Five Favorite Songs for Kids (that won't drive you crazy)

I don't have a huge tolerance for kid's music, and even less so when you add a healthy dose of cabin fever. Add the fact that three-year-olds have to listen to every favorite song ad nauseam (did a toddler invent the "Repeat 1" function?), and it's just best for sanity if we stick to a playlist we can all agree on. Here's what's on our speakers at the moment.

1) Louis Prima
"Jump, Jive, an' Wail" is a perpetual favorite, of course, but his novelty songs are the real hit with kids. "Banana Split for My Baby" and "Whistle Stop" are favorites here. (Fair warning: "Beep! Beep! Beep!" might actually drive you crazy. Listen to it yourself before you're getting demands to play it twenty times in a row.)


Also: Glenn Miller. Because he sings about choo-choos, of course!

2) Django Reinhardt
Old-school "gypsy guitar" jazz that feels like the soundtrack for a one of those '30s black-and-white cartoons where the background characters are dancing all the time. Sure to put a little spring in your step.


Also: "Time Out" (and "Time Further Out" by Dave Brubeck. This album will either make warp your kids' sense of rhythm for life, or make them musical geniuses. I'm not sure which, but it sure is fun.

3)The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
This was one of the Bean's very favorite YouTube videos for a long time. Besides, couldn't we all use a little more spring and summer right now?


Also: Holst's Planets. If you're in the mood for classical, but a bit more intense. This is probably where John Williams got a bunch of his ideas for the "Star Wars" soundtrack.

4) American Graffiti Soundtrack
The Bean has an old alarm clock among his toys, and he has to grab it every time this song comes on. Maybe this will be the song that teaches him to read numbers?


Also: The Lion Sleeps Tonight, to teach them to sing in parts. :-)

5) The Beach Boys
Do you wanna dance? You know you do.

Also: The Beatles, of course. I've got a playlist of about 50 songs the Bean likes. "1"has a pretty good mix of early stuff, though it's missing "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Here Comes the Sun," alas.