Music with Susannah

Listen Well 👂🏻 This one gives a great way to practice active listening — and it’s a gentler, more effective way to communicate with kids than just telling them to sit down and hold still. Great for transitions, circle time, or anytime you need everyone focused and ready. Full disclosure: I first learned this from Parks and Rec. 🎬

Seashell 🐚

A gentle rocking song that’s all about pretend and imagination — different every time because you’re imagining something new. Great for vocal exploration, imaginative play, and that steady rhythm. Perfect for adding instruments or experimenting with sounds. A stand-alone song or a jumping off point for ocean exploration! 🐚

Bumblebee 🐝

This song by is short, sweet, and just a tiny bit silly. 😊

In this one kids are learning body parts, following along, and tracking where the bee is going. Preschoolers get great practice with body awareness, coordination, language, and speech development, and for infants it’s stimulating, interactive, and a perfect bonding opportunity.

Clap Your Hands 👏🏻 Super simple, super short. Clap your hands, la la la, clap your hands, shhh! Then switch to stomp, jump, spin — whatever comes next. Great for motor skills, impulse control, and following directions. The built-in ‘shhh’ moment gives kids a chance to regulate. 🎶

Two Little Horses 🐴 Here’s a fun rhyme and fingerplay for those horse-loving kiddos! If you want to make it a counting challenge you can start with 10 horses and move down by twos with each repetition (10 little horses, then 8, 6, etc.)

A Pirate Went to Sea 🏴‍☠️

Here’s my pirate spin on the classic “sailor went to sea” (with maximum silliness) 😅

Try adding your own discoveries under the sea, change the tempo, or add instruments to accompany the repeated rhythm!

Black Cat, Black Cat 🐈‍⬛

My kids LOVE cat songs, so I gave “Baa Baa Black Sheep” some kitty cat words instead :)

Drop a 🐈‍⬛ if your littles are obsessed with cats too!

Won’t You Go Swimming with Me? 💦

I learned this one from Music Therapy Joy ‘s new album, set to the melody of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.”

Some songs are just an invitation — won’t you go swimming with me? 🌊

Pitter-Patter 🌧️

A sweet little summer song for exactly this kind of afternoon — when the rain comes out of nowhere and then the sun shows right back up like nothing happened.

Perfect for a rainy day walk or just dancing around inside waiting for the sun to come back out again. ☀️

Gentle Teeth 🦷

A follow-up to the gentle hands song — because hands aren’t the only thing that need a reminder sometimes.

Same idea, same simple message. Teeth are for eating and smiling, not for biting. And singing it in advance is a much gentler way to get there than a correction in the moment.

Big feelings are hard, but sometimes gentle songs help. 🩵