Kindergartners will sing the same song twenty times and ask for a twenty-first. That enthusiasm is useful. A good sing-along can wake up a sleepy room, settle a wild one, teach letters and numbers, build friendships, and help five-year-olds learn words for their feelings.
This guide organizes 40 sing-along songs for kindergarten by what they help children learn, explains what the research says about music and young children, and includes original social-emotional songs set to familiar tunes that you can use in your classroom right away.
Why Sing-Alongs Matter in Kindergarten
Singing together can support cooperation. In a study with four-year-olds, children who had just made music together were more likely to help and cooperate with each other afterward.[1][6]
Songs help children remember words. Research has found that text set to a simple, repeated melody can be easier to recall than spoken text.[2]
Music may support early literacy. A study of kindergartners found that children who received music instruction showed greater gains in phonemic awareness.[3]
Songs can carry SEL skills. School-based SEL programs, which often use songs, stories, and games, show gains in social-emotional skills, behavior, and academic achievement.[4][5]
Songs give structure. A familiar song signals what is happening and what comes next, which helps young children still learning school routines.
Songs give structure. A familiar song signals what is happening and what comes next, helping young children learn school routines. See classroom songs for transitions.
40 Sing-Along Songs by Category
💃 Movement Sing-Alongs
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes: body parts, speed changes for self-control
The Hokey Pokey: left and right, following directions
If You’re Happy and You Know It: actions plus feeling words
The Wheels on the Bus: actions for every verse
Ring Around the Rosie: circle movement and falling down safely
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush: daily routines with actions
The Itsy Bitsy Spider: finger play and fine motor skills
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed: counting backward with actions
I’m a Little Teapot: simple poses and sequencing
Row, Row, Row Your Boat: partner rocking and singing in rounds
Self-control twist: Sing movement songs fast, then slow, then freeze mid-song. Stopping on cue practices the same impulse control used in games like Simon Says. See SEL games for elementary students.
🔢 Counting and Math Sing-Alongs
Five Little Ducks: counting down
Ten in the Bed: counting backward from ten
This Old Man: counting one to ten with rhymes
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: counting with rhyme
Five Little Speckled Frogs: subtraction within five
The Ants Go Marching: counting and patterns
Five Little Pumpkins: ordinal words (first, second, third)
📚 Letters and Language Sing-Alongs
The Alphabet Song: letter names in order
BINGO: spelling and clapping out letters
Down by the Bay: rhyming
Willoughby Wallaby Woo: rhyming with classmates’ names
Apples and Bananas: vowel sounds
Days of the Week songs: sequencing and calendar words
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: a simple melody for adding new words
🎵 Classic Fun Sing-Alongs
Old MacDonald Had a Farm: animal sounds and turn-taking (let each child pick an animal)
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep: short and easy for the first weeks of school
Mary Had a Little Lamb: another simple early-year melody
The Farmer in the Dell: a circle game where children are chosen in turn
London Bridge Is Falling Down: a partner game
Skip to My Lou: easy verses children can invent
❤️ Feelings and Friendship Sing-Alongs
Original lyrics set to traditional public-domain tunes. Free to use in your classroom.
Feelings Song
Tune: Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)
I feel happy, I feel happy,
Big smile, big smile.
Sometimes I feel sad,
Sometimes I feel mad,
That’s okay, that’s okay.
Add verses for scared, excited, frustrated, and calm. Have children show each feeling on their faces.
Take a Breath
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (sung slowly)
When my feelings get too big,
I can stop and take a breath.
Smell the flower, nice and slow,
Blow the candle, let it go.
Now my body feels just right,
I can use my words, not fight.
Be a Friend
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
I can be a friend,
I can be a friend,
Share and help and take my turn,
I can be a friend.
Kind Words
Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Kind, kind, kind words
Make my friends feel good.
“Thank you,” “please,” and “come and play,”
Say them like we should.
See Kindness activities.
Mistakes Are Okay
Tune: London Bridge
Everybody makes mistakes,
Makes mistakes, makes mistakes.
Everybody makes mistakes,
That’s how we learn and grow.
Taking Turns
Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb
First it’s you and then it’s me,
Then it’s me, then it’s me.
First it’s you and then it’s me,
That’s how we take turns.
👋 Greeting and Goodbye Sing-Alongs
Hello songs: any simple tune that includes each child’s name
The More We Get Together: classroom community
Make New Friends: a classic round about friendship
Goodbye songs: a short end-of-day song to close the routine
For original greeting, clean-up, and goodbye songs, see classroom songs for transitions and Morning Meeting activities.
Songs by Category
Tips for Leading Kindergarten Sing-Alongs
Repeat favorites
Kindergartners learn through repetition. A few songs sung often beat many songs sung once.
Add motions
Gestures help children remember the words and give restless bodies something to do.
Let children lead
Once a song is familiar, let a child choose the animal, the feeling, or the action.
Use names
Songs that include children’s names make every child feel seen.
Change the tempo
Fast, slow, loud, whisper. Changing speed and volume makes old songs fresh and builds self-control.
Sing in more than one language
Many classic songs have Spanish versions, and families can share songs from home.
Keep it short
Two or three songs at a time is usually enough for a kindergarten attention span.
Sing in more than one language
Many classic songs have Spanish versions, and families can share songs from home. See why bilingual SEL matters.
What to Avoid
Forcing reluctant singers
Some children watch for weeks before joining in. Let them participate with motions first.
Only using recordings
Recordings are helpful, but singing together with the teacher builds more connection.
Songs that are too long or complex
Kindergarten favorites tend to be short and repetitive for a reason.
Overstimulating songs before calm work
End a sing-along with a slower song to help children settle.
Copying copyrighted lyrics into handouts
Many popular children’s songs are copyrighted. Singing them in class is common, but printing or posting their lyrics is different. Traditional songs and original lyrics avoid the issue.
Final Thoughts
Sing-alongs are one of the most reliable tools in a kindergarten classroom. They move bodies, build vocabulary, practice counting and letters, and, when chosen with intention, teach children how to name feelings, calm down, take turns, and be a friend. Research on music and young children is promising but still limited, so the strongest case for sing-alongs is practical: children enjoy them, and they make it easy to practice skills every day.[3]
Pick a few favorites, sing them often, and add a feelings song to the mix.
References
Kirschner, S., & Tomasello, M. (2010). Joint music making promotes prosocial behavior in 4-year-old children. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31(5), 354-364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.04.004
Wallace, W. T. (1994). Memory for music: Effect of melody on recall of text. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20(6), 1471-1485. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.20.6.1471
Gromko, J. E. (2005). The effect of music instruction on phonemic awareness in beginning readers. Journal of Research in Music Education, 53(3), 199-209. https://doi.org/10.1177/002242940505300302
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
Cipriano, C., Strambler, M. J., Naples, L. H., et al. (2023). The state of evidence for social and emotional learning: A contemporary meta-analysis of universal school-based SEL interventions. Child Development, 94(5), 1181-1204. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13968
Holt, A. (2021). The influence of interpersonal synchrony on helping behavior, social bonding, and empathy in children (replication of Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010). Listed in the FORRT Replication Atlas. https://forrt.org/flora-replication-atlas/doi/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.04.004/
Original Sing-Along Songs That Teach SEL
Be The Buffalo includes original songs written for elementary classrooms, such as “My Brain Can Grow,” “Mistake Song,” “Yes I Can,” and “Brave Enough to Fail,” with sing-along karaoke versions, as part of a 40-week CASEL-aligned curriculum with a K-1 band built for kindergartners. Bilingual. No student devices. No prep. The first four weeks are free.
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