Dancing With Littles Vol. 1

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I often get asked about the music I use for therapeutic dance/movement groups and about what music I use for teaching preschoolers and young children. Throughout the years, I have had children ask me for music with song content well beyond their years. Often, songs on the radio are not meant for young ears. While songs on the radio are “clean” edits with no coarse language, it does not necessarily mean the language is not sexually explicit.

Movies and television shows have ratings with cautions like “sexual language and violence,” but songs usually do not come with the same advisories. At most, the word explicit is written beside the song title or on the album cover, but no details are given. I have always been extremely meticulous in choosing music for my classes with children, usually taking hours to create a playlist. I’m happy to curate music and am thrilled to share what keeps me moving.

I used to help parents create playlists on CDs for their children and made my own mixtapes on cassettes (yes, I’m that old). Now that music is digital, I can easily share a song by sending a link to a video or a song.

We have multiple dance parties in my home during the week. My girls and I love gettin’ down to the latest beats. There are only so many times I can listen to Baby Shark or ABCs before my ears need a break. Below you’ll find some of our favourite songs to dance to (both new and old school) that adults can enjoy too. I have also given each song a rating so you can further screen the song lyrics if you wish.

Click here to listen to Dancing With Littles Vol. 1 directly on Spotify.

Song: Motownphilly
Artist: Boyz II Men
Rating: G

Song: Doesn’t Mean Anything
Artist: Alicia Keys
Rating: G

Song: Baby
Artist: Justin Bieber, Ludacris
Rating: G

Song: Someone You Loved
Artist: Lewis Capaldi, Future Humans
Rating: G

Song: Better When I’m Dancin’
Artist: Meghan Trainor
Rating: G

Song: Don’t Start Now
Artist: Dua Lipa
Rating: G

Song: Let’s Groove
Artist: Earth, Wind & Fire
Rating: G

Song: Happy
Artist: Pharrell Williams
Rating: G

Song: Let’s Get Loud
Artist: Jennifer Lopez
Rating: G

Song: Move Your Feet
Artist: Junior Senior
Rating: G

Song: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Artist: Whitney Houston
Rating: G

Song: Viva La Vida
Artist: Cold Play
Rating: PG, poetic language about the rise and fall of kingdoms

Song: Love You Like A Love Song
Artist: Selena Gomez
Rating: G

Song: Latch
Artist: Disclosure, Sam Smith
Rating: G

Song: I’ve Got That Feeling
Artist: Greg Sczebel
Rating: G

Song: Done For Me
Artist: Charlie Puth, Kehlani
Rating: PG, describes feeling unappreciated in a relationship

Let me know if you have a favourite song on the list. I’ll be working on another mix to share this coming week. Enjoy dancing with your little ones!

In Movement,

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