In our family, the person who makes it home first from work or school on a Friday afternoon has an important responsibility: Set everything up for our official Friday night family dance party.
Here’s how it works:
- Clear the living room floor of LEGOs and baby teethers,
- Queue up our playlist of the best kids’ dance songs, and
- Crank the volume.
And if you’re the last person home?
Nothing beats that feeling of walking in the door, hearing the notes of happiness reverberate through the house, and stepping into the living room to see your whole family dancing and giggling.
A family dance party is one of the best ways to connect with your kids after a day apart – or if you’re just feeling cooped up indoors because of cold/rainy/sweltering weather. Plus, dancing is good for your health in lots of ways, from heart health to stress levels and more.
Related: How to Connect With Your Child: The Magic of the 5:1 Ratio {Printable}
14 Happy Kids’ Dance Songs That Parents Love, Too
Here’s a playlist that’s fun for the whole family to shake their booties to. These contemporary, upbeat tunes have clean language, but unlike most dance music for kids, they’re not so kiddish that you’ll lock yourself in the bathroom til they’re over. Yo Gabba GAG ME.
Next time you and/or the kids have a bad case of the crankies, fire up a few of these songs and dance away the bad mojo. (Research shows that babies and toddlers especially get a big dose of happy when moving their bodies to a rhythmic beat.)
You’ll tire the kids out before bedtime, plus you’ll burn a few calories yourself. Which means you can skip working out, or at least skip feeling guilty for not working out.
You’re welcome!
1. When Can I See You Again? by Owl City
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
2. Hey Mama by Mat Kearney
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
3. Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
4. More of This by Vetiver
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
5. Hey Na Na by Katie Herzig
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
6. Brand New Day by Tim Myers
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
7. Sleepy Tigers by Her Space Holiday
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
8. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
9. Riptide by Vance Joy
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
10. The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti and Spearhead
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
11. Kids by MGMT
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
12. Black Horse & The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
13. Happy by Pharrell Williams
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
14. Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake
Listen: iTunes | Amazon MP3
Download my FREE cheat sheet as a bonus for joining my newsletter: 16 Miracle Phrases to Help You Reconnect With Your Child
Want More?
For another fun family-friendly playlist, check out 12 Songs for a Carefree Summer.
Your Turn
What are your favorite kids’ dance songs? Share in a comment below!
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Honestly, I am not sure how I found you through the web but I am currently smitten. I do have to agree with you on several of your rockin’ kids dance songs. I’m currently riding the Riptide and Bastile’s Pompeii.
I found my rockin’ songs a different way though. I downloaded Pandora Radio on my iphone and select the Children’s Indie Radio Station they have. After a little guidance through like/dislike votes I have it fine tuned. It’s so good that I will listen to it whenever I want a happy pick me up, kids or no kids.
Smitten? *blush* Thank you! That is quite a nice compliment. :-)
We’re just sitting around enjoying coffee and watching the kids be silly this morning, so I’m going to play Bastile’s Pompeii for the kids right now!
I love your Pandora suggestion too. I’ve used Pandora, but I’m so impatient so I end up thumbs-downing my whole allotment right away, then I get stuck listening to junk I can’t skip and I just give up. I should give it another go though, thank you for the reminder about it!
Kelly you are such a good writer! Honestly – how do you make it look so darn easy? This is the second post of yours I’ve read in one day and I am so impressed! Have to share this one too : )
Thanks so much for this! Sharing tomorrow on Facebook!
I love this post – and your pictures are adorable! I’m a big believer in good music for families too. My suggestion for you is an awesome song if you haven’t thought of it yet: Can’t Get Next To You by The Temptations – it’s an oldie but a goody! My boys love it! :)
Oh, that is a good one! Thank you for adding your pick to the discussion. :-)
Thank you for your inspiration. It always feels more possible after reading your articles. one game my kids love is…. put them on a big bed then roll them in blankets and see how long it takes for them to escape.
It’s really cool. I’ve shared this on my twitter. Thanks