Sometimes you just want a song that the kids can sing that doesn't have too many words and is pretty easy. Here's a compilation, divided into categories, for the Easter Season - you may like to choose a few songs to repeat over the season.
Easter Season
First, a list of more energetic Alleluias, which would be good for kids.
- BUC Resource Brunswick Alleluia
(Elaine Loukes and Julia Potter, Australia) A short and happy Alleluia. Works well sung through a few times.
- TiS
720 / AHB 295 / aoVK-85 / AoV2-046 / ATOK 319 / NCH236 / Iona (Many
& Great, There is one among us) / CH345 / VU958 / StJ / SFFS
2026 / HPP571 / RS 396 Halle halle hallelujah (Traditional Caribbean) Excellent – simple, great for kids, good rhythm. Sound sample.
- Online Resource / TiS
541 / CH674 / WoV722 / ELW535 / GtG538 / G(II)394 / GC562 / GC(II)529 / G(3)626 /
CP082 / SP&P190 / W&R709 / ZSS198 / URW400 Hallelujah we sing your praises / Haleluyah! Pelo Tsa Rona (South African) Joyous and simple song. Sound sample. Sheet music sample and link to purchase.
- GtG034 / SP&P055 / PfAS146B / VT085 / W&R735 / WoV609 Hallelujah / Heleluyan
(Muscogee / Charles Webb) Native American Hallelujah. It's
simple and straightforward. PfAS146 uses it as a
refrain to Psalm 146. It can also be used as a round (come in on
each bar), and with a strong drum beat on 1 and 3. Sound recording.
Good for kids
- NCH766 / CH767 / CP324 / PfAS148G Hallelujah hallelujah
(Dumisani Maraire) A simple and joyful Alleluia in 3/4 in 3 parts. This one is
particularly good if you can get all three parts going. It's pretty
straight forward, and catchy. PfAS uses it as a Psalm refrain for Psalm
148, or you can just continue the joy of the Easter season and sing
some Alleluias somewhere else in the service. Or, you could choose an
Alleluia that your congregation knows as a refrain for this Psalm. So
many options... Good for kids Sound sample.
- MV054 Alleluia (Simei Monteiro) A Brazilian Alleluia; easy to harmonise. Can start slowly and simply, and build up and speed up! Sound sample.
- MV052 Alleluia (Afro-Uraguayan) Good new alleluia, which would work well with plenty of percussion and guitar.
- CH753 Alleluia alleluia (Honduras) Simple and fun. Sound sample.
- MV032 Hallelujah
(Pattison) Fun 5/4 hallelujah with a percussion part that would be good
for kids (wood block, conga), or for working on at a church camp.
Songs about Resurrection and New Life
- Tune In / Online Resource Making things new (Sheree Anderson) A groovy one. Great for kids, and lots of fun. Free downloadable songbook and recordings.
- TiS 728 Jesuchristo Reina reina ya! A fun Latin American song. It's particularly fun if someone is brave enough to yell out a "call" at the start of each verse. Sound sample.
- Iona (Love From Below) / CH434 / CP232 Jesus is risen from the grave
(Graham Maule) Good, simple rhythm and tune. You can even make up some
verses if you like. Good for kids. If you missed the Thomas verse at
Easter (or missed singing this song), you could sing it this week
instead. Sound sample. Good for kids.
- Taizé / ATA 107 / VU247 / GC555 / CP308 / W&R303 / Lau691 Jubilate Deo (Michael Praetorius, Germany) A very simple fun round from the community at Taizé. Sheet music, sound samples and practice parts. Good for kids.
- ATW
463 / Iona (T1AU) / ELW721 / SFFS 2219 / A&M835 / GtG750
/ GC(II)451 / G(3)528 / W&R296 / URW436 Goodness is stronger than evil (Desmond Tutu
/ Iona) Words from Archbishop Desmond Tutu. "Victory is ours, victory
is ours, through him who loves us". Some congregations change the last
line to "Compassion is ours, compassion is ours...". It depends on the
context in which you sing it, I suppose. Sound sample (I like how they drop the organ partway through!). Good for kids.
- MV122 / Online Resource This is the day (Bruce Harding) This is a really simple nice jazzy song. Sheet music.
- MV187 / ELW682 We give our thanks / Re a mo leboga (Traditional Botswana) A great song to sing for the offering. Older style version. More upbeat version. Amazing video with a newer version. Good for kids.
- AoVK-113 Thank you O Lord for this world of ours (Barr) A good kids song in two parts.
- AoV2-070 / ATW 496 / MV090 / StJ Don't be afraid (John
Bell)
Excellent. I love this song of reassurance. Don't be worried that the
water will run out - keep those roots deep. "Don't be afraid, my love
is stronger. My love is stronger than your fear". This song can be used
as a response to intercessions. Good for kids. Sound sample.
- Iona (M&G) / ATAR609 / CH359 / MV033 / GtG137 / ZSS54 / StJ / ELW253 / GA293 / SFFS
2085 / G(II)276 / GC370 / GC(II)364 / G(3)429 / CP368 / W&R402 He came down that we may have love/ Jesus came bringing us hope
(Traditional Cameroon) A lovely simple song - you can make up words and
have a lot of fun with this if you also use some drums. For Brunswick
this year, this will be a nice reminder of Advent, when we sang this
every week. Scottish sound sample.
- TiS 715 / Srce2-112 Everything that has breath
(Traditional Czech) A lovely simple round, set to the tune of "Ah poor
bird". "Everything that has breath, praise the Lord of Hosts forever,
praise the Lord". Would be a really nice relaxing start to
worship. Good for kids. New words to old tunes.
Songs about God as Light- Taize / TiS 747 / ATE 214 / Iona (M&G) / GtG842 / PfAS027A / URW393 The Lord is my light, my light and salvation
(Jacques Berthier) A simple and very popular Taize chant. Note that this is really easy on
recorder if you have a kid in your congregation who is learning it. Youtube.
- Online Resource / AoV1-053 / AoVK-82 / GA256 Receive The Light of Christ
(Erica Marshall) Simple round "Receive the light of Christ, May (it) shine
within our hears, May the Christ Light fill us with joy and peace". At
Brunswick, this song might be good to be sung each week as we light the
candles for the kids to go out to Sunday Morning Programme. Sound and sheet music samples, and purchasing options. Good for kids.
- TiS
666 / AoV2-113 / AoVK-126 / ATOK 409 / NCH526 / Iona (Common Ground,
Freedom is Coming) / CH516 / VU646/647 / WoV650 / ELW866 / A&M483 / SFFS 2235 /
HPP153 / GtG853 / G(II)357 / GC513 / GC(II)516 / G(3)594 / Cha442 / SP235 / Srce737 / StF483 / MP954 We are marching in the light of God / Siyahamba / Caminando (South
African) A very popular chorus, with possible alternate verses,
depending on your source. Sometimes people get anxious about the word
"marching", but remember that this song comes from apartheid-era South
Africa, where people were protesting so that they could vote in their
own country. And the marching is toi-toing, much less militaristic than
what you may imagine. Sound sample.
- Online Resource Holding up the light (Christopher
Grundy)
A great song for all about being brave enough to hold a light, no
matter how small, when all around seems dark and difficult.
Unfortunately, I cannot find a current source of the sheet music for
this, but maybe you have a copy? Youtube. Good for kids.
Songs about following Jesus- Online Resource / GWA167 Who is this one gritty and tough / A little more
(Stephen Fischbacher, Scotland / Suzanne Butler, Scotland / Margaret
McLarty, Scotland) A fun song about the many faceted nature of Jesus'
life and a catchy chorus asking whether we can be a little more like
him. Brief sound sample and purchasing options. Full song in lyric video. Good for kids.
- AoVK-40 / NCH524 / UMH585 / ELW677 / A&M808 / HPP466 / G(II)358 / GC514 / GC(II)514 / G(3)591 This little light of mine (Harry Dixon Loes / Avis Christiansen) The AoVK version has excellent verses that actually make the
chorus make sense, but will need to be practiced. Check them out if you have a copy. In the meantime,
watch Bruce Springsteen sing it here.
- TiS 727 / SiS361 / ATE 208 / CH121 / AA70 / PfAS022F In the presence of your people (Brent
Chambers, New Zealand) A good Yiddish tune - lots of fun for kids and
adults. Good to get fast and dance around on this one. Good for kids. Or you could try: VU745 which uses the refrain only for singing with a reading of a
Psalm. Lyrics (3 verses, but I only ever sing the first one).
- MV157 I am a child of God (Bruce Harding) A simple song with powerful words. Good for kids and adults alike. Very easy to learn. Lyric video. Good for kids.
- AoV2-068 / VU695 God is passionate life (Colleen Fulmer) Good simple round with a peace / justice focus. Lyrics and a kind of odd sound sample. Good for kids.
- ATOK 412 / Iona (SBL, Common Ground) / CH250 / MV212 / A&M482 / GtG747 / SFFS 2184 / Lau855 / StF239 Sent by the Lord am I / Sent out in Jesus name / Enviado soy de Dios
(Traditional Cuban) Great rhythm, good words and not too hard to sing
(provided you sing it a little slowly the first time!) I prefer the MV
translation "Sent out in Jesus' name". Lyrics.
- Online Resource / TiS
749 / AoV1-154 / AoVK-131 / ATE 305 / NCH360 / Iona (SBL, Freedom is
coming) / CH800 / UMH497 / VU572 / WoV773 / ELW809 / GA493 / A&M481 / HPP340 / GtG746 / G(II)484
/ GC677 / GC(II)674 / G(3)776 / W&R713 / Cha447 / SP234 / StF782 Send me Jesus / Thuma mina (South African) You all know this one, right? If you don't - it's great - simple, repetitive, and meaningful. Good for kids. Sheet music sample and lyrics. Youtube.
- NCH497 / SFFS 2208 / GtG741 / PH354 / G(II)508 / GC707 / GC(II)684 G(3)780 / CP513 / ZSS141 Guide my feet while I run this race
(African American) An excellent civil rights song. Would work well as a meditative prayer
for guidance or as an uplifting call to action at the end of the
service.You could also make up your own lyrics. Lyrics.
- Online Resource / Iona (M&G, T1AU) / MV099 / GC(II)673 / G(3)763 / Lau996 Stand O Stand Firm (Cameroon) I love having an excuse to sing this simple and powerful song.
Very easy for your congregation. You can make up cantor parts too “Oh my
sisters…. Oh my brothers… Oh my children….” or you can name countries
you are praying for in your intercessions. Good for kids. Sound sample (with an extra Litany of the Saints on top, which I just find confusing), and sheet music links for purchase.
- Iona (WWHW) / MV223 We will go with God / Sizohamba naye (Traditional Swaziland) A simple Zulu song from Swaziland. Good for the end of the service. Video with pronunciation and parts.
Note that MV has a different set of English words; neither are a direct translation. Sound sample of a more traditional version. Good for kids.
- Online Resource / GWA080 / MV045 / SP&P051 / VT023 Hamba nathi
(Unknown, Zulu, South Africa) There are a lot of translations of this South African song. I like
"Come with me for the journey is long", even though the original
language simply means "Go with us our Saviour"! Sound sample. Sheet music. Here's how it was sung for the soundtrack of Invictus; you wouldn't do all these variations with a congregation though! Good for kids.
- Online Resource Love love love love with Jesus love one another
(David MacGregor, Australia) This is a simple, and fun song which will work for all ages. Sound sample. Lead sheet.
Songs about other Easter themes- GtB God is love and love is giving (Ross Langmead)
A simple kids' song about God's love. A round. Sound sample.
- MV031 Pure Love (Linnea Good) I think this song would be good for reflecting on God as the source of all love. Very simple and beautiful. Sound sample. Good for kids.
- AoV2-054
/ Iona (T1AU, LFB) / MV077 / GtG414 / SFFS 2057 / G(II)438 / GC618 /
RS 736 / SP&P111 / PfAS046D / URW409 / Lau909 / StF019 Be still and know that I am God (John Bell
/ Graham Maule) For kids, I think it may be better to focus on the positive
for this reading, and this simple chant is beautiful. Works as a round or in unison. Sound sample. Good for kids.
- ATOK 311 / CH754 / GA401 Be still and know that I am God and there is none beside me
(Iona) A good alternative. I like the 2nd verse especially "I am the
one who calls you my friends, and there is none beside me". CH doesn't
have the 2nd verse.
- AoVK-119 We're God's family God's children (Trish Watts / Monica O'Brien) Good words. Catchy tune.
- GGives2 What does peace look like to you
(Jane Dyson) A really nice simple song for kids about peace. Lots of
questions about what peace might mean from images of nature, to an end
to war. The last verse talks about a "bridge from God to man" which
could be changed to "bridge from God to us".
- GWA085 May you find peace
(Stephen Fischbacher, Scotland) A quite fun and silly, but very genuine
song for finding peace, hope, love and rest. It has actions! Sheet music sample. Video with actions. Good for kids.
-
Seeds of Faith Peace Be With You (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) A very simple kids song about peace, and sharing peace. Sound sample and lyrics.
- StS116 I saw a tree by the riverside / The Tree Song (Ken Medema) A
great kid’s song about roots growing down to the water, and leaves
growing up to the sunshine, and bearing fruit, and all that great stuff. Lyrics.
- Linnea Good Strong as living Trees A lovely haunting chant.
- Online resource Like a tree by the flowing water
(Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) Part of a series of songs based on Psalm 1, I
think the chorus of this is probably my favourite. In Australia, you
might want to use only the chorus because the word "rooted" means
something quite different over here. Sound samples, lyrics and purchasing options.
