Black History Month Songs for Kids
We love celebrating Black History Month here at Noodle Loaf and have had a lot of fun singing songs, playing games and getting into all sorts of activities that teach and reflect upon the rich cultural heritage of Black History. Here are some of my favorite songs to sing and games to play that have appeared on the podcast. It is our pleasure to add them to the rich canon of Civil Rights Songs.
SONGS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
We will begin with five echo songs about five inspiring figures of Black History. An echo song, also called a repeat after me song, invites a listener to repeat each phrase of a song after the singer. It is a valuable tool used in musical education because it facilitates greater melodic and lyrical retention in the students and builds confidence by allowing children to sing without the simultaneous aid of an adult. Perhaps most importantly it gives students, listeners and audiences the opportunity to sing along with a song the very first time they hear it!
Oh Let Us Sing of Dr. King
A celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of love and dream of equality. An excerpt of this song appeared in the Who Was? biography of Dr. King.
LYRICS:
Oh let us sing
Of Dr. King
Who stood for peace
Who had a dream
Oh let us sing
And learn from him
Open our hearts
And let love in
Oh let us sing
It's what we'll do
Until his dream
One day comes true
Oh let us sing
For Dr. King
A man of peace
Who had a dream
La la la la…
James Baldwin Used His Words
This song about James Baldwin introduces children to an important literary figure and describes how he used his gift for language to critique the world he lived in.
LYRICS:
James Baldwin used his words
To tell us how he felt
To show what made him happy
To say what made him melt
James Baldwin used his words
To say what made him mad
To show us what is broken
To tell us what is bad
James Baldwin used his words
To say what can be changed
To show what can be better
His words they do explain
That you can love a country
That love is what inspires
A person to use words
To lift the country higher
James Baldwin used his words
In stories and in plays
James Baldwin used his words
To show us better ways
Harriet Tubman
This echo song about the brave abolitionist Harriet Tubman teaches children about how Tubman risked her life on the Underground Railroad to return over and over to free more enslaved even after she had escaped to freedom.
LYRICS:
No chains could hold her
She's far too strong
No one could stop her
She's good as gone
Once she found freedom
She could have stayed
But she went back
To free more enslaved
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad bound
Listen for that freedom sound
That freedom sound
She used the stars
She used her ears
She sang in code
As she steered
That freedom train
Bound for Glory
Sing her song
Tell her story
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad bound
Listen for that freedom sound
That freedom sound
Dr. Mae Jemison (First Black Woman In Space)
This echo song celebrates an important milestone achieved by astronaut and engineer Mae Jemison.
LYRICS:
Mae Jemison
Always loved to dance
She did a twirl
And took a big chance
Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison
She spun towards science
And dreamt of the sky
When Mae said "Space!"
Others said "why?"
Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison
No one who looked like her
Had ever been to space
The folks in charge
Had thoughts about race
But Mae knew she had the stuff
To be an astronaut
When they said "why?"
Mae said "why not?"
Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison
In a Space Shuttle
Mae danced towards the stars
First Black woman in space!
Next stop mars!
Oh! Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison
Mae Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison
Pedal On! A Song About Major Taylor
Teach children about Major Taylor’s path to cycling victory as he prevailed over other cyclists and a world of prejudice.
LYRICS:
This
Is the story
Of the great
Major Taylor
Biking champ
Of the world
But his journey
Wasn't easy
His bike was fast
His battle uphill
The great
Major Taylor
His fans were many
So were his foes
For the great
Major Taylor
They said "You can't race"
And "You're out of place"
To the great
Major Taylor
He said "Yes I can"
And "I will win"
Pedal On!
Major Taylor
So he just
Pedaled harder
Past the cheers
And the boos
For the great
Major Taylor
Was too great
To lose!
Pedal On!
Pedal On!
Like the great
Major Taylor
MUSIC GAMES FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Some of our favorite rhythm and movement games for Black History Month and beyond.
This is a clapping that game that teaches rhythm and a traditional recipe for skillet corn bread! To play this game, simply clap back the rhythm of each phrase you hear. Instructions for how to clap this rhythm game are at the beginning of the audio. The recipe that is being referenced in the song can be found here: https://www.brandisdiary.com/brandisdiary/betterthanjiffy
A new take on an old African-American playground game called Pizza Pizza Daddy-O. There is a dance that goes along with it that can be found in this video: https://youtu.be/N2YodFqZ7nQ but for our version all you have to do is listen to the instructions in the audio and follow along with the movements.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PODCASTS FOR KIDS
You can find an excellent list of podcasts for kids that have released special episodes for Black History Month by clicking here: https://app.kidslisten.org/playlist/Kids-Listen-Sweeps including these episodes by Noodle Loaf