A Kid-Friendly Broadway Playlist Parents Will Love
A Spotify playlist of family-friendly Broadway songs because the world could use a few more theatre kids.
If you’re a parent who loves music, finding kid-friendly playlists can be a challenge. That’s why Olaf was the most-played artist on my year-end Spotify recap last year. To be fair, “In Summer” is a bop. But if you prefer people over snowmen—and you’d rather not have your kids singing about pills and liquor (sorry, Liza Minnelli)—here’s a family-friendly list of Broadway tracks to add a little cabaret to your life, or at the very least, your ears.
Preview all of these tracks in the embedded Spotify playlist below.
“You Will Be Found,” Dear Evan Hansen
Both heartfelt and hopeful, this is one of the best songs from the Tony-award-winning musical. It's also one of the more poignant songs on this playlist that describes an experience listeners of all ages can understand.
“It’s a Hard Knock Life,” Annie
This classic, performed by the kids' ensemble from the original Broadway production, is bursting with energy. The music video also has some of the best children's choreography around.
“Do Re Me,” The Sound of Music
This is one of the few tracks on this list pulled from a movie, but Julie Andrew’s performance is memorable in its own right. It’s also an incredibly fun song to sing.
“So Long, Farewell,” The Sound of Music
Yes, I double-dipped with this musical—but for good reason! I love including songs performed by actual children because they’re so inspiring for little ones. Kids might need help with the German pronunciation, though—it’s auf Wiedersehen, pronounced, “owf vee-der-zay-en.”
“The Morning Report,” The Lion King
This duet between Simba and Zazu gets overlooked in favor of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King." But parents who love puns will enjoy the lyrics in this song.
“I Could Have Danced All Night,” My Fair Lady
Here’s another Julie Andrews song from what I like to call the original "Pretty Woman." Audra McDonald also has an incredible rendition of this song that will give kiddos chills. Be sure to stick around for the final note.
“Ease on Down the Road,” The Whiz
This song was originally performed by Stephanie Mills during its run in Baltimore and New York City. The soundtrack for the film adaption got a star-studded update from Quincy Jones and features two of pop's most iconic voices.
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” Mary Poppins
Supercalifragilistic is a real word that dates back to the 1930s. It’s used to describe something good or amazingly wonderful. Kiddos will have fun singing this one and encourage them to use the word in a sentence or try making up outlandish words of their own.
“Food, Glorious Food,” Oliver!
Arguably my favorite song on the playlist. The lyrics and score start at a slow cadence before building into a fast-paced, contagious symphony. Forgive me in advance if your kids start calling their food “gruel.”
“Make ‘Em Laugh,” Singin’ in the Rain
This number is arguably the best performance in the 1952 musical, Donald O’Connor pulled off so many wild stunts while recording this song that he was hospitalized after filming this song. How’s that for breaking a leg? Families can watch the performance here.
“If I Only Had a Brain,” The Wizard of Oz
Scarecrow's defining song is one the best in the film. It's not just the melody that's enchanting, but his ideas, too. It's totally fine for parents to quietly swap the word "brain" for "babysitter" while singing.
“If I Were a Rich Man,” Fiddler on the Roof
It’s almost impossible to believe this track is the inspiration for Gwen Stefani’s 2004 track “If I Was a Rich Girl.” But once you hear it, it will be impossible to separate the two.
“We Go Together,” Grease
Here’s another song filled with scat. To be fair, it's a ton of fun to sing. Just try singing “chang chang, changity chang shoo bop” without smiling.
“Dancing Queen,” Mamma Mia!
The jukebox musical’s most popular song gives kids an intro to Europop. The melody is synth-heavy and bathes listeners in a rhythm that forces listeners to dance.
“Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” Mary Poppins
Here’s another incredible song from Disney’s Mary Poppins. This track closes the movie and doubles as an invitation to the adventure and enchantment of childhood.
