Great Kid's Music on Spotify
February 18, 2020 12:49 PM Subscribe
We are going to be taking a road trip with the kid fairly soon and I'm hoping to put on good Spotify playlists for us all to listen to. What are your favorite playlists for kids?
Extra credit for songs involving trucks, fire trucks, trains etc. Playlists featuring Baby Shark will be frowned upon.
Extra credit for songs involving trucks, fire trucks, trains etc. Playlists featuring Baby Shark will be frowned upon.
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman made a kids album ("Not for Kids Only") which is pretty good. (There is even a song called "Freight train"!)
But if I may be more meta, what is "kids music"? Why not just play some good albums that you know and love? (Or some classics: Beatles, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, etc etc.)
posted by kamelhoecker at 1:15 PM on February 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
But if I may be more meta, what is "kids music"? Why not just play some good albums that you know and love? (Or some classics: Beatles, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, etc etc.)
posted by kamelhoecker at 1:15 PM on February 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Pete Seeger Birds, Bugs, Beasts and Fishes was a fave of little ask: https://open.spotify.com/album/4JsaEwfwzTgwpksEPuDicQ?si=vcpAsF1UQTmwB5C4zeTW4w
Also The Bottle Let Me Down is a fun compilation
https://open.spotify.com/album/3pgio3gsh8M7iKVbmUqSm9?si=3jl1AGGaTIOINmH5XWBgXg
Other faves included:
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Kraftwerk - The Man Machine
Brian Eno - Ambient 1/ Music for Airports (to quiet him down )
Bonus as his parents enjoyed them all too.
Plot twist - Now he's 13 and only listens to hip-hop & lo-fi chill...
posted by askmehow at 1:28 PM on February 18, 2020
Also The Bottle Let Me Down is a fun compilation
https://open.spotify.com/album/3pgio3gsh8M7iKVbmUqSm9?si=3jl1AGGaTIOINmH5XWBgXg
Other faves included:
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Kraftwerk - The Man Machine
Brian Eno - Ambient 1/ Music for Airports (to quiet him down )
Bonus as his parents enjoyed them all too.
Plot twist - Now he's 13 and only listens to hip-hop & lo-fi chill...
posted by askmehow at 1:28 PM on February 18, 2020
I'm totally dating myself as GenX uncle with these recos.
I like the Kidz Bop series, where they take pop and altpop tracks and have the kids sing them. Surprisingly good.
They Might Be Giants did a kids album, "Here Come the 123s." Totally in the "bouncy kids song" style, but something the adults might even enjoy. Laura Veirs has one too, "Tumble Bee," a little more chill in the vein of Simon & Garfunkel. Caspar Babypants is Chris Ballew from the Presidents of the USA doing kid songs. 2011's Here I am has a song called "Little Broken Truck" with a great little chorus of "a-beep-beep."
posted by SoundInhabitant at 1:45 PM on February 18, 2020
I like the Kidz Bop series, where they take pop and altpop tracks and have the kids sing them. Surprisingly good.
They Might Be Giants did a kids album, "Here Come the 123s." Totally in the "bouncy kids song" style, but something the adults might even enjoy. Laura Veirs has one too, "Tumble Bee," a little more chill in the vein of Simon & Garfunkel. Caspar Babypants is Chris Ballew from the Presidents of the USA doing kid songs. 2011's Here I am has a song called "Little Broken Truck" with a great little chorus of "a-beep-beep."
posted by SoundInhabitant at 1:45 PM on February 18, 2020
Caspar Babypants is some of the only explicitly-made-for-kids music I play for my 3 yr old.
But he usually prefers P-Funk. As above but worth repeating: almost all music is kids music. Play what you genuinely like and they will usually like it too.
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:51 PM on February 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
But he usually prefers P-Funk. As above but worth repeating: almost all music is kids music. Play what you genuinely like and they will usually like it too.
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:51 PM on February 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
In addition to They Might Be Giants' "Here come the 123s" they also did one called "Here come the ABCs" that my 4-year-old-at-the-time liked even better. Also I don't know if you can get it on Spotify but we got a LOT of toddler miles out of "The Dino 5" by Baby Loves Hiphop (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dino_5, available on Amazon).
posted by nkknkk at 1:57 PM on February 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by nkknkk at 1:57 PM on February 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Does it have to be Spotify? I can't recommend The Green Chili Jam Band's Magic Bike, Starfishing, and Coconut Moon hard enough. They're only on CD though and a bit hard to come by. You won't regret the hunt.
posted by jquinby at 2:00 PM on February 18, 2020
posted by jquinby at 2:00 PM on February 18, 2020
It’s not available on Spotify, but the podcast Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child is a fantastic mix of kid-friendly music that adults will also like.
posted by statsgirl at 2:05 PM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by statsgirl at 2:05 PM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Raffi has great singable songs. He was probably the only music specifically for kids we listened to for our oldest kid.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:06 PM on February 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:06 PM on February 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
I have been in an absolute pit lately and bizarrely this song has helped. I think it feels like a song a kid might like.
posted by InkaLomax at 2:18 PM on February 18, 2020
posted by InkaLomax at 2:18 PM on February 18, 2020
The Barenaked Ladies (a very respectable group from Canada) have a kid's album called Snacktime! and I'm quite sure it's on Spotify.
posted by ydaltak at 2:29 PM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ydaltak at 2:29 PM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
When my kids were young, I was always happy to listen to Elizabeth Mitchell or Dan Zanes.
posted by Redstart at 2:36 PM on February 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Redstart at 2:36 PM on February 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
MeFite ORthey has an album out of great kids songs! He records as The Tallest Kid In the Room and the album is called Songs to Sit Criss-Cross to (But Dance If You Want) Here's a spotify link
posted by wemayfreeze at 3:47 PM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by wemayfreeze at 3:47 PM on February 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Here's a recent Ask looking for similar recommendation.
There's a playlist called "They Might Be Giants --kids". "Muppets Green Album" is good. Someone above said Kidz Bop. "Ditty Bops" is ok. Lots of Disney on there. "Disney Favorites" is a good playlist. There's a Sesame Street play list. Others I've come across are "Caspar Babypants" and "Imagination Movers". "This is the Learning Station" is on frequently in my classroom. "Pink Fong", but it does contain Baby Shark. They have a few songs on YouTube that deal with vehicles. Other's I've looked at but not used in my class are "The Sippy Cups", "St. John's Kids" and "The Terrible Twos".
The kids in my classroom are liking the Beatles. The Greatest Hits playlist is excellent. I'm planning on using some Beach Boys, Eagles and Simon and Garfunkel soon.
posted by kathrynm at 5:39 PM on February 18, 2020
There's a playlist called "They Might Be Giants --kids". "Muppets Green Album" is good. Someone above said Kidz Bop. "Ditty Bops" is ok. Lots of Disney on there. "Disney Favorites" is a good playlist. There's a Sesame Street play list. Others I've come across are "Caspar Babypants" and "Imagination Movers". "This is the Learning Station" is on frequently in my classroom. "Pink Fong", but it does contain Baby Shark. They have a few songs on YouTube that deal with vehicles. Other's I've looked at but not used in my class are "The Sippy Cups", "St. John's Kids" and "The Terrible Twos".
The kids in my classroom are liking the Beatles. The Greatest Hits playlist is excellent. I'm planning on using some Beach Boys, Eagles and Simon and Garfunkel soon.
posted by kathrynm at 5:39 PM on February 18, 2020
When I was a kid at that age, I was played music a lot, but basically tuned it all out. My parents do tell me that I loved The Carpenters, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd. But I never explicitly requested anything.
Spotify has a lot of podcasts on it as well; maybe there'll be a kid one that they'll like and keep them entertained?
posted by spinifex23 at 9:34 PM on February 18, 2020
Spotify has a lot of podcasts on it as well; maybe there'll be a kid one that they'll like and keep them entertained?
posted by spinifex23 at 9:34 PM on February 18, 2020
I really love The Okee Dokee Brothers, but YMMV if you're not a fan of jangly guitar and banjo music.
posted by natabat at 6:42 AM on February 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by natabat at 6:42 AM on February 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Kids music I secretly kind of like: Kimya Dawson's kids album "Alphabutt", TMBG (Here comes science, especially), and anything from Steven Universe. Moana. My little pony songs are sometimes good. Spiderman into the spiderverse soundtrack.
posted by mgogol at 8:09 AM on February 19, 2020
posted by mgogol at 8:09 AM on February 19, 2020
Storybots! They have songs about letters, numbers, colors, animals, and lots more. Even a truck song!
posted by Xalf at 6:36 AM on February 22, 2020
posted by Xalf at 6:36 AM on February 22, 2020
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posted by NotLost at 1:15 PM on February 18, 2020