Need a perfect solution to help children get their energy or wiggles out? These are my tried and true best movement and action songs for children! In fact, we love them so much we think they’re some of the all-time best songs for kids.

Do you need the perfect song to keep the children entertained for circle time? Or perhaps you have a toddler or preschooler who just needs something to cure a grumpy day. I have used many of these songs for circle time, for transitions, for family dance nights, for bad weather days, and for those moments in your preschool curriculum where we need to do something to keep us busy and moving!

Have the perfect song at your fingertips whenever you need it! Grab our free printable below of some of the best kids’ songs.

Also, have you seen our song posters? We made it easy for you with posters, cards, and song sticks that you can print from your own printer! Check them out in our store.

Movement and action songs for children

How to Stream Music in the Classroom or at Home

If you want to get songs without the ads from YouTube, there are a couple simple solutions. You can click the songs directly from this post, and it should take away most of the ads. Screen it first to make sure it works for your needs.

If you are using just audio, I have Amazon Music Unlimited which isn’t free but well worth it for me because we use it each day between the classroom and home. If you would want to download more than 10 songs a month, it’s worth its weight in gold! It’s compatible with your phone, electronic devices, Alexa, and computer. What’s great is that I can download the songs while I’m home on my phone using wifi with the Amazon Music app. Then the songs are always there on my phone, and I can play them in the classroom, the car, or anywhere else.

There is also a 2 million song music library with Amazon Prime. That’s how I started, but then I eventually switched to Amazon Music Unlimited because it has nearly every song.

Action and Dance Songs

Here are my favorite movement and action songs. Learning these songs is one of the best things I ever did!

Tony Chestnut by The Learning Station

This song is one of the absolute best! Anytime we do it for the first time in a long time, I can feeeel it!
P.S. I did this song for a year or two without realizing the awesome motions!

We are the Dinosaurs by The Laurie Berkner Band

Did you know that Laurie Berkner used to be a preschool music teacher? Well, she’s amazing, and I just learned that awesome fact from her newest album called Superhero. You can find this song as one of the bonus songs on that album!
Get stomping around with this super fun song kid action song! The children will love it, and I do too! If you have Amazon Prime, you can stream it for free! My favorite way to stream is through our Echo Dot.

A Root Chy Cha by The Learning Station

If you have not heard A Root Chy Cha, it is so catchy! This is a song that will help children work on following directions and using their memory!

Walk Around by Music With Nancy

Have everyone grab hands to form a circle for this delightful song by one of my favorite artists!

The Airplane Song by The Laurie Berkner Band

This is a great one! Leave some room for flying and jumping around! This is also another one you can stream for free through an Echo Dot.

Going On a Bear Hunt by Greg and Steve

This is the most requested children’s song that I have ever had in my preschool classes. Even though it’s a bit longer, it’s so engaging, so the children love it! Greg and Steve have some of our all-time favorite songs. We can’t get enough of the Kids In Motion and Kids in Action CDs! We also adore the book!

Penguin Song by Jack Hartmann

This is another great kids dance song to work on following directions! My kids ask to do it over and over again. You’ll see why!

Go Bananas by The Learning Station

This is the one I always did if I had my class standing in line but we had something happen so I needed a quick song that kept everyone in their spot. It’s great for circle time too!

Baby Shark by The Learning Station

This is such a great one! I think this is best towards the end of the music and movement time. I had everyone sit down to it, and you may need to plan to do it more than once!

Open Shut Them by Music With Nancy

This song is the perfect song to transition children from moving to quiet and listening. It’s great at meal times, circle times, transition times, and anything else you can think of!

We have a TON of other favorite songs that are sure to be a hit with your kids, including more movement and action songs that are perfect for brain breaks! Check them out below:

Music and Movement Songs

• Brain Break Dance Songs
• The Ultimate List of Baby Shark Songs

Educational Songs

• Songs that Teach
• Rhyming Songs for Kids
• ABC and Alphabet Songs
• Days of the Week Songs
• The Ultimate Guide to Preschool Songs
• Rainbow Songs for Kids
• Clean Up Songs
• Color Songs

Start and End your Day with Music!

• Welcome Songs
• Goodbye Songs

Circle Time Songs

• Hello Songs
• Fingerplays
• Nursery Rhyme Songs
• Circle Time Songs that Teach

Seasonal Songs

• Pumpkin and Halloween Songs for Kids
• Thanksgiving Songs for Kids
• Christmas Songs for Kids
• Winter Songs for Kids

• Author
• Recent Posts

Katie T. Christiansen

Creator at Preschool Inspirations

Katie has spent 17 combined years in the Early Childhood field as a teacher, preschool owner, and educational writer. She has worked in profit and non-profit programs, high-risk schools, and started an in-home preschool and outdoor collaborative preschool program. She adores being a mom to three children, and her youngest is currently in preschool.

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