Best Kid Music...According to Me

This post was difficult to start because it's so hard to narrow down the best music for kids that's out there. So, I've tried my best to give you the music that has stood the test of time in our house as well as one newcomer. I hope you'll comment about your favorites so I can write a new post with your feedback!

Laurie Berkner Band - You may have seen her band in between shows on one of the children's cable stations. These songs are the songs you are singing to yourself while you wash the dishes or fold clothes. They just get STUCK in your head which, in my opinion, is the sign of a good song. We have a dvd of her music, which is really fun because she and Susie and Adam dance around and just look like they are having a total blast. My favorite (not sure what the kids would say...) is "You're a Mess" - we sing that song all the time.

Thanks and Giving All Year Long - This is a little bit of a cheat because it's music AND stories. It's Marlo Thomas' follow up to her album you probably heard as a child: Free to Be You and Me, this time with some heavy hitters like Jimmy Buffet, Sheryl Crow, Wayne Brady, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie Perez, Kevin Bacon, James Earle Jones and many others. It is a fabulous cd to keep in the car's cd player because the songs and stories are very short but memorable and highly entertaining. I would encourage you to also consider the companion book. It has much more content than the CD as well as the music for all the songs so if you play piano or guitar or another instrument, you can play these catchy songs for your children. My kids and I have had tons of fun singing "Give it to me" over and over. And of course the best part is that 100% of the proceeds go to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Here Come the ABCs - This is one of They Might Be Giants' children's albums, filled with fun tunes about all kinds of educational subjects - vowels, countries and the Higglytown Heroes theme (maybe that last one's not so educational but I did like that show). They now have a follow up to this called Here Come the 123s as well. I've always loved "E Eats Everything" - here's a link to a video for this song to give you a taste.

Lemonsquare - This is a new one to me from just recently but you will love it! The music is so bouncy and catchy, you will find yourself tapping your toe along to it while your little one will be bopping in the backseat. If you go to the website, they have the songs playing along while you browse so you can get a good feel for the music. I just love it!

Honorable Mention: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - scary movie/fabulous sing-along music; Cars soundtrack - familiar artists like James Taylor, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley so you'll like it too; Happy Feet soundtrack - a little dark as a movie but some soulful toe-tapping music including Prince.