Tips for Making Music Playlists That Kids Will Love
If you’re like me then music is a HUGE part of your teaching, it’s a management strategy, it’s a way to motivate kids to keep moving and it’s just more fun to do anything with some tunes rockin in the background. I learned really quickly during my first year teaching that listening to jock jams on repeat can get old really quick, so I am always on the lookout for a new song to put on my playlist in the gym. (Check out the Shazaam App – for finding song titles when you hear them on the radio). My work day always goes better when I enjoy the music I’m listening to. Here are my TOP 7 tips for keeping your music fresh and updated.
- Always check lyrics before you play a song – you are responsible for what kids hear coming out of your stereo. Everyone has different opinions on what is appropriate and every school has different policies, but when comes down to it, you need to be able to defend the appropriateness of the songs you play and you can’t do that if you haven’t read the lyrics.
- Ask your kids – Pretty simple, you want to know what kids like, ask them what they are listening to, ask them what their favorite band is or what songs they really like. You could even have a “song request” box in your gym.
- Look at Billboard Top 40 Charts – Disclaimer: 75% of the popular songs will not be appropriate, but the other 25% are great and your kids will most likely know them and sing along.
- Kidz Bop – I personally don’t really love Kidz Bop, but I do use it as a source to find popular songs that kids might like and then I download the originals that are appropriate. If you enjoy the actual Kidz Bop albums this is a great resource for you.
- Recycle Playlists – I always date the playlists on my iPod, this is nice when you get tired of your current playlist, because you can just throw it back to a playlist from a year ago and listen to some old school tunes that you aren’t tired of hearing all day.
- Whenever Possible get themed music (christmas themed for the week before Christmas – Halloween Themed for the week before Halloween. Also if you are playing a game, for example during a game we play called Star Wars we always play music from the Star Wars soundtrack and kids go bananas for it.
- Get Edited or Instrumental Versions – There are some really awesome songs or dances that are not appropriate, but you can always look for an edited version, edit it yourself with a program like audacity, or just get the instrumental version (eg. I wanted to teach the Wobble to my kids, the song lyrics are inappropriate, so we just learned the dance steps and danced to the instrumental version of the song)
I update and mix up my playlists around every month or so, here is my current playlist:
- I Got You – Duke Dumont
- I’m on Top of the World – Imagine Dragons
- Best Day of My Life – American Authors
- Happy – Pharrell Williams
- Safe and Sound – Capital Cities
- Levels – Avicii
- Barbara Streisand – Duck Sauce
- The Harlem Shake
- Good Time – Owl City and Carly Rae Jaspen
- Sandstorm – Darude
- Keep Your Head Up – Andy Grammer
- Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson
- Disclosure – Latch
- Replay – Zendaya
- Give Life Back to Music – Daft Punk
- To the Sky – Owl City
- 1901 – Phoenix
- Countin Stars – One Republic
- Classic – MKTO
- Doin it Right – Daft Punk
- Sweet Nothing – Calvin Harris
- Radar Detector – Xaphoon Jones
- Lungs – Chrvches
- Summer – Calvin Harris
- Falling – HAIM
Also, the Phys Ed guru Joey Feith (A PE teacher and blogger @www.thePhysicalEducator.com) has created a google doc where you can go and find songs, or add songs to the playlists. I will throw a disclaimer out there and remind you to check the lyrics before playing a song – there are some songs on the list that I’m not comfortable playing in my gym, but you can decide for yourself. You can take part in the action by Clicking Here
Lou Gore says
You are the Best!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to really really help me and my students with all the material and tips ideal. Again Thank You!!!! I thank God for you.
Marcus says
You’re welcome Lou! Glad you’re enjoying the resources!
If you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out!
Maleeha says
Hi Ben! Are there certain instances where you find it better not to play music during a game or activity, or do you play music for any game or activity everyday? Thanks.
Ben Landers says
I always play music for any time the kids are moving, it’s just part of my program now and it feels really weird to me and the kids anytime people are moving and the music isn’t on.
Traci Gray says
Hey Ben! Do you purchase each of these songs or do you make a playlist through amazon? Thanks!
Ben Landers says
If I can find them on iTunes I buy them there, or get remixes that I like from youtube videos. I like having them on the phone vs streaming them with Amazon bc our wifi is always going out
Brian says
You can also use other peoples playlists on Spotify. I have created a list of songs and continue to add to my list.
Sandy says
Ben, would I be able to down load the Playlist you’ve created onto my laptop? I teach elementary PE. Music is not my strongest suit; however, I am willing to work on providing music for my students. I know music is a very effective tool for motivation. I know lyrics are important for it provides messages that would inspire kids to keep moving, have healthy lifestyle.
Ben Landers says
Hey Sandy – you’ll have to look up the songs in iTunes, Amazon, Spotify or whatever you use to play your music.
You can also convert songs from Youtube if you can’t find them anywhere else – if you’re not sure how to do this you can Google it. There are lots of sites that will convert a youtube link into a downloadable mp3 file.
Jeff Meyers says
This playlist is great! Would you happen to have any previous month lists?
Ben Landers says
stay tuned – got an update coming very soon
Erika says
Do you recommend any good playlist creations apps?
Also what do you use to shad out a student’s face on a pick.
Thanks so much. I have been teaching for 16 years and always learning. Your blog and site is great.
E
Ben Landers says
Thanks! I still use iTunes for music, but you can use Spotify if you don’t mind paying the monthly fee. Also, Amazon has a free music streaming app if you’re an Amazon Prime Member. I use Final Cut Pro X for Video edits and Snapseed is my favorite Photo editing app.