My friend is making a mix CD for an almost 4-year-old...

[lightningandsnow]

And she posted on facebook asking for suggestions.

So, I'm asking you lovely people.

Plus, I am trying to get her to join DU... so this might just do the trick. :P

[supernova]

1. The 4-year old posted on facebook?

:wow:

[lightningandsnow]

2. No, not the four year old...

my friend.

[supernova]

5. I'm just funnin' ya

:pals:

Far as I know, they really love:

The Wiggles
Dora The Explorer
Backyardigans

edit: Forgot the Doodlebops

All these are on the Disney Channel

[hippywife]

15. I second the Wiggles.

I was subjected to much too much Wiggles when I went home last October. My sister has a foster daughter that loves them! I think they are better on DVD, tho, so the kids can mimic their dance moves for exercise.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

37. your friend who was almost-four year old posted on Facebook?

[MrCoffee]

3. I made a mix CD for a 1 week old

Songs with my daughter's name in them.

[suninvited]

46. Me too

luckily she cant understand the mix ... the 1 week old, that is

[JVS]

4. Puff the magic dragon

[NewJeffCT]

23. good one - my just turned 5 year old likes that one

I even got her the book with inserted CD for Christmas.

[suninvited]

47. was clearly about DRUGS.....

even I knew that at the age of 12....

[harmonicon]

49. I loved that song at that age NT

[youthere]

6. John McCutcheon's "Awful Hilly Daddy Willy Trip" ..

"I'm a little Cookie", and "Kindergarten Wall". Actually, any of the tracks from his "Mail Myself to You" CD would be great. "Sly Little Crow" was one of our favorite tracks. Also The Wiggles "Quack Quack, Cock-A-Doodle-Doo" is good too. Another couple good fun singles from the VeggieTales people are "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" and "Billy Joe McGruffrey"

and for something really fun...Blind Melon's version of the SchoolHouse Rock favorite "Three is a Magic Number".

[tekisui]

7. They Might Be Giants have a great kids album.

Check it out!

[Pithlet]

19. I second this.

They have three: No!, Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s. The ABC one is the big favorite at my house. :thumbsup:

[mondo joe]

22. And "No!" at least has a set of fun interactive games in the computer.

[MassLiberal]

29. we really loved "No!"

[Richardo]

34. I think 'No!' was originally titled 'Bed Bed Bed'

I got it for my nephew a few years back.

[grace0418]

28. Besides their kids album, almost any of their albums have songs that really appeal

to kids. When I see them in concert half the audience is the kids of fans. It's so fun.

Anyway, besides all the songs on "NO!", some other great kid-friendly TMBG songs are "Dr. Worm," "Particle Man," "Don't Let's Start," "Purple Toupee," and "Birdhouse in Your Soul".

[RetroLounge]

38. Definitely.

My kids loved "NO"

RL

[LTR]

8. "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry

It's a sing-a-long.

[youthere]

9. that would make a good pairing with ÁC/DC's "Big Balls"

[supernova]

10. And Queen's Fat-Bottomed Girls

[Cant trust em]

11. Octopus' Garden - The Beatles, n/t

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

12. Anything from the Wiggles. n/t

[LeftyMom]

13. I'd suggest something, but at that age my kid was mostly obsessed with RATM.

He's weird. :eyes:

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. I just asked my four year old and he said...

"theme song to Power Rangers Jungle Fury"

Hope that helps.

[kath]

16. Raffi, Joe Scruggs, John McCutcheon kids' albums (such as"Mail Myself to You", above), Tom Paxton's

kids' albums, anything off of "Peter, Paul and Mommy" or "Peter, Paul and Mommy, Too", Pete Seeger (esp "Golden Slumbers" tape with Pete Seeger and Oscar Brand, Abiyoyo, etc.), Anne Murray's "There's a Hippo in My Tub" album, multiple ones by Sharon, Lois, and Bram (of "The Elephant Show").


This is the music my kids grew up with. Ahhh, such sweet memories. We played the "Peter, Paul and Mommy" tape so many times we wore it out and had to buy a new one. (The post above about McCutcheon's "Mail Myself to You" makes me want to find that tape and listen to it. Maybe I'll do just that, later tonight.) There's so much CRAP children's music out there (probably even more so now than 10-15 years ago, I suspect). I worked hard to find the good stuff, songs that could be listened to over and over and over again, and still enjoyed. I did the same to find great kids' books.

[youthere]

27. You should definitely find the JM tape! My kids have "outgrown"it...

but I still love to listen to it...I have a lot of the songs on my MP3 player. When my kids were little, I picked up the tape at Goodwill for 10 cents...we wore it out and I had to go online to find the CD to replace it. Great music.

[HERVEPA]

17. Priscilla Herdman - Stardreamer: Nightsongs & Lullabies

Contains the great song "Waltzing with Bears" Beautiful voice. Give a listen on Amazon

[RainDog]

18. Taj Mahal made a great kids' cd -

http://www.amazon.com/Shake-Sugaree-Mahal-Sings-Children/dp/B000002M57

and you can download mp3s of songs. I would recommend Fishin' Blues, Brown Girl in the Ring, Quavi Quavi, Shake Sugaree, and Funky Bluesy ABC's.

The Three Little Pigs song from old disney cartoons... it's a story.

Bob Marley - my kids loved him, the Beatles, Van Morrison and REM. plus the stuff above, plus the Wizard of Oz soundtrack... and Raffi. :crazy:

a bunch of good choices from the line of cds called Music for Little People - the Taj Mahal cd is part of that. Buckwheat Zydeco has one, and Los Lobos.

[bbernardini]

20. Everything by Trout Fishing In America. www.troutmusic.com

The children's albums should be pretty obvious. Not that the non-children's albums aren't great as well. There's just not as many songs about boogers on them. :)

http://www.troutmusic.com

[mondo joe]

21. Walking on Sunshine; Obla Di Obla Da; Holiday; If I Had a Million $; Girls Just Wanna' Have Fun.

There's a LOT of music 4 year olds can enjoy besides that Wiggles crap.

The Beatles, The Go Gos, Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants all have enjoyable songs. My kids listened to a lot more of that than Raffi.

[NewJeffCT]

24. Is it a girl?

If it is a girl - any song from popular Disney princess movies - Mulan, Little Mermaid, etc.

[Lautremont]

25. At that age I loved anything from "Honky Chateau" or "Band On The Run."

There is a very good children's album by the Rheostatics that's very worth checking out. Let me find the title for you...

(a minute later)

It's called "The Story of Harmelodia." Here's the review from allmusic.com:

So, let's just say you're a Canadian band with a fair amount of longevity, and a series of albums that have won great critical acclaim but have largely failed to break through commercially; what would your next move be? If you're the Rheostatics you release a children's album. The Story of Harmelodia tells the story of Dot and Bug, two children who fall through a hole in the ground into the land of Popopolis, where they learn to play fabulous new instruments while trying to find a way back home to Harmelodia. Since much of the Rheostatics' previous oeuvre has been twisted, fantastical ditties, the move to a children's album isn't too much of a stretch, which means that the adult fans will be pleased to come along for the ride, too. Some songs even count as some of the band's best pop tunes from any album: "I Fab Thee" is a glorious bit of Bowie-like sqwronk, and "Invisible Stairs" is a beautiful and gentle guitar number. Linking the songs is narration by Janet Morassutti, reading text written by husband Dave Bidini. What's better, the album comes bound in a CD-sized hardcover book with the full text and amazing painted illustrations by guitarist Martin Tielli. It's certainly ambitious and unforeseen, but it works surprisingly well, no matter what age you are.

[mondo joe]

26. For The Kids (as well as the 2 follow ups) have great kid mixes that might be more

palatable to adults than The Wiggles.

http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Various-Artists/dp/B00006L7QX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1204163368&sr=1-1

[MassLiberal]

30. John Lithgow

did a wonderful album for kids called "Singing In The Bathtub" that we all loved. The songs are funny and clever.

Raffi is a perennial delight.

I also recommend "Pink Elephants," an album of poems and songs by Mary Laffleur. Totally charming.

[Mojambo]

31. My 6 year old nephew loves Beulah.

http://www.last.fm/music/Beulah

[Sabriel]

32. I asked the 5 y.o., and he said, "Funk Soul Brother!"

Then he wandered off, singing, "Check it out now! Funk Soul Brother."

It's currently his favorite song. I know it's not the real name of it, but I can't remember.

He also likes John Lithgow's version of "I Had a Rooster."

A popular CD in our family is Space Songs, which is full of science-oriented songs for kids, including "Why Does the Sun Shine," made popular by They Might Be Giants.

Here are the MP3s of them:

http://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/

[SoxFan]

33. Farmer Jason

Catchy kids music that's written and performed by cowpunk icon Jason Ringenberg of Jason & the Scorchers:

http://www.farmerjason.com

And if the kids stuff starts to get old, Jason is also capable of kicking it up a notch or two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9unLB8lNCJ8

[riderinthestorm]

35. Free to be You and Me by Marlo Thomas

A classic, liberal album!!

[quip]

36. For a girl? Then, "C'est La Vie" B*Witched, All Star- Smashmouth, MMMBop- Hanson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1_muIb3dvU

[Anarcho-Socialist]

39. You're trying to get the 4-year old to join DU?

Well that's OK as long as she abides by the messageboard rules.

[Connonym]

40. Raffi, Raffi, more Raffi

my kids could not get enough Raffi when they were that age.

[momophile]

41. Putumayo has put out some great kids cds

check them out on amazon.com. check out their 'playground' cds. they are collections of artists from around the world. "world playground" is our favorite so far.

[philosophie_en_rose]

42. Yellow Submarine

:bounce:

[DesEtoiles]

43. Happy Feet soundtrack

[DesEtoiles]

45. or anything from KidzBop

[DarkTirade]

44. It's never too early

to be exposed to hardcore thrash metal.

Just sayin'. :P

[Heidi]

48. "Chicken Soup With Rice" by Carole King, and any of the other songs

from "Really Rosie." :hi:

[Common Sense Party]

50. My girls love "Shiny Happy People," "Here Comes the Sun,"

and some other odds and ends (emphasis on odd):

King Tut - Steve Martin
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh - Alan Sherman
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
I Ran - Flock of Seagulls
All You Need is Love - Beatles
Black Horse and Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
If I Had a Million $ - BNL
I Feel Love - Blue Man Group w/ Venus Hum
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Pink Panther Theme - Henry Mancini
Peter Gunn Theme -
Tennessee Stud - Johnny Cash
I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash
I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick

and lots of Lord of the Rings music (for my 12-year old)

That's what I have on my iPod Kids' playlist (two girls, ages 7 & 12). Mileage may vary.