Ukulele is one of the best instruments for children and adults but mostly for children in my opinion.
The sweet sounds of a ukulele can be the start to a budding musical career in no time and there is no better time to start right now from an early age to ensure your child is able to explore their potential and gain all the benefits of learning music in their character and personality.
However, there are some challenges that parents face especially when trying to keep their child engaged in playing and learning music.
The best way to do this is to help your child find easy ukulele songs for kids and learn how to play them on their instrument.
This can interest them in learning music and being able to play along with songs will motivate them to keep playing the instrument.
But, the key is to find easy and kid-friendly songs that are wholesome and easy to play.
That’s where I come in, so without any further delay, let’s look at some of the best easy ukulele songs for kids.
Want to start playing absolutely right now? Okay okay! Here try these three easy ukulele songs for kids to get started.
- Happy Birthday To You,
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,
- Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Easy Ukulele Songs For Kids
Baby Shark – Pinkfong
Baby shark is a very popular song that has made its way into the hearts of kids, and if your child, loves this song too, you can teach it to them on the ukulele for even more hours upon hours of baby shark at your home. So, if you feel ready for that, be sure to check out the full tabs for this song, on this link.
Let It Go – Idina Menzel
Let it go was one of the most popular songs in its time and it still is immensely popular among adults and children both.
If your child has an inclination towards singing, learning how to accompany themselves while singing this song is a great way for you to nurture their talent while encouraging them to learn music and an instrument. You can teach your child the full song using the tabs here.
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Nursery rhymes are one of the most popular songs among children, and old MacDonald is one of the most popular nursery rhymes.
It is one of the easiest nursery rhymes to play and sing along it is very fun and easy to play as well.
If you want to teach this full song to your child, you can learn it using the tabs here.
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb, and you can teach your little lamb how to play this song easily on their ukulele. This is one of the easiest songs to play on your ukulele. The best thing to do would be to either play it on your ukulele and ask your children to sing along.
Or you can teach your child how to play this song and ask them to try to sing along with themselves.
You can use the full song tabs to teach your kids using the link here.
Jingle Bells
Christmas is never complete without this song and what better way to embrace your Christmas spirit than by teaching your kids this song and playing it with them together on Christmas.
Given that this song does have a few complicated chords you might want to start teaching this song early on if you want to play this song on Christmas comfortably.
To learn how to play this song on the ukulele, you can learn the full chords here.
This Little Guiding Light Of Mine
As a student of Christian missionary schools, I have spent countless mornings of my childhood singing this song in the morning assembly of my school.
It is a very simple and easy song to learn and play, and it is a great sing-along piece for your entire family.
The easy chords of this song make it the perfect first song to learn for your kid. To teach them the entire song using the full tabs for the song here.
Feliz Navidad
Continuing the theme of Christmas songs that are popular among kids and adults. Feliz Navidad is a very fun and uplifting song that is fun to play and sing for the whole family.
During the festive time of Christmas, this is a great song to singalong and enjoy with your whole family. So, if you want to learn yourself or teach how to play this song to your kid, you can do so using the full tabs here.
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday! If it is, in fact, your birthday today, if not, an advanced wish from my side for your special day.
Happy birthday is perhaps one of the most popular songs in the world in the English language, and it is a great experience for your kid to learn how to play this song.
You can surprise them on their birthday with a new ukulele and play them this song in order to encourage them to learn the instrument. Learn or teach this full song using the tabs here.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Arguably one of the if not the most popular nursery rhyme in the world, twinkle twinkle little star has found its way into the hearts of generations around the world.
It is quite simple to play this song on the ukulele as it requires only three chords.
With just a little practice, your budding rockstar will be able to learn this song and play it perfectly quickly. To teach your kid how to play this song, use the full song tabs here.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
I came to know of this song from Brooklyn 99 so shoutout to anyone who understands the reference. Anyways, it is a very nice song that is probably the easiest song you can learn on the ukulele because you can practically play this full song only using a single chord.
Given the simple chord structure, this song is a great way for your kid to learn how to sing and play at the same time. So, if you are interested in teaching this song to your kid, use the full song tabs from this link.
How To Keep Your Children Motivated In Music?
Music as a discipline is like learning at school, it’s essential but not the most interesting thing in the world. Young children will barely find any interest in going for a second school-like structured education for the purposes of learning music.
So, how can you get your child to stay engaged in music and try to learn from their own and explore music?
The answer comes in two parts. Firstly, you have to help them find an instrument that they like and connect with on a personal level.
Even though your child is a child, they too will have their own choice and interests and it is futile and counterproductive if you try to sway them away from their interests.
So, the key is to help them find an instrument they like; in my experience, the guitar is a popular instrument among children, and a ukulele can sub for a guitar till they grow up, allowing them to start learning and exploring music from a young age itself.
Secondly, you have to allow your child to explore music through practice rather than through academic music education. This means it is better for children to learn the instrument by playing instead of learning how to play using theory.
So, the best way to learn by playing is to learn using playing popular songs and accompanying music. As a self-taught musician myself, it is a great way for you to learn music if you have the drive. The ability to get instant gratification when you play along with a song can be the motivation you need to keep going forward.
Final Thoughts
If you are a beginner and do not have much experience in how to play the ukulele, you can use my previous blogs on the ukulele to learn more about how to play the instrument efficiently and how to strum as well.
There are plenty of other songs as well that are easy to play and fun to learn for kids, so make sure to keep expanding your list and share your recommendations with me in the comments below.
So, if you like these easy ukulele songs for kids, be sure to teach them to your kid and have a great bonding time with them by playing music and helping them grow up and garner all the benefits in their personalities that come from learning and practicing music from a young age.
The songs in this list are suitable for very young kids, so if your child is older than the audience of these songs, be sure to check out my other blog on ukulele songs to get many recommendations.
As a self-taught musician myself, I can personally tell you that learning and exploring music on your own may seem challenging and daunting, but it is one of the most fun experiences that you can gift your child.
When you are on your own, you will quickly learn how to reach your end goal in a way that suits you. This may or may not be technically correct, but you will have a lot of fun, and you will gain a friend for life in your musical instrument.
Anindya is a Self-taught Musician and a Home Studio Owner who likes sharing his two cents on Guitars, Gears, and Music. You can find his Music on Spotify, YouTube and Facebook.