Let's Play Music

Kids music activities and free printable resources | Children's music, lesson plans and teaching resources for babies and children

  • Store
    • Digital Downloads Store
    • Lesson Plans
    • eBooks
    • My Account
    • FAQs
  • Activities by Age
    • Baby
    • Toddlers
    • Preschool
    • 5+
  • Activities by Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Winter
  • Activities by Type
    • First Piano Lessons
    • Weekly Lesson Plans
    • Rhythm & Percussion
    • Musical Movement
    • How To Read Music
    • Literacy
    • Classical Music for Kids
  • Free Sheet Music
    • Free Sheet Music
    • Free Printables
    • Song Directory
  • Subscribe
    • Newsletter Sign-up
    • Contact
  • About
  • My Cart
You are here: Home / Classical Music for Kids / 14 Best Classical Music Tracks for Kids

14 Best Classical Music Tracks for Kids

July 4, 2021 By Sara Mullett 50 Comments

When it comes to choosing classical music tracks for kids to listen to, people often don’t know where to start. I have experimented with many tracks over the years and so come armed with plenty of suggestions that have been tried and tested and are guaranteed to go down well. Here is my definitive list of music that gets kids moving, so good as background for crafting or to encourage creativity.

If you’re after classical music tracks for kids in order to set a relaxed and calm environment, check out this playlist.

People often ask what equipment I use for playing musical excerpts in music lessons. Of course if  you have the original CDs you can play them with a conventional music player using a remote control for stopping and starting.

But of course these days the easiest way is to play them straight from youtube by using your phone or ipad and some handy bluetooth speakers. Here are two really good choices; I’d recommend the Anker Soundcore for use in an average sized room, but these JBL Flip 4 speakers pack a bit more of punch if you’re in a bigger space.

Best Classical Music Tracks for Kids

Music has many wonderful uses and it can be chosen to fit any mood or activity.  Children love contrast, so don’t be frightened to mix it up a bit. So here are my top 14 classical music tracks for kids, it was supposed to be 10 but I found it difficult to be so restrained! Hopefully it will help get you started…

14 Best Classical Music Tracks For Kids

 Click on the title of the song to download them!

1.Johann Strauss Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka Op. 214

Great for skipping around to and so good for imaginative movement. I use this one a lot as the kids really love it, especially when they are pretending to be little mice running around in the Clocks And Mice lesson plan!

2. Johann Strauss Radetzky March Op 228

An obvious choice for marching, banging on drums and pretending to be a soldier! Unsurprisingly, this one is hugely popular – I use it my Soldiers Lesson Plan

3. Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker Suite Op.79a

Who wouldn’t want to be a sugar plum fairy or march like a tin soldier!? This one offers great variety- so it’s just limited to Christmas but your children might already recognise it if they like the film Elf!  But of course, I do always have to use it in my Christmas Lesson Plan too!

4.  Camille Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals

Click here for the music. This is perfect for imaginative movement for slightly older (primary school age) children. Different animals are represented in the music, see if your children can guess which are which!

My new Carnival Of The Animals bundle of resources includes lots of activities that explore dynamics. There’s a full set of listening maps along with 72 pages of teaching notes, poems, colouring sheets and activities. And listening maps are a great way to highlight musical dynamics, helping children to connect with the music with a visual interpretation for each movement.​

5. Henry Hall Orchestra Teddy Bear’s Picnic

This old favourite never loses it’s appeal and it’s always a huge hit in my Bears Lesson Plan. Dancing with your favourite teddy bears to this track is compulsory!

6. Henry Hall Orchestra

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Great song which goes with the story of the Three Little Pigs. You can read the story and then sing along to the song!

7. Georges Bizet Carmen Suite #1: Les Toreadors

MORE marching! Particularly good for older children to pretend to conduct to, fantastic for expression and hours of rousing fun!

8. Edward Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March #1 Op.39

Similar to the Bizet track above, encourages similar kind of movement, kids just can’t resist joining in!

9.  Handel’s Water Music

Calming and floaty, group activity of floating scarves, or fantastic calming background music.

10. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Same category as the above, perfect for background to games and other activities.

11. Johann Pachelbel Canon in D

12. J.S Bach Air on the G String

As above – and one most people will recognise!

13. Elmer Bernstein The Great Escape Theme Tune

Another one for marching! Really good one to clap or drum the beat of the music to.

14. Traditional Scottish Country Dancing

Great for circle games, skipping through arches and budding river dancers!

Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!  This is a great resource for anyone wanting to introduce children to the world of Classical music. Composers and instruments brought to life in a kid friendly way.

We would love to add to this list. What do you think should go on? Add your/your little ones favourites in the comments below.

For more classical music tracks for kids, check out:

  • 5 Classical Music Tracks for Fairy Dancing
  • Classical Music Tracks for Imaginative Play : Pirates & Adventurers 
  • Best Classical Music Tracks for Marching
  • 14 Best Classical Music Tracks for Calm and Tranquility

Have you seen our weekly lesson plans? Lots of fun, themed musical ideas for structured music lessons for 2 – 7 year olds.

Filed Under: Classical Music for Kids, Creative Role Play, Musical Activities For..., Musical Movement, Playlists, Preschoolers, Toddlers Tagged With: Classical Music, Kids Playlist

Please note, the posts on Let’s Play Music include affiliate links for your convenience.

Explore our digital downloads!

  • The Note family ebook landing page image The Note Family Stories eBook
    Rated 4.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Carnival of the animals product image The Carnival of the Animals Teaching Bundle
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $34.99 Original price was: $34.99.$29.99Current price is: $29.99.
  • Winter/Spring Bundle - 12 Weeks Of Lesson Plans $49.99

Follow Let’s Play Music

Comments

  1. Gillie Poxon says

    January 6, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    My grandson has slight autistic problems and finds it difficult to concentrate on one sound, and gets overwhelmed with general noise. My son is wondering if classical music might help, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 6, 2017 at 5:57 pm

      Hello Gillie, Yes music is a wonderful tool for helping autistic kids as it definitely improves listening and focussing abilities. There have been many studies over the years which demonstrate the very positive effects – it can all get a bit technical but these articles explain the benefits in a more approachable style – https://epidemicanswers.org/mozart-effect-and-autism-adhd-other-developmental-delays/ http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/articles/1831/wellness/music-therapy-and-autism.html
      The success of the Mozart effect is due to the structure and form of the music which helps the brain to format information in a more organised way. I do hope that you find that listening to music, singing songs and making music together will help your grandson and I’m sure you’ll all have a lot of fun with it along the way 🙂

      Reply
      • Gillie Poxon says

        January 7, 2017 at 8:14 am

        Thank you so much for your help Sara, we do love Mozart so it will be interesting to see where they go with this. At present they are having fun playing and singing to the ukulele. Again many thanks.

        Reply
  2. Sophie Mcgarrah says

    October 20, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    I like it so much.

    Reply
  3. Rose says

    June 3, 2015 at 3:52 am

    Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ueGfjBKbiE

    Reply
    • Rose says

      June 3, 2015 at 3:58 am

      Just seen it was listed below. I provided a link for those that do not know it. Thank you truly for this I plan to try a few more this year.

      Reply
      • Sara Mullett says

        June 3, 2015 at 2:58 pm

        Thanks Rose it’s an excellent link 🙂

        Reply
  4. jan says

    January 18, 2015 at 6:47 am

    Johannes Brahmes, Lullaby and good night, sung to babies everywhere

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 21, 2015 at 5:01 pm

      Oh yes Jan, I agree, Brahms’ Lullaby is one of the best! Babies always love it! You might like our post on songs for babies! http://www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/songs-for-babies-lullabies/

      Reply
  5. Marianne says

    January 17, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    Wonderful list!
    How about In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 21, 2015 at 4:54 pm

      Thanks Marianne, The Mountain King is a wonderful suggestion! It is so difficult to choose – it should really be the Best 50 tracks at least!

      Reply
  6. Marianne says

    January 17, 2015 at 8:25 pm

    Wonderful list! How about In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg.

    Reply
  7. Annemarie says

    November 9, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    thank you

    Reply
  8. Naomi says

    October 28, 2014 at 9:29 am

    Brilliant list of suggestions! My baby loves them all. Thanks for doing all the hard work in narrowing it down! It was just what I was looking for.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      October 28, 2014 at 3:49 pm

      So glad that you and your baby are having such fun with the 14 best Classical Music tracks Naomi!

      Reply
  9. Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 says

    October 21, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    I love, love, love this post! My toddler has been racing around the house to William Tell Overture and marching to the Imperial March (yep, we’re geeks in our house) and I wanted more of the same for her to dance and play to so I found this list through the magic of google. This is perfect!

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      October 21, 2014 at 8:11 pm

      Thanks Nicole, You paint a lovely picture! so glad the playlist has gone down so well 🙂

      Reply
  10. Krysten says

    October 1, 2014 at 10:00 pm

    What about peter and the wolf?

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      October 2, 2014 at 9:01 am

      Hi Krysten, Thats a great suggestion, but I think Peter And The Wolf deserves a whole post to itself!

      Reply
  11. Deborah Singmaster says

    September 24, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Can I buy these tracks on a CD? Or can you suggest an available CD with a smilar selection designed toappeal to young children/
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      September 28, 2014 at 3:58 pm

      Hi Deborah,

      I’m not sure about a CD, but each of these tracks are linked to the individual Amazon download so you could download the tracks individually. Just click on the title 🙂

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
  12. Rosemary Dotson says

    August 2, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Excellent selection.

    Reply
  13. dgaking says

    March 17, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    When I taught elementary music, my students loved Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1. I used the orchestral version with John Feierabend’s “Move It!” choreography. I also expanded on it with creative movement activities. The kids were so quiet, yet smiling so widely. They just loved it!

    Reply
    • Sara_LetsPlayMusic says

      March 18, 2014 at 6:03 pm

      What fun – I love that idea! It’s so great to see kids really absorbing themselves in creative movement 🙂

      Reply
  14. Jaime at Everyday Art says

    January 14, 2014 at 3:34 am

    My children have not been introduced to much classical music, but they ADORE Masquerade I: Waltz from Khachaturian: Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, Masquerade Suite, Symphony No. 2. You simply cannot help but imagine a grand waltz and join in!

    Reply
    • Sara_LetsPlayMusic says

      January 14, 2014 at 5:09 pm

      How lovely! That’s a great suggestion 🙂

      Reply
  15. Music Shack says

    October 22, 2013 at 2:57 am

    A lovely list! Though why is there a picture of Mozart on the Canon in D youtube video when Pachelbel composed it? 🙂

    Reply
    • Sara_LetsPlayMusic says

      October 22, 2013 at 11:18 am

      Thanks 🙂 would you add any tracks? I have no idea on the video front! You’ll have to ask the person who made the video on YouTube!

      Reply
  16. Deivid says

    September 14, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    Thank you very much. I will give a cd with this music to my sister for her birthday.

    Reply
  17. Jeanette Schulthess says

    July 23, 2013 at 4:35 am

    William Tell Overture

    Reply
    • Sara says

      July 26, 2013 at 12:15 pm

      That’s a great suggestion, though I felt maybe a bit overpowering/grown up for very young children. It’s pretty much impossible to narrow down any choices – it should really be 100 Best Classical tracks! What else would you add?

      Reply
    • Sara_LetsPlayMusic says

      July 26, 2013 at 8:01 pm

      That’s a great suggestion Jeanette, although it didn’t make my top 14 as I felt maybe a bit overpowering/grown up for very young children. It’s pretty much impossible to narrow down any choices – it should really be 100 Best Classical tracks! What else would you put at the top of your list?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Looking for something specific?

Cart

First Piano Lessons eBook

Discover our best-selling eBook, with over 2,000 copies sold. Our First Piano Lessons is a fun introduction to piano for your little one.

View Product

Copyright Let's Play Kids Music © 2025 · Privacy Policy