Top 10 Teaching History Helps:

History Songs For Kids!

Welcome back to the “Top 10 Teaching History Helps” series!
What do you remember about History from your school days?
Was it a fun hands-on project that brought George Washington’s Christmas crossing on the Delaware to life?  Maybe a teacher who stood on a desk to recite Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech?  Or maybe you weren’t fortunate enough to have a teacher like that, and you just snoozed your way through History.
No matter what our own experiences may have been, we can make History exciting, memorable, and ALIVE for our kids!
This series is packed full of EASY and painless ideas… and you won’t even have to stand on a desk!

What are these posts about?
You can read all about the reasons I created the ‘Top 10 History Helps’ series in the first post, Top 10 History Podcasts For Kids.  Each part of the Top 10 series will pair perfectly with the FREE Ancient History Curriculum series, the FREE American History Curriculum series, and also the FREE American History (American Girl) Unit Studies series.

SO… on with the FUN!

 

Top 10 History SONGS For Kids!  

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head?
It’s been “Everything Is Awesome” from the Lego Movie around here of late. I don’t mean to hear it bouncing around my brain before my first cup of coffee is finished…or as I am cooking dinner… or brushing my teeth. It just is kind of got STUCK in my head.  Ironically THAT song didn’t get stuck inside my head!  If you clicked the link to hear it, you’re welcome LOL.   I guess it could be a worse song.  It’s been songs from Barney, the Oompa Loompa song, and Hit the Road Jack in the past.

Looking at this from an educational perspective, we could make sticky songs like these work for us!

Songs help us remember things… and it’s a FUN way to learn!
Most of us can still probably recall the words songs we learned as children. I can still sing the geography songs that I taught to my now adult children. There is something about setting words to music and rhythm that locks it into our heads. And so, this History Help will be my Top 10 favorite History Songs for kids!

 

 

#1- History Songs For American History

Use these songs to pep up your favorite American History studies, or with the Free American History Curriculum series, or the Free American Girl History series!

 

+School House Rocks!
You still can’t beat this oldies, but goodies!

+Mr. Betts Class
Try this song about The New Deal !
(This would be great with Free Great Depression (AG Kit) Unit Study , or  the Free Modern American History Curriculum, Week 3)

+US History Playlist-  The Singing Teachers

+Horrible Histories:  All About America
21 minutes of history in song from the beloved makers of Horrible Histories.  You might like to preview these first.  Probably best for older students!

+Extras
–American History Recap
–The Vikings Song
–Who Were The Vikings?
–The Virginia Company
(The cut scenes at the end though… lol)
–The Pilgrims/First Thanksgiving Song
–French and Indian War
–The Thirteen Colonies Song
–The Sugar Acts Song
–Dump It Off!   (Boston Tea Party)
–Boston Tea Party
–No Taxation!
–Too Late To Apologize-  A Declaration!
–Lewis & Clark
–Go West! 
–Transcontinental Railroad Song
–Iron Wheels A Rollin’
–The American Civil War
–Civil War Parody
–The Gettysburg Address –  King Things
–Emancipation Proclamation
–Hard Times In the Mill
–Songs From WW1 Playlist
–World War 1 Song
–The Great Depression Song
–Remembrance Day Song
–The Cold War/Marshall Plan Song
–Rosa Parks Song

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#2- History Songs For Ancient Civilizations

There are some great choices to add to your Ancient History studies this year!
Remember that these are a great companion to the Free Ancient Civilizations Curriculum as well!

 

+History Teachers- Ancient Civilizations Playlist
Think you can define  Civilization   in a song?

+Mr. Nicky
This one is going to get stuck in your heads for sure!   Ancient Mesopotamia

 

+The Singing History Teachers
-Who was Hammurabi and what was Hammurabi’s Code  ?

 

+Saddleback Kids Songs
This is a great resource for the Ancient Civilizations/Old Testament History study, especially for your younger kids!
–Noah’s Song
–Abraham’s Song
–Daniel’s Song
–Esther’s Song
–Samuel’s Song
–Jonah’s Song
–Joseph’s Song
–Moses’ Song

 

+Story Songs From Scripture
–Abraham & Sarah Song
(Even though this story song isn’t filled with rhyme, it’s catchy and tells the story of Abraham and Sarah well!)

 

+And a few other Ancient Civilizations songs just for fun-
–Psalm 104
(Sung in ancient Hebrew- the singing begins near the 2 minute mark)
–Genesis 1:1-27  Song
–The Epic of Gilgamesh 
(This is fascinating!  Sung in Sumerian and played on a Sumerian lute)
–The Mesopotamia Song

 

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#3- History Songs For Ancient Egypt

 

Singing “sticks” things in your brain!  Add these to your Ancient Egypt studies this year, or with the  Free Ancient Egypt Curriculum  series!
*Note that a section on Ancient China is included in this part of the series  (Ancient China songs are included here too!)

+History Teachers- Ancient Egypt Playlist
Try this song first, all about the mysterious King Tut !

+Mr. Nicky
–Ancient Egypt
–Egyptian Mythology  
(Ok.  This one might hurt a little, but the content is really good!)

+Horrible Histories-  The Awful Egyptians! Playlist

+And a few other Ancient Egypt Extras-
–Groove Like An Egyptian
(This one is really fun!  “They went a little overboard and mummified my CAT!”)
–Tut!  Tut!
–Mummy Making-  An Egyptian (W)Rap
–Amazing Egyptians
–Walk Like An Egyptian
–Pharaoh Pharaoh 
(Remember this song?  Yep.  It’s gonna be stuck in your head allllll day now!)
–The Gift of the Nile
–Ancient Egyptian Inventions
–What Did The Ancient Egyptians Believe
(If you happen to be reading this and from the UK, BBC Bitesize has a great playlist for Ancient Egypt, sadly not accessible if you live in the US).
–4 Ancient Egypt Songs
(These are no frills tunes for remembering all kinds of facts about Ancient Egypt.  Be sure to open the “more” tab, and you can copy and print out the lyrics and sing these yourself!  You might even like to change the tunes to songs your kids are familiar with!)

 

+Ancient China
(This section is covered in the Free Ancient Egypt Curriculum)
–Ancient China Song    (Mr. Nicky)
–Chinese Empire Song    (Horrible Histories)
–Hey There Ancient China
–The Silk Road
–The Han Dynasty Song   (for kids, by a kid!)
–Learn Chinese Dynasties Song
–Ancient Chinese Dynasties

 

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#4- History Songs For Ancient Greece

Get everyone in your house grooving with the Ancient Greeks!
If you want more resources for learning the history of the Ancient Greeks, you can find lots of ideas and a booklist in the Free Ancient Greece Curriculum!

+History Teachers- Ancient Greece Playlist
Do all the Greek epics confuse you a little?
Try learning this song to help you sort it all out-  The Odyssey


+BBC Music-  Heroes of Troy Playlist
So much FUN!   Listen to the groovy song  ‘Is It Love’   for a sample   😀
Scroll down the page a bit and look on the left to find the full song version.

+Horrible Histories Ancient Greeks Playlist
Horrible Histories are back again!

+Extra FUN Ancient Greece Songs!
–It’s All Greek To Me!
(How FAST can you sing this one?!?)
–Greece Is The Word
-Mr. Nicky-  Ancient Greece 
–Trojan War Song
–Greece Was A Fabulous Place
–Greek God Rap
–12 Greek Gods- An Olympian Rap
–Koine Greek Alphabet Song
–‘Is it love?’ – sung by Paris, Prince of Troy
–Ancient Greek Olympics Song 
–Ancient Greece Song  from Flocabulary

–Ancient Greek Music
Listen to pieces of actual music from Ancient Greece played on a Greek Lyre

 

 

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#5- History Songs For Ancient Rome

 

You’ve grooved with the Greeks, now get ready to ROCK with the Romans!

I think you and your family will love this “playlist” of Ancient Rome history songs!  You can easily add in one or two if you’re touching on Ancient Rome in a World History overview, enjoy them all as you study your way through the Ancient History of Rome (hope you’ll check out my FREE Ancient Rome Curriculum!!), or play them just for a fun way to learn some history !

+History Teachers- Ancient Rome Playlist
You’re going to see this YouTube channel for all of the Ancient History sections.
Check out Viva Roma!

+Horrible Histories:  Rotten Romans!
By now you get the idea of these playlists.  Love them or hate them, they’ve got the beats and zany lyrics to lock in some history learning !

+Extra Roman ‘Rhythms
–Just Like A Roman    (super cute!)
–Roman Emperors Song
–Roman Numerals Song   (Great for movement & memory!)
–The Roman Nume-rules
–Patrician and Plebeians Rap
–Ancient Rome Song
–The Legacy of Ancient Rome
–Pompeii Song
–I Am the Very Model of an Ancient Roman Emperor
–Rome Song   (Love the songs made by kids!)
–The Romans
–Hey Romans!
–A Roman Song
–The Romans 
(This is a song all about Roman sandals!  Yep.  BUT you’ll be surprised at how much you can learn from it !)
–Caesar Augustus Song

–Ancient Roman Lyre Music
(Be sure to also read the description, it is very interesting! )

 

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#6- History Songs For The Middle Ages & Renaissance

Minstrel-y music for the Middle Ages!
Check out this list for your study of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.  As with all the sections above, please be sure to check out the Free Middle Ages Curriculum for lots of other fun (and free!) history resources!

 

+History Teachers- The Middle Ages Playlist
Ready for jousting?!   First sing this song,   I’m A Knight !

+History Teachers-  The Renaissance Playlist
Get to know the Renaissance Men!

+The Banditz
–Castle Times
–Victorians Song
–Great Fire of London

+Horrible Histories:  Measly Middle Ages
I couldn’t find one complete playlist of these silly songs in one place, so I’ll just list a few below.
–I’m A Knight
–Matilda & Stephen & Henry Song
(This one includes a family tree, thank goodness !)
–Mary the 1st Song
–Henry VII: The Original Tu-Tu-Tudor Song
–The Tudors Song
–Wives of Henry VIII   (Yikes!)
–Charles II King of Bling Song
–The Joan of Arc Song
–William Shakespeare Song

 

+Medieval Extras!
–Please Plague Doctor
(This is so gross, but funny and actually a good song!  😀  )
–Kings & Queens Song    (loved this done by some talented kiddos!)
–The Middle Ages
–The Middle Ages Timeline Song
–Feudalism Rap
–The Byzantine Empire Song
–Welcome to the Renaissance!
–Histeria’s Renaissance Song
–The Renaissance
–Leonardo Da Vinci:  Renaissance Man
(“He wrote all the visions in the journal he had, but he wrote them all backwards to make us mad That’s Da Vinci ” )
–Tudors-  A Musical Discovery
(The lyrics in full are in drop down)
–Tudor Rap!
–The Bayeux Tapestry Song
–Recapping the Middle Ages

–The Song of Roland
–Renaissance Music

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#7- History Songs For US Presidents

+The Animaniacs US Presidents Songs  and The First Ladies of the US !

+Cenapsis
Sing the US Presidents from Washington to Biden!
Then learn about the life of each of the US Presidents.  Try this one about the Life of George Washington

+White House Historical Association
There are lots of interesting resources listed, but The American Presidents In Song is just what we need here!

+Mr. Betts’ Class
Check out this entire US Presidents Playlist !

 

 

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#8- History Songs For American Government

+Smart Songs
Political Parties Rap does a great job of explaining US Government!!  Seriously a very through but FUN intro to the history of government in our country!   And, you’ll be singing Three Branches in your sleep!

+School House Rock!
–I’m Just a Bill
–The Constitution
–Three Branches
–President 1 Minute
–I’m Gonna Send Your Vote To College
–Tax Man Max

+Mr. Betts’ Class
Everything US Constitution Playlist!

+More Government Grooves!
–Forms of Government
–Democracy!
–The Document Dudes
–Declaration of Independence
–We The People
–Bill of Rights Song
–Bill of Rights Thriller Song
–Electoral College Song
–Vote Song!
–What’s An Election?

 

 

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#9- History Songs For History Greats

+Lyrics2Learn- History Songs
I bet you know who Thomas Edison was, but what about Nikola Tesla  ?!

+The Who Was Show? Playlist
Check out these ladies!   Queen Mary  and the  Amelia Earhart 

+Sung History
Ever heard of The Wright Bros!?!

+Horrible Histories
Ok.  So they’re HORRIBLE, but they’re on every single one of my lists  😀
–Rosa Parks Song
–Pachacuti Song
–Joan of Arc Song
–Henry VII Song
–Charles Dickens
–Transport Pioneers Song
–The Blackbeard the Pirate Song
–William Wallace Song
–Formidable Florence Nightingale Song
(Song starts about 1:52 mark)

+Who’s Who In History Songs
–Inventors and Inventions Song

 

 

 

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#10- Geography Songs

 

+JEOGRAPHY Songs
These are some seriously FUN Geography songs!  It feels like you’re traveling around the world with these tunes!  Try the Spain Song for an idea of what to expect!  **And be patient… be sure to wait until after the artist narrates the places in the region!  SERIOUSLY you’ll feel like you’ve taken a trip to Spain!

+The History Teachers Sing-  Geography Playlist
While not the most exciting titles, the Using a Map Scale Song the Latitude and Longitude Song are super catchy and really very educational!  🙂

+Fundamental Raps
Check out the Geography Songs Playlist!

 

+Geography Songs For Everyone
If you have a geography nerd (meant as a term of endearment!!) in your house, they are going to love this Geography Songs Playlist from Geography Songs For Everyone!  Seriously, there is a song for pretty much anywhere in the world!
I love that these videos are plain and simple, yet catchy enough to help you recall ALLL the places!

 

+Odds & Ends Geo Jams!
–Nations of the World
(I’m seeing a CONTEST to see which kiddo can memorize this song first !! PHEW!)
-Maps and Globes-  figure out how to read them both with the Geography Song !
–Continents and Oceans
(More informational than memorization.  Nice!)
–Tour The World!
–Tour The States!
–Cardinal Directions Songs

 

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*Bonus-

In case your kiddos STILL aren’t convinced that History is important AND interesting, try this explanation !

Happy Living, Loving, Learning… and LISTENING friends!

I’d love to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment and share with us what YOUR family’s favorite History Songs are !

 

**TOP 10 Teaching History Helps Series**

 

+Top 10 History PODCASTS
+Top 10 History SONGS
+Top 10 History TIMELINES
+Top 10 History AUDIOBOOKS
+Top 10 History MOVIES
+Top 10 History BOOKS     (This is the ULTIMATE History Book List!)
+Top 10 History GAMES
+Top 10 History HANDS-ON
+Top 10 History PRINTABLES
+Top 10 History FIELD TRIPS

And a bonus…
+Top 10 History for the HOLIDAYS
+Top 10 AMAZING Homeschooling Resources At The Library