If you have kids then you’ll know how they can be repetitive. I don’t mean that to sound bad, what I mean is they thrive on routine and if you give them something that they like, they’ll do it again and again until it’s no fun any more and you find yourself living with regret.

Take Toy Story. It’s a fantastic piece of cinema, an all-time classic. It was ground-breaking, it’s heart-warming, it’s a great cast, and it certainly stands the test of time but thank god it has sequels! I’ve seen it far too many times at the request of my son, to the point where I started analysing what Sid’s problem was and was curious about how he overcame his issues as a young adult (turns out he becomes a garbage man but I bet he’s still haunted by broken toys rising from the dead).

And the same goes for their musical taste. They hear one song and bam! It’s sung day and night. Their single request at karaoke. It’s the theme tune to their life. But as their parent/guardian we can change that. Here’s a #playlist that will save your life. And theirs…

SOME SURE-FIRE HITS

You need to play the game, and play fair to begin with. Grab their attention maybe even with that same old hit we were talking about at the top. And then slowly ease them in, we’re not going to post them in here but even some Black Lace hits (Agadoo, Superman, etc.) is acceptable and when you see them participating with these that’s the reward. You want to encourage your kids to enjoy music, to get up and dance and so these might just be the songs to do that. It may even be worth throwing in the latest One Direction, Swifty or Bieber song too – I’m sure you yourself even like at least one songs of theirs, but do please keep this to a minimum, this is NOT a playlist for idiots.

BRING OUT THE CLASSICS

OK, so now to introduce them to some quality children’s songs. There’s a reason this has over 80 million views on YouTube:

Mah Nà Mah Nà – Bip Bippadotta & The Snowths (The Muppet Show – 1976)

THE BEATLES

Now you may have already latched onto the fact the we here at THE JOURNALIX are huge fans of The Beatles. And we all agree that their music suits any situation. We’ve had countless debates for when we cut out one of their songs from our playlists as there is always the perfect song to include whether it’s for a summer/winter, sad/happy, food-themed/sports-themed/space-themed (I could go on) playlist but there’s no doubt that there is a lovely selection of songs that your toddler will definitely enjoy. I’m not a fan of the obvious choices, i.e. Octopus’s Garden and Yellow Submarine. Sorry Ringo x

But I will still visit the obvious places…

All Together Now – The Beatles (Yellow Submarine – 1969)

Hey Bulldog – The Beatles (Yellow Submarine – 1969)

THEME TUNES

Kids love watching TV. Almost as much as adults, and there’s no harm in venturing into TV land for a decent theme tune that you know your child will love. Nickelodeon, the BBC, Disney and most channels will post their themes online somewhere so they can be found and there’s some half decent stuff if you look deep enough. But do remember your audience. Mine is a 4 year old boy so…

Spectacular Spider-Man Theme – The Tender Box

Mickey Mouse Club – Disney

Way Out – Beau Black

Batman 1960’s Theme

Me and My Arrow – Harry Nilsson

LEARN FROM DISNEY

Ignore Disney at your peril. To be honest most family homes should own a Disney compilation CD somewhere, but there’s a lot to learn from these guys. Music associated to your favourite animated characters will be loved forever. Illumination, the company behind all things Minions have done very well with their soundtracks in recent years and you’ll be surprised by what your kid might already know. Beyond Banana Jiggle Jiggle…

Here’s a few to pick from:

My Generation – The Who (My Generation – 1966)

You Really Got Me – The Kinks (Kinks – 1964)

EXPERIMENT

Now the final section is completely up to you and definitely the funnest part. Go for something experimental, your favourite song by your favourite artist and see how it goes down. If they see you singing at the top of your voice to it they may just join in on the chorus and want to learn more. Maybe don’t leave it until the very end, sandwich it between 2 Disney tracks or something and I would say it’s worth bearing in mind your audience still. I’ve picked out a few of songs that worked well for me:

Let’s Dance – David Bowie (Let’s Dance – 1983)

Digsy’s Dinner – Oasis (Definitely Maybe – 1994)

Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder (Songs in the Key of Life – 1976)

Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay (A Head Full of Dreams – 2015)

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior (D-D-Don’t Don’t Stop the Beat – 2002)

Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (Uptown Special – 2014)