Music for Toddlers: The Ultimate Playlist

Here at Jooki, we have put together the ultimate “music for toddlers” playlist on Spotify. Link to a Jooki token and share these tunes with your child today.

As we discussed in a previous post, toddlers and music enjoy a special relationship. Melodies can calm toddlers, excite them, engage them, and help them develop. Songs can help toddlers learn, strengthen gross motor skills —  music can even redirect toddler tantrums to something more productive (and more pleasing to the ear!). Not to mention, music can help to ease separation anxiety, which can be a real issue for parents in the toddler years.

Below, we’ll explore our top music for toddlers. We’ve also compiled a Spotify playlist for you to use. Link this playlist to a jooki token and give your child some quality, fun, screen-free time.

1. The Wheels on the Bus

This song is a hit for toddlers and has been around for generations — for good reasons. The upbeat tune and the repetition of the words engage young minds, and parents can incorporate different verses (or make up their own) depending on what their toddler enjoys. Baby Centre has suggested this song is great for toddlers when it comes to developing their fine motor skills, their language, and their imagination.

2. If You’re Happy and You Know it

Songs don’t get much happier than this, and we couldn’t put together a “music for toddlers” playlist without mentioning this well-known tune. Even before toddlers begin to talk, they can dance and play along with this song, clapping their hands and stamping their feet along with their friends or family. 

3. Five Little Monkeys

Nobody really knows the origin of this now well-known song, but toddlers everywhere love to jump along to this tune. Even when your children are too young to fully understand numbers or counting, this song gets them accustomed to the concept while providing fun with the rhythm and repetition all kids love. And did you know there are many different (although lesser-known) versions of this song? Including:

4. Old McDonald

Most toddlers seem to have an instinctive love for animals. This song helps develop your child’s vocabulary while at the same time allowing them to have fun and make silly noises.

5. Ring a Round the Rosy

There is a lot of conjecture regarding the origins of this song, but regardless of where it came from, today, the song is a fun, lively song that will get your toddlers up and running around, holding hands and interacting with one another. This song is perfect for parties or playdates — or for exhausting your toddler before bedtime.

6. Baby Shark

Everyone knows this modern classic. Love it or hate it, there’s a reason why Pink Fong's tune has struck a chord with kids around the world. 

We already know that toddlers love repetition. It helps them to learn, it’s familiar, and it’s comforting.  And scientists have suggested that the song’s upbeat tempo and repetitive lyrics trigger the brain’s pleasure center. The song is also simple, making it easy for toddlers to learn and repeat. What’s more, words like mummy, daddy, grandpa, and grandma help children to create a connection to the music.

7. The ABC Song

Just like numbers, your toddler is probably too young to grasp the alphabet. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get them familiar with the sounds of letters and the melody of the song, which will help them memorize them later.

8. Row, Row, Row Your Boat

This is a simple but catchy song that toddlers love. Parents have created many different verses over the years, so they’ll never have to get bored of singing it time and again. 

Did you know the earliest known printing of the song is from 1852? The lyrics were very similar to today but originally used a very different tune.  

9. You Are My Sunshine

Songs are more than just fun for toddlers. A song from mom can provide a huge sense of comfort, especially as they drift off to sleep. This heart-warming tune is perfect for an anxious or unhappy toddler, or for a toddler who needs a little persuasion to head off to sleep.

10. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle Twinkle is probably one of the very first songs your toddler will sing. It’s an old one but a good one and comes with actions that even older babies can mimic and predict. Play this song just before bedtime to get your toddler in the right frame of mind to snooze.

Are you looking for a fun, interactive, screen-free music player for your toddler? Shop now and discover why Jooki is the best music player for kids.