Friendship Songs for Kids
Music For Kiddos Podcast
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As we approach Valentine’s Day, I wanted to talk about how I address this season with kids. I don’t put a big emphasis on romantic love, but I do emphasize love and friendship in the way of community. I also like to bring arts and crafts and multisensory experiences in to music time.
On this blog post and on episode 112 of the Music For Kiddos podcast, I’m sharing some of my favorite themes and songs to use around Valentine’s Day, along with some multisensory ideas to incorporate alongside them.
“K-I-N-D”
One of my favorite and go-to songs to use around Valentine’s Day that is specifically about kindness and friendship is my song “K-I-N-D.”
Kind is kind of
The most important thing that we can all be
Kind is kind of
A very special thing for you and for me
Just be kind
Letter Work
The song spells the word “kind.” I like to have kids write notes or make drawings for another person with an emphasis on showing appreciation for a friend or showing that you care about them. I like pairing these activities with songs that center on themes of delivering letters or giving gifts to friends, showcasing appreciation and care for one another.
Group Art Project
Working together as friends, each child could decorate a heart, which can be linked together to form a chain of hearts that goes around the room.
Lyric Analysis
Have kids pick their favorite line from the song and talk about values that are important for them in friendship and community. They could then visually represent these values through art, creating a classroom decoration that celebrates their sense of community and teamwork.
Call-and-Response
One of the great things about this song is that it spans a very large age range. For younger kids, I like to separate them in different groups and have one kid sing the letters of “kind” with a call-and-response, and then sing the chorus together. This approach is particularly effective for younger ages, but it also resonates well with second through fifth graders. The bridge adds an interesting element that I usually skip for the younger ones, but it works wonderfully for older students.
Mixed-Age Group Programs
While the song contains quite a few words, which can be challenging for younger children, it's perfect for older kids. I've also used this song with mixed-age groups. For instance, during a program, the older children played the ukulele, which is easy to manage in the key of C, while the younger kids sang along, incorporating some instrumental back-and-forth. This activity included first, second, and third graders, making it a really enjoyable experience.
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” - Mr. Rogers
The second song I'm excited to share is the timeless classic, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" by Mr. Rogers.
So, let’s make the most of this beautiful day
Since we’re together, we might as well say
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Discussion Opportunities
While you could simply sing this song or sing along with the recording, it presents a fantastic opportunity for discussion about the concept of a neighbor:
Who are your neighbors?
Do you know them well?
At school, who are your neighbors? Consider the friends you typically sit beside and what you appreciate about them.
Incorporating activities such as shaking hands can enhance the experience. You can also discuss sharing with neighbors and asking for assistance, which can lead to valuable extensions of the conversation.
Art Project
Encourage the children to illustrate their homes and surrounding community, as well as their school environment. This activity can be a wonderful way to explore themes of friendship and community, particularly around Valentine's Day.
“You Supported Me” - Miss Julieann
The third song I'd like to suggest for February is one you may or may not be familiar with. Soon enough, as more people discover this track, it will undoubtedly be everywhere! To me, it has a whimsical quality that feels like it belongs in a Disney movie. It's incredibly fun, energetic, and features fantastic lyrics that children absolutely adore.
We danced with dragons and we ran to the zoo
We swam with sharks and we hopped with kangaroos
We raced with lions and we sailed the sea
And I feel so much better now, ‘cause you
You played with me
You danced with me
You jumped with me
You supported me
This delightful song beautifully captures the essence feeling lonely, reaching out to a friend, and enjoying fun activities together. It ultimately leads to a sense of joy because that friend was there to support you.
I truly believe this charming tune is perfect for this time of year. It would also make a fantastic addition to any spring program. You can certainly enhance it with some instruments and incorporate a ton of movement. The lyrics encourage dancing with dragons and jumping around with kangaroos. It's also a wonderful opportunity for costume-making.
Miss Julieann has backing tracks for her songs available on her website. This way, performers can have permission to showcase it in their events and performances!
Anchor Songs for Holidays
Two out of three of these songs are more complex and feature multiple layers. While I appreciate the abundance of simple holiday tunes, I find it beneficial to have a central anchor song. For fall, that song is undoubtedly "Shy Little Monster."
We’ll delve deeper into this theme with activities centered around "Shy Little Monster." We’ll discuss concepts like voice volume and unleash our creativity by imagining what we would look like as little monsters or what costumes we might wear for Halloween.
If you're unfamiliar with this book, you might be wondering, “What is she talking about?” You’ll need to look up “Shy Little Monster” to understand! I believe having an anchor song for a holiday is a great idea, allowing us to engage in multisensory and multimodal activities with children over several weeks. We can explore various aspects like art, creativity, imagination, and social connections among group members.
Buy the book in the Music For Kiddos shop here!
You can read more about the book and themes to incorporate along with it in this blog post.
For Valentine's Day and friendship songs specifically, I adore the three I’ve mentioned here; they are truly solid choices. Any song you choose as an anchor would be fantastic. Of course, you could incorporate all of them! I’d love to hear about your favorite friendship songs and any February themes you think might be missing from your repertoire. I'm always open to new ideas!
For more friendship and community songs to incorporate into the season, check out this blog post and this one, too!
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I keep a comprehensive document called the Idea Generator, where I compile all the suggestions I receive, eventually working through many of them. If you have an idea, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Instagram at Music for Kiddos or through the contact option on our website, musicforkiddos.com.
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