Silly Songs Your Preschooler Will Love (and Why They Matter for Learning)
- janerine
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
By Janerine Watson — Early Childhood Educator, Parent & Creator of Kids Songs Learning Hub
Every afternoon in my house eventually turns into a sing-along. Some days it’s Disney classics, other days it’s the made-up melodies my oldest insists I invent about whatever toy is closest. This is something I've learned from a lot of car drives, rainy days, and kitchen dance parties: silly songs aren’t just fun they’re powerful tools for early learning. Kids in preschool love it when a song is silly, surprising, or just plain gross, and that happiness is exactly what makes these songs work so well.
I have worked in early childhood education for many years and now make educational music that parents and teachers all around the world utilize. I have always witnessed that children learn better, remember more, and are more confident when they study with fun music.
In this article, I’ll share a curated selection of silly preschool songs your child will actually enjoy, explain why they’re excellent for development, and offer tips for getting the most learning value out of every chorus.
Why Silly Songs Are Great for Preschool Learning
When we think about preschool education, we often picture alphabet charts or flashcards. But music, especially silly music, can be one of the most effective learning tools we have. Research shows that music activates multiple areas of the brain responsible for hearing, memory, movement, and language all at once. It’s no wonder that kids remember songs like “Old MacDonald” far more easily than lists of words.
According to early learning research shared by organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, playful, emotionally engaging activities significantly improve early language and cognitive development.
But silliness adds an extra layer: it invites engagement, movement, laughter, and experimentation. Kids in preschool appreciate songs that enable them be silly, make faces, or make up silly lyrics. They learn more while they're having fun.
Here’s how silly songs help learning:
🎤 Language & Vocabulary Development
Repeating fun, humorous lyrics helps children build word banks and experiment with sounds they might otherwise avoid.
I've seen that kids are more likely to try new or hard words when they're in a goofy song than when they're talking to me.
🧠 Memory & Sequencing Skills
The predictable structure in songs helps kids anticipate what comes next a foundational skill for reading and math.
🤸 Motor & Coordination Skills
Many silly songs come with actions or hand motions, which develop fine and gross motor skills.
😄 Emotional Expression & Confidence
Singing silly lyrics in a group builds confidence, cooperation, and joy — all essential for healthy social development.
I've seen even shy preschoolers "come alive" when they are allowed to be funny through music.
8 Silly Preschool Songs Your Child Will Love
Here are some favorites from preschool playtimes and story-circle sing-alongs. Every one of these encourages interaction, movement, and language growth.
These songs are often used in preschool classrooms, libraries, and early learning programs because they are simple, repetitive, and fun to sing along to.
1. “Do You Like Broccoli Ice Cream?”
A wonderfully weird way to mix food combinations — good and bad.
Kids love inventing gross vs. funny foods (like popcorn pizza or mashed potato soda), which stretches their imagination and vocabulary.
Play Tip: After singing, ask your child to create their own silly food combinations and describe them using new words.
This activity encourages descriptive language and early storytelling skills.
2. “Slippery Fish”
A playful song with a silly twist! Preschoolers are engaged by the repeated sequence of slippery fish swimming through various environments.
This song supports motor planning when paired with hand motions. It’s also perfect for remembering patterns.
Teachers often use this song during circle time because it naturally combines rhythm, repetition, and movement.
3. “Hickory Dickory CRASH!”
A fun take on the classic old nursery rhyme where animals go up the clock until an elephant comes along and smashes it!
The unexpected sound effect invites laughter and reinforces counting and sequence skills.
4. “If All the Raindrops…”
A fantastically silly song about what would happen if raindrops were candy or lizards — encouraging creative thinking through language play.
Learning Bonus: This rhyme invites children to invent and describe scenarios using rich language.
It also strengthens conditional thinking (“what if?”), an important cognitive skill.
5. “Down By the Bay”
A classic that invites children to invent rhyming pairs like “Did you ever see a goat with a boat?”
This one is especially strong for phonological awareness — the ability to hear similarities in word endings — which is essential for reading readiness.
6. “Sticky Sticky Bubblegum”
A funny tune with a memorable melody that sticks in kids’ heads (often right when you least expect it!).
Skill Builder: This song builds listening skills and attention to detail as children follow the narrative of where the bubblegum gets stuck.
7. “ The Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree”
A great counting rhyme that mimics patterns seen in songs like Five Little Ducks or Ten in the Bed.
It’s interactive (you can make a snapping alligator mouth with your hands!) and supports early number sense through playful repetition.
8. “Going on a Lion Hunt”
Based on the familiar pattern from Going on a Bear Hunt, this version invites movement and imagination perfect for a unit on animals or nature.
Songs like this are often recommended by early learning specialists because they combine language, movement, and sequencing.
Silly Songs Seasonal & Playtime Extensions
If you want even more silliness, there are songs geared toward specific themes (like holiday tunes, zoo songs, or movement jingles) that can get kids moving, laughing, and learning perfect for rainy days or group time.
At Kids Songs Learning Hub, we design themed songs intentionally so parents and educators can easily match music to what children are learning that week.
How to Make Silly Songs Work for Learning
Singing silly songs isn’t just about goofiness — it’s about intentional engagement. Here’s how to maximize the developmental value:
✔ Add Actions
Kids can learn words and rhythm and improve their coordination by moving their hands or dancing.
✔ Encourage Prediction
Pause before the next line and let your child fill it in. This boosts memory.
✔ Connect to Themes
After Slippery Fish, speak about animals that live in the ocean. After Stick Gum, talk about things that are sticky around the house.
✔ Repeat Daily
Repetition is important for gaining skills and confidence.
Research on early infancy repeatedly demonstrates that repetition facilitates long-term learning and language acquisition.
Parent Insigh : What I See in Real Life
From my own experience with three preschoolers, I’ve noticed silly songs:
Get reluctant singers involved fast
Make breakdown times become giggles.
Become comfort songs during transitions
Help language development without making it feel like "learning" work
Kids don't simply remember the song; they own it. They modify the language and dances in ways that even I can't believe!
This kind of fun ownership is a great sign that true learning is going on.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should I start singing these silly songs?
You can start as early as age 2 — even infants enjoy rhythms and silly sounds. Repetition builds familiarity.
Do silly songs help with school readiness?
Absolutely. They build vocabulary, listening skills, memory, and motor planning — all key early learning competencies.
Try This Printable Activity
🎵 “Silly Song Spinner”: A printable spinner (or card deck) with silly prompts (like “make up a food combo” or “sing with whisper voice”) that kids pick at random before singing. This turns each song into a creative adventure and reinforces choice, creativity, and language skills.
Turn silly songs into powerful learning moments with our printable spinner, action cards, and parent guide — perfect for preschoolers!
Conclusion
Silly songs do more than make us smile they help our preschoolers grow. They give children a language playground where they feel safe to experiment, giggle, and express themselves. So turn up the music, get a little goofy, and watch learning unfold one laugh at a time.
When learning feels joyful, children are more likely to stay curious, confident, and engaged — long after the song ends.
Turn silly songs into powerful learning moments with our printable spinner, action cards, and parent guide — perfect for preschoolers!
Disclaimer:
This text is solely meant to be read for educational and informational purposes. The things to do, songs, and ideas offered here come from personal experience, early childhood education concepts, and research that is open to the public. They are not meant to take the place of expert medical, developmental, or educational counsel. Every child grows and learns at their own speed, and what works for one child might not work for another. If you're worried about your child's speech, behavior, or development, please talk to a qualified doctor, speech-language therapist, or early childhood expert. Kids Songs Learning Hub is not responsible for what happens when you utilize the ideas in this article.
Comments