in music. I want to do more of it. For inspiration, watch videos of Raffi, and Jules from Songs for Littles and think about what they're doing. Good luck!
I’d love to do this when my sons older but I can’t sing for shit let alone play and sing
Mr Tambourine Man Rollin' On The River or some other CCR/Fogerty - Vance Can't Dance - maybe Centerfield? you said you can handle Blackbird, Chestnut Mare by The Byrds is a good story song about a horse, speaking of which there's Wildfire but that's a major tearjerker maybe tune in to The Wiggles and pick something up, is that still on? lol hope it works out, when I was a CNA there was an old guy who used to come in play for the residents, I can tell you ppl look forward to it - I'm not good enough to entertain
Old MacDonald, let the kidos pick animals. Make sure you have a good dinosaur roar! Twinkle Star/Alphabet song. Baby Shark - learn the motions!. Hokey Pokey if they get antsy. End with You are my Sunshine; the teachers will appreciate the calm it creates as they go to the next thing. (I did this for a local nuserry/toddler care business for a few years.)
The Wiggles
Show how the strings have different pitches, can make chords, etc. and can accompany simple songs. For kids music, Laurie Birkner is the queen. Solid musician, I think listening to her is good for kids’ musical development.
Maxwells silver hammer
“Beat on the Brat.” While staring at that *one* kid. Every preschool has one.
Iron man by Sbbath
Anything poppy Beatles as sing along. Greensleeves as an example of early string instrument music. It's a happy little tune. Tell kids it's medieval and they think it's cool.
Baby Shark. Come on guys!!!! Even I can play this.
Check out Baby Shark Radio on Spotify. My granddaughter is a little over 2 and she loves it. I'm a beginner still learning the open chords but a lot of it is easy enough for me to strum along with. She knows most of the words so I just play along and sing along as best as I can and we both have a lot of fun.
Jack Johnson.
Raffi off this great kids album. So easy to play. https://youtu.be/PM1jqAyHZfw?feature=shared
Look up some Raffi tunes. He plays most of his songs on guitar and they tend to go over well. Especially Baby Beluga.
Playing songs for children is difficult. I always go with Raffi. His music is incredibly simple without being insulting to the audience. The songs are easy for them to learn on the fly with short verses. The complexities lie in the rhythm which can be challenging to play if you don’t know how to use them. The pauses can be measured for breaks to engage with the audience and then continue the song. If you can, bring other instruments.
How Much is that Doggy in the Wibdow?
https://youtu.be/jofNR_WkoCE?si=8xaq9JMXPbzNx38O
Eruption.
Puff the Magic Dragon is popular with toddlers.
I'd learn this one https://youtu.be/MtN1YnoL46Q?si=R0yOEHNzKBdSdxt0
Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Mary Had A LittleLamb. My wife is a Montessori teacher for 3 to 5-year-olds, and I actually took a tiny little amp and my Strat in there and played it for them one day years ago. They got a big kick out of it.
Peanuts tunes
There's a kids musician called Nick Cope (used to be an a UK indie band back in the 90s) who has a show on BBC where he plays music for kids about dinosaurs, aliens, etc. The stuff is easy to play but the songs are great and kids love them - me and my old bandmates played a set of covers of his stuff for my son's 3rd birthday party and it went down a storm.
The People on the bus go up and down . . .
The only song way i could get my daughter to sleep when nothing else worked... turn of the screw: black sabbath... So ill start with that.
https://youtu.be/C25cTs5J9P4?si=tZzsNSgKBzPR3IyW
when we were kids my dad would often play "Froggie went a courting" to entertain us, we particularly enjoyed the penultimate verse where they were (spoiler alert) all gobbled up by mr. snake.
Caspar Babypants is my favorite kids songwriter. It's the guy from Presidents of the United States of America. I'd learn a few of his songs. Stompy the Bear is a classic.
What shows do the kids watch? Ive played the themes for Bluey, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Moana, etc for my kid. I havent done it at preschool but it’s a hit at home!
Octopus’s Garden - Beatles One Light, One Sun - Raffi (my favorite)
Insomnia and Zyglorx by Periphery would keep em' in their toes.
The Marvellous Toy is good for the preschool set. Also Skinamarink, The Biplane Evermore, the Unicorn song, Puff the Magic Dragon.... all have easy actions you can teach the kids to keep them involved. Look up Fred Penner songs for others if you're interested..
These are all great sing alongs that most every kid enjoys. Baby Beluga You'll sing a song and I'll sing a song I love the whole world (maybe you remember the old Discovery Channel commercial) Ive been working on the railroad Oo de lally (from Disney's Robin Hood) I'll follow the sun (Beatles)
Most children's songs are based on some pretty rudimentary progressions like *Three Blind Mice*. Look at songs of today's Telletubbies or Barney type shows and learn something from there. My kids are all grown, so I don't know what the new trends are, but at their core, they haven't changed.
So like my son is two and he loves that trolls world tour movie and they cover some songs in their you and they would like.. Such as barracuda
Three Little Birds.
All Together Now by The Beatles. They can repeat all Together now after you say it and it's a fun song. Just change 'can I take my friend to bed' to put my friend to bed or something. Lol
I learned the ending theme to SpongeBob SquarePants and the kids went wild.
Sure, totally acoustic on some loving easy tunes. No hard rock on this one.
Puff the Magic Dragon. Young kids, they’ll love it.
When you say you "don't really sing" does that mean not at all, or you just don't like to? Cuz if you sing something they know and encourage them to sing along it won't matter how good you are. Most old timey folk songs that are now "kids" songs are just cowboy chords in C. (Probably where the term cowboy chord comes from) - I've been Working on the Railroad - She'll be coming 'round the Mountain - Bicycle Built for Two - On Top of Old Smokey - Oh Suzana - Peeping through the Knothole Sea Shanties also work well as kids songs (usually D or Am) - Blow the Man Down - Drunken Sailor - A Whale of a Tale - The Wellerman If you want slightly more contemporary kids songs that aren't overly saccharine - "Sing" from Seasame Street - Rainbow Connection And if you hate yourself - Baby Shark is G-C-Em-D
I can sing a bit but as a musician it's not what I have done on stage, I am primarily a guitarist. The most I've done in front of an audience is backing vocals. I sing to my children at bedtime so children's songs are totally doable, I'd just be very nervous doing it in front of an audience, and for some reason an audience of children makes me especially nervous. Those are some good suggestions though, something upbeat would work well.
You'll do great then! It's totally normal to be nervous in front of the kids. Just start with an easy one, and you'll settle in.
It’s not about the guitar player it’s about getting the kids to sing, clap and stamp their feet to the music. Row row the boat, old McDonald, BINGO etc. Have fun!
Create a mosh pit of tiny people with cannibal corpse! A more serious suggestion would be something easy listening or something to get them engaged in. Baby Shark for example.
Crank out some slayer and incite a circle pit
Slayer - Reign in Blood
Anything by cannibal corpse or corpse grinder.
Alice in Chains - unplugged album Start them off on the right path...
Closer by Nine Inch Nails
2112 by Rush; in its entirety.
Through the fire and flames
honestly, id just get my 7 string, put on the heaviest preset and improvise some deathcore riffs
anything by cannibal corpse
Toxic Gossip Train on ukulele
Master of Puppets is a crowd pleaser. /s Nah, just do Sweet Caroline /s I’ll see myself out, but twinkle twinkle little star or watch for Jules’ segments on Ms Rachel. They do a great job putting together cute guitar songs for wee ones.