Music for kids / music for children

My daughter spent years 2-3 napping to The Caretaker - Empty Bliss.

Here's a playlist I just created to entertain my kids in the car. Their current favorite is that "I'm just going to the store" song by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Store - Carly Rae Jepsen
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
ABC - Jackson 5
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
Rude - Magic!
Rollercoaster Of Love - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Can't Stop The Feeling - Justin Timberlake
Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing - Stevie Wonder
Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson
Kites Are Fun - The Free Design
Feels - Calvin Harris
Happy - Pharell Williams
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Our House - Madness
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
Octopus's Garden - The Beatles
Bubbles - The Free Design
2-4-6-8 - Jackson 5
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock'n'roll -
We're Going To Be Friends - White Stripes
I Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd

I find 80% of that mix terribly annoying which probably makes kt a great mix for kids.

Having a couple of 5-year-old's has definitely given me a new insight into what really defines pop music: harmonic complexity and melancholy are as unappetizing to them as spicy food and leafy green vegetables. They want to hear stuff with a huge obvious repetitive hook, and I'm realizing why songs like "Shake It Off" are so ubiquitous (they even play that stuff in the kindergarten gym class).

If anyone has any ideas to expand our repertoire, post them here -- I searched ILM for ideas, and this thread was all I turned up.

My kids' current top 10:

Charli XCX - Break the Rules
Queen - We Will Rock You
the Baby Shark Dance
Djedjotronic - Kaiko
Kinderen voor kinderen - Fitlala
This Is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas
Maria Rita - Cântico brasileiro no. 3: Kamaiurá
Meco - Star Wars (12" version)
Los del Rio - Macarena
Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin

Nora currently into Caravan of Love, Sinead doing Nothing Compares 2 U, Frozen OST, and anything on 6music she deems “noisy”.

Tolerable music my kids liked growing up - many of Beck’s poppier albums (e.g. Guero), White Stripes esp White Blood Cells and Elephant, Yo Gabba Gabba, and co-sign on TMBG “No!” Lately it’s been Kacey Musgraves and Courtney Barnett so I ain’t complaining, but then they are 12 and 16 now.

Oh and B-52’s, Breeders, Kate Bush singles

oh and Beatles, duh. The Yellow Submarine Songtrack is friendliest.

My 8 and 10 year old have known all the words to There Is A Light That Never Goes Out for a good few years. Proud parenting moment.

Current faves include Panic! At The Disco, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes, Ariana, CRJ, Boy Azooga and the GotG soundtracks

Los del Rio - Macarena

hee hee hee

I absolutely hated music for kids when I was a kid. I'm sure plenty of children out there feel the same.

My boy (12 1/2) wanted me to make him a hip-hop playlist the other day. I thought about a kid-friendly playlist for a while, then decided I'd rather sit with him and listen to it and explain the history and context of the language etc. I dunno if it's the right decision.

My daughter (10) likes Ariana and the Mamma Mia soundtrack, mostly.

There’s a ton of great music made specifically for (young) kids. Caspar Babypants, Laurie Berkner, Charlie Hope, Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael, Samba Salad... these are some big names that come immediately to mind. We have a bunch of mix CDs from a toddler music class with lots of others, if anyone’s interested.

Chinaski, that sounds like the rightest decision. Props.

My 7-year-old's been pulling my old cassette tapes from the basement. The group that's been the biggest hit with him and his 4-year-old brother is Shonen Knife. Which makes sense I suppose.

We watched Charlotte's Web over the holidays and it inspired me to learn this on guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVqA9cBdYbs

chords: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/charlottes-web/deep-in-the-dark-chords-1421860
no tab for the harpsichord part but it's not that difficult

The songs in that movie are excellent.