The best daily routine songs for toddlers
The benefits of singing to your toddler are huge, and you know that, right? That’s why you’re reading this! Incorporating songs into your toddlers daily routine is the best way to make sure you are singing to them everyday and giving them the best chance to succeed with their speech and language.
I know how hard it is to fit more things into an already busy schedule, which is why I love this method. These songs can be easily added to your toddlers daily routine without taking up any extra time. Having them as part of your routine also helps you remember to sing to your toddler daily, and that repetition is so good for them.
I’ve shared 11 times in the day when you could add in some songs, and song suggestions. You don’t have to do all these, of course. Pick which times of the day are best for you and give it a go.
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A Wake Up Song
The first time you see your toddler in the morning is such an important time for bonding. They will have missed you overnight and sharing that first morning cuddle together is so special. This is also the perfect opportunity to add in a little waking up song.
These are my two favourite morning songs! They’re bright and cheerful, and full of positive energy for the day.
Get Up Out of Bed
Get up out of bed
Have a yawn and scratch your head
And say thank you
It’s a brand new day
Good Morning
Good morning
Good morning
It’s a lovely day today
Good morning to you
A Weather Song
Once you’ve gotten your little one up, why not check the weather together? There are so many different weather songs out there, and of course you can make up your own together. These two are the most sung weather songs in our house!
The Sun has got his Hat on
The Sun has got his hat on
Hip hip hip horray
The sun has got his hat on and he’s coming out to play.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day
Boys and girls want to play
Rain, rain, go away.
Getting Ready for the Day
Putting on clothes, brushing teeth and hair are all great opportunities for a little sing-song.
There are a few different songs I use for these moments in the day, and sometimes I will just sing the relevant verse or make one up.
The most versatile for this is, ‘Here we Go Round the Mulberry bush’. I also found that ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ is a great one for getting ready, as we can name body parts whilst getting washed and dressed.
Here we go round the Mulberry Bush
Here we go round the Mulberry Bush
The Mulberry Bush
The Mulberry Bush
Here we go round the Mulberry Bush
On a cold and frosty morning.
(Verse 2)
This is the way we wash our face
Wash our face
Wash our face
This is the way we wash our face
On a cold and frosty morning.
(There are verses for brushing teeth, getting dressed and brushing hair and you can add whichever new ones you want.)
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes
If you’re struggling to remember some of the traditional nursery rhymes, I’ve found having a book of nursery rhymes like this one, from Amazon, on the bookshelf really helps!
Using the Potty / Toilet
A song is often a good tool to have up your sleeve when potty training. The Toddler Club, on CBeebies, have a great Toilet Song. It’s worth checking it out if you’re currently toilet training your little one. They also have one about the importance of washing your hands.
Songs for meal times and snacks
Meal time preparation is a great time for a song or two. I find that while I am finishing up dinner, I usually have at least one little one under foot, asking if it’s nearly ready. Usually, I find that with a few good songs, they can hang on that little bit longer.
10 Fat Sausages
Ten fat sausages sizzling in a pan
Ten fat sausages sizzling in a pan
One went ‘pop’ and the other went ‘bang’
(Verse 2)
Now there’s eight fat sausages sizzling in a pan
Eight fat sausages sizzling in a pan
Eight fat sausages sizzling in a pan
One went ‘pop’ and the other went ‘bang’
(Continue the verses as above until there are no sausages left)
Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Bakers Man
Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker’s man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it and prick it, and mark it with a ‘B’
And put it in the oven for baby and me.
Clean Up After Meals
Cleaning up after meals is another great opportunity. As a childminder, I was finding that my little ones got rather wriggly and impatient as I tried to clean their hands and faces after meals. So I started singing a little song each time, and by the time I finished the song, their clean up was done. They sit still like little angels now. It’s amazing!
I sing, ‘This Little Piggy Went to Market’ as I clean their fingers. You could also use the washing hands verse from ‘Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush’.
This Little Piggy
This little piggy went to market
This little piggy stayed home
This little piggy had roast beef
This little piggy had none
And this little piggy went…
‘Wee wee wee’ all the way home.
Travelling Songs
We travel by car a lot so I sing a lot of nursery rhymes while I’m driving. This would work just as well if you walk, or take the bus, or train to get around. We sing about what we can see and take inspiration from what’s around us.
If we pass some cows or sheep out the window we sing ‘Old Macdonald had a farm’.
Old Macdonald had a farm
Old Macdonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm he had a cow
E-I-E-I-O
With a moo moo here
And a moo moo there
Here a moo
There a moo
Everywhere a moo moo
Old Macdonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
(For each new verse, choose a new animal)
If we pass a bus, we sing ‘The Wheels on the Bus’. I love this one, as you can just keep adding your own verses to it. When we have to stop at traffic lights, my little people can get kind of restless, and so we add in extra verses that we make up, (see below).
If this doesn’t come naturally to you, believe me when I say, practice makes perfect, this is definitely a learnt skill that I have gotten better at over time. I now add verses to lots of nursery rhymes without hardly thinking about it.
The Wheels on the Bus
The Wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round
Round and round
The Wheels on the bus go round and round
All day long
(My extra verses)
The traffic lights have turned to red
Red means stop
Stop the car
The traffic lights have turned to red
We have to wait.
The traffic lights have turned to green
Green means go
We can go
The traffic lights have turned to green
It’s time to drive.
Songs for Exploring
Day to day experiences are great opportunities for kids to learn and for you to talk with them about what you are doing and what you can see. You can easily add to this with songs too.
If you’re feeding the ducks, you can sing, ‘5 Little Ducks’ or if you see a frog, ‘5 Little Speckled Frogs’ and if you’re near farm animals, ‘Old Macdonald had a farm’. If you’re going up and down hills, then ‘The Grand Ole Duke of York’ is a great one! Once you start to think this way, you’ll be noticing opportunities everywhere!
5 Little Ducks
Five little ducks went swimming one day
Over the hill and far away
Mummy duck said, ‘Quack, quack, quack quack’
But only four little ducks came back!
(Continue for 4, then 3, then 2 little ducks, before moving onto the last verse, below.)
One little duck went swimming one day
Over the hill and far away
Mummy duck said, ‘Quack quack quack quack’
And all five ducks came swimming back!
5 Little Speckled Frogs
Five little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs
Yum yum!
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were four green speckled frogs
Glub glub!
(Continue singing the verses until there are no frogs left)
The Grand Old Duke of York
Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again
And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only half-way up
They were neither up nor down
The Tidy Up Song
This one is a classic and used in my kids nursery to help the kids transition from playing to tidying up. You can find different versions of this on Youtube, or make up your own version to sing. Our favourite is The Tidy Up Song from The Baby Club on CeBeebies.
Tidy Up Song
Let’s Tidy
Let’s Tidy up
Let’s put our things away
Let’s Tidy
Let’s Tidy Up
To play another day
Put it in the box
Put it in the cupboard
Put it in the bag
Now let’s sing and shout hooray
Before we begin,
Why don’t we have a sing
Let’s pack up in this way
And clap along as we say…
(Back to chorus)
If tidying up has become a battle ground, then check out my guest blog on The Stay Sane Mom Blog, 7 Easy Ways to Make Tidying Up a Lifelong Habit.
Bath Time Songs
Bath time is a fab time to get some nursery rhymes in. These two below are our favourites! However, if you’re after a song specifically about bath time, then check out, the Bath Time Song from Little Baby Bum.
A sailor went to sea sea sea
A sailor went to sea sea sea
To see what he could see see see
But all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea
Row, Row, Row your boat
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile
Don’t forget to scream!
Songs for Bedtime
A bedtime song is a great addition to the bedtime routine. As well as being an opportunity to incorporate songs into your toddlers daily routine, it can also help calm them down ready to sleep.
If your kid is struggling with bedtimes, then check out How to Help your Kid Sleep Better in 10 Steps.
At night-time my kids can’t go to sleep until I have sung them, ‘Rock a bye baby’. I add a little twist to it though, and at the end when it says ‘down will come baby, cradle and all’, I sing instead, ‘and Mummy and Daddy will catch their baby’ or use their name at the end. It makes it personal and more comforting I’ve found.
Rock a Bye Baby
Rock a bye baby on the tree top
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
The 11 best daily routine songs for toddlers
I hope you found this list of ideas helpful as you work to incorporate songs into your toddlers daily routine. Which one did you like best? There are probably some you already do. Which new ones are you planning to add?