The time has come for you to finally learn and play some Ukulele songs for kids! Whether is your son, daughter, siblings, nephews, grandchildren, neighbors, or even if you’re a teacher and want to have some children songs in your repertoire, this is the place. In this Article you’ll not only learn to play the top 3 ukulele easiest songs for children, but we’re also going to give you access to the amazing backing tracks that go along with the songs, plus the printables for each lesson.
Now is the best time for the children to start learning the ukulele, play some songs and prepare them to be great musicians, and by doing so, we at Uke Like The Pros decided to give you the perfect way to teach a total beginner: The open C Tuning. This new method made for kids was created by Jess Baron, founder of Guitars & Ukuleles in the Classroom, a non-profit organization that brings music to K-12 learning by training educators to teach all subjects through the power of song. You can find more about the C tuning method in its training website. Also, if you want to donate to Guitars & Ukuleles in the Classroom, feel free to enter here and follow the steps to help them help kids get access to music in their schools.
Normally, the ukulele tuning is G – C – E – A, but in this case –and to make things easier for the kids– we’re going to change our A string and turn it into a C, there for, the new tuning will be: G – C – E – G, notice it now has an open C tuning, which means that, without any fingers on the fretboard, you can actually play the C major chord, as is showed in the image below.
Read more: Learn how to play the C chord in normal G-C-E-A tuning
Once you have your ukulele tuned in Open C tuning, it’s time to let the music speak for itself! How? By playing the top 3 easiest ukulele songs for kids:
Frere Jacques / Are you Sleeping (Brother John)?
For this song we’re only going to use ONE CHORD: The C chord. And yes, as I told you before, since we’re tuned in Open C Tuning, the chord doesn’t need any fingers on the fretboard. Now, to master the song all you have to do is play the C chord with down strums in every single syllable of the song. In music terms, you’re going to use quarter notes for the entire piece.
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
Fre re Jac ques, fre re Jac ques, Dor mez- vous ? Dor mez- vous ?
Since this melody can be used in two songs, here’s the example for its equivalent, “Are you Sleeping? (brother John)”:
C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
Are you sle-e ping, are you sle-e ping, Bro ther Jhon ? Bro ther Jhon ?
Terry Carter, from Uke Like the Pros, did a great tutorial for this song, which is part of the new BEGINNING UKULELE KIDS SONGBOOK; a course where you’ll learn and play 10 classic children songs using this Open C Tuning.
Now, time to play! Follow the instructions given in the video below and play along with the backing track and Terry:
Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines
Sonnez les matines
Ding dong ding
Ding dong ding
Are you sleeping
Are you sleeping?
Brother John
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing
Morning bells are ringing
Ding dong ding
Ding dong ding
If you need more help with this song, here’s the live tutorial we did as a part of our new song challenge for beginners. Sign up here if you’re interested in participating in this challenge, learn 10 easy songs (not kid related) for beginners and have the chance to win a brand-new ukulele:
Merrily We Roll Along / Mary Had a Little Lamb
Ok, you’ve now mastered the C chord in Open C tuning! By doing that, you’ve just opened the door to a whole new room of possibilities, so… congratulations! Now you’re gonna use the same chord you learned in the first song and apply it to this new song named Merrily We Roll Along, or its equivalent, Mary Had a Little Lamb. The only difference is: we’re now going to add a new chord: The G7 chord (in open C tuning).
To master the G7 chord, all you have to do is add your index finger to the second string first fret, and your middle finger to the third string second fret as is showed in the image below:
Practice the switch between the C chord and the G7 chord for some minutes. Once you master the switch without doubts, you can now practice the rhythm pattern used for this new song: 2 quarter notes followed by 1 half note:
C C G7 C
Merrily we roll along, roll along, roll along
To complete the whole song, you just have to repeat this rhythm pattern over and over again between the two chords while singing Merry We Roll Along. After that song is over, jump to the next one, “Mary Had a Little Lamb) using the same rhythm and chords. Here’s the tutorial for you to follow the video instructions and play-along with Terry and the backing tracks:
Merrily we roll along
Roll along, roll along
Merrily we roll along
O’er the deep blue sea
Mary had a little lamb,
Little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
If you need more help with this song, here’s the live tutorial we did as a part of our new song challenge for beginners. Sign up here if you’re interested in participating in this challenge, learn 10 easy songs (not kid related) for beginners and have the chance to win a brand-new ukulele:
Row, Row, Row your boat
Time to become a master in the ukulele! For this new song we’re gonna use the chords and rhythms you’ve just learned and mix it all together to play “Row, row, row your boat”, a very classic children song!
For this song you’ll need the C chord and the G7 chord (both in open C tuning). Start by playing the C chord using down strums for the quarter notes for 3 measures. In the 4th measure you’ll need to jump to the G7 chord for only 2 beats and then go back to the C chord for the rest of the song until you’ll get to the 8th measure (the end) where you’re gonna use 2 quarter notes in G7 and then a half note in C chord to end the song.
C C C C C C C C
Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream
C C C C G7 G7 C C
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, live is but a dream
My recommendation to you is to concentrate and listen carefully to the rhythm of the song so you can know exactly when to switch the chords and when to use quarter notes or half notes. Practice the switch between chords again and let’s play along with Terry Carter and the backing track:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream
Congratulations!! You’ve now learned to play 3 classic children songs! How does it feel? Good, huh? Remember, if you want to learn more children songs you can get our new BEGINNING UKULELE KIDS COURSE SONGBOOK where you’ll get access to more than 15 video lessons, backing tracks and printables. Also, if you want to have access not only to this new course, but to all of our Uke Like The Pros courses, you can also become a member to the Uke Like The Pros community. In that link you’ll find the options we’re offering and you can choose the one that fits the most to your needs. If you want the get the backing tracks for these songs and for the complete 10 Children songs from our course, you can get them FREE after you purchase the course in our website; once you have it in your library, you can get access to not only the backing tracks, but to more than 15 video lessons, printables and bonuses!
Click this link if you want to learn more about Guitars and Ukuleles in the Classroom and its teaching methods. Also, if you want to donate to GITC, feel free to enter here and follow the steps to help them help kids get access to music in their schools.
Again, congratulations! Keep on practicing, keep on working on the chord changes, keep on playing the ukulele because sooner than later you’ll find yourself playing your favorite songs like a rock star!
