5 Toddler Songs for Language Development
As pediatric speech-language pathologists, we love teaching simple songs to the families we work with. And songs are a fun way to help your child build strong communication skills while building a strong connection with your child.
In this post, we’re sharing 5 of our go-to songs—songs we love to sing with our children and those we work with in speech therapy. We’ll break down why each one has go-to status and how to sing it yourself. Plus, we’ll give you ways to modify each song to encourage communication!
The Benefits Of Singing Together
Music has so many benefits when it comes to toddler development. When you engage your toddler in a song or even a simple rhyme, you can feel great knowing you’re helping them build strong communication skills!
Benefits for Toddlers
Here are just a few of the many benefits singing songs has for your child:
Singing helps little ones learn language
Songs introduce new words and concepts
Songs give toddlers opportunities to practice communication—and not just words, but sounds and gestures, too!
Songs and rhymes utilize repetition, which supports brain development
Singing encourages little ones to have fun with language by making sounds, gesturing, and saying words in a fun and playful way
Songs slow language down, which helps children hear the words more clearly
Related: Music & Toddler Development
Benefits for Parents
Singing songs with your little one can help you to:
Make transitions between activities easier
Feel better throughout the day by releasing endorphins
Engage and play with your little one (especially if it doesn’t always feel natural to you)
Pass the time during waits at the doctor’s office or grocery store
Related: 4 Ways Singing Together Benefits Parents
Worried that you and your child aren’t super musical? Don’t be! You don’t have to be able to sing—and your toddler doesn’t have to be willing to sing!— to reap the benefits. In the sections below, we’re going to show you ways to encourage participation in your little ones, without them having to make a sound. So stay with us!
Perfect Times for Songs & Rhymes
We love incorporating songs throughout the entire day. Not all day, every day, or anything—not trying to add to your plate! But we do find that, once you start looking for them, the opportunities to use songs and rhymes are everywhere.
Use songs and rhymes while you:
Play with your baby or toddler
Wait in a line at the grocery store
Drive together
Go on a walk
Move through daily routines like diaper changes
Note for Parents: You don’t have to sit down and “practice songs” perfectly. It can be more natural than that! You can be singing together while you walk or tie up shoelaces, and they can join in or stop throughout the song. It’s all great for them and it all counts!
5 Songs for Toddler Language Development
Even if you don’t consider yourself a musical person, give these a try. Your child will love hearing your voice!
#1 Popcorn Kernels
Lyrics (Sung to the tune of Frere Jacques):
Popcorn kernels x2
In the pot x2
Shake them x3
Till they POP! X2
How To Sing It:
Grab a dishcloth, an egg shaker, or anything else you can throw! Then, sing the lyrics and, as you say, “Pop!”, either toss what you have (like we’ve shown in the video), jump together, or emphasize the word ‘pop’ with your hands. If they’re small enough, you can also gently lift your little one up in the air!
Why We Love It:
This song is very catchy, and it emphasizes the early developing speech sound of /p/, which is a great sound to practice for new talkers. We also love it because kids think it’s so fun when you throw something up in the air!
Communication Tips:
Pause right before you say pop and let your child try to fill in the blank, or use a gesture or sound that lets them participate!
Encourage them to copy the movements you do when you say, “Pop!”
#2 Time For A Picnic
Lyrics:
Time for a picnic, what should we pack?
What should we pack for our picnic snack?
Time for a picnic, what should we pack?
Hmmm, let’s pack a ____!
How To Sing It:
As you go through the lyrics, pause when it’s time to pick the food. Hold up two items and let them choose which one they’d like. Then, have fun with it by pretending to eat each food! Or, if your child is talking more, let them name the food and say a few things to describe the food. For example, if they pick a carrot, you could say, “Yummy carrot! It’s crunchy and orange!”
Why We Love It:
We love Time For A Picnic because it teaches food vocabulary, gives toddlers the chance to imitate gestures, and levels up your toddler’s play!
Communication Tips:
Decide on what to pack together by:
Make the “thinking” gesture and say, “Hmmmmm…” until they (or you!) pick
Holding out your hand until they give you a food item
Waiting for them to say the name of the food
Make eating sounds! These sounds will be easier for your child to copy than words so it’s a fun way to encourage imitation.
#3 Eyes, Nose, Cheeky Cheeky Chin
Lyrics:
Eyes, nose, cheeky cheeky chin x3
Cheeky cheeky chin nose eyes
How To Sing It:
As you sing the lyrics, point to either their facial features or your own. Read their cues to see if they like being touched or not!
Why We Love It:
This sweet song is a great one to sing during diaper changes or while dressing a wiggly baby. And, as your toddler grows and can understand and name their body parts, it’s a fun one to sing with dolls or stuffies while they’re in the bath or high chair.
Communication Tips:
Play around with changing the pace you sing it. It can be fun to speed it up or slow it down. It’s a fun way to play with language and build connection.
For toddlers, add in a pause or two to see if they can start to fill the words in on their own. This might start out with a sound (which is great!) and move up to singing it all on their own.
#4 Hooray for ___
This song has such fun vibes, and we love that there are so many ways to participate.
Lyrics:
Hooray for NAME
Hooray for NAME
Someone in the crowd is shouting
Hooray for NAME
1-2-3-4
Who you gonna cheer for?
NAME, that's who!
How To Sing It:
Sing the lyrics by adding your child’s name to the end of each line. Then, when you say their name, point to them, encourage them to pat their chest, or pause and let them say their name! You can repeat this song and say your name too, or the names of other important people in your child’s life.
Why We Love It:
Kids love hearing their names in songs, so it’s sure to engage them! This song is also great for practicing family member names, like mama, Grandpa, and sibling names.
Communication Tips:
See if your child will start to fill in their name!
After you’ve sung this song many times—and depending on your child’s age and abilities—try pausing and waiting for a few seconds after you you sing, “Who you gonna cheer for?”
Encourage your child to put their arms up in the air or pat their chest when you say their name.
Start by modeling these gestures yourself, so they learn how. As you sing, point or tap on their chest when it’s their turn, and your chest it’s your turn.
Let your child lead and say or point to who to sing to next
Set up favorite toys or stuffed animals and sing to them! (“Hooray for Zebra..”.)
#5 The Name Song
Lyrics (Sung to the tune of Bingo):
There was a (boy/girl) who had a name and NAME was their name-o
[Spell out their name three times]
And NAME was his name-o!
How To Sing It:
Sing the lyrics by filling in your child’s name. Then, spell out their name. When it’s all put together, it goes like this:
There was a boy who had a name and HENRY was his name-o!
H-E-N-R-Y
H-E-N-R-Y
H-E-N-R-Y
And HENRY was his name-o!
We know this can be tricky for longer names. If your child’s name is longer, like Olivia or Alexandra, just speed up the spelling part a little bit to make all of the letters fit, like this:
There was a girl who had a name and OLIVIA was her name-o!
OLI-VIA
OLI-VIA
OLI-VIA
And OLIVIA was her name-o!
Or, try singing a nickname if they have one:
There was a boy who had a name and ALEX was his name-o!
A-L-E-X
A-L-E-X
A-L-E-X
And ALEX was his name-o!
Why We Love It:
Kids LOVE to hear songs with their names included. For babies and toddlers, it’s a great way to expose them to their names while increasing print awareness and helping with early literacy skills.
Communication Tips:
Ask your child, “Who’s name should we sing next? Daddy or brother?” This is a great opportunity to give them choices and practice answering questions.
For toddlers, add in a pause or two to see if they can fill the letters in on their own after a lot of practice. This might start out with a sound (which is great!) and move up to singing it all on their own.
Talk about other words that start with the letters in their name. You’ll need to do a lot of modeling in the beginning, but they’ll start to pick it up on their own with practice. For example, you could say, “Your name starts with H. H says hhhh. What other words start with the hhhh sound? I know! Hot!”
All Our Favorite Songs & Rhymes, On-Demand!
As pediatric speech therapists and moms of six little ones, we’ve witnessed firsthand the power of songs as it pertains to language development. That’s one of the reasons we created our Songs+Stories membership.
Your membership gives you the ability to:
Entertain your toddler with high-quality screen time
Help them talk and communicate more
Learn from pediatric speech therapists
Take 10 minutes to do something around the house, sit down on the couch, or take a call, knowing they’re engaged in something that helps them learn and grow
Whether you’re concerned about your child’s speech development or you’re just looking for a quality screen option, Songs + Stories is the intentional resource you’ve been looking for!