What’s trending in 2025, what kids (and parents!) love, and the songs that never go out of style.
If you’re tired of listening to Steve’s Lava Chicken on repeat, then this is for you. As someone with three kids who would prefer me to play Baby Doge and The Poop Song on Spotify, I constantly need to shove good music into their ears so they know what’s good for them!
For me, nostalgia hits when the windows are down on a hot day in July, jamming to Dixie Chicks. But now with three kids in tow, I need to find the balance between songs that we all love and can create our own summer nostalgia moments that have nothing to do with The Poop Song. Bring on the long car rides with the windows down, backyard sprinklers and popsicles, or a dance party your toddler starts right in the middle of the living room floor. Whatever the moment, we’ve got your summer playlist to put on repeat and make it even better.
So, what are the jams for Summer 2025?
We’ve seen some fun new contenders topping the kids’ charts this year and not just from animated movie soundtracks (although those are still on repeat). Some top tunes in the now trending category:
- “Better Place” – NSYNC, Trolls Band Together
- “Knowing What I Know Now” – Ariana DeBose, Wish
- “APT” – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
- “Dance the Night” – Dua Lipa, Barbie
- “I Ain’t Worried” – OneRepublic
- “Made You Look” – Meghan Trainor
- “Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter (clean version!)
These songs have all the ingredients for family fun: upbeat tempo, family-friendly lyrics, and enough energy to get a group of kids leaping across the room in a spontaneous game of freeze dance.
Timeless Jams
While we love discovering what’s fresh, some songs just hit forever. These are our go-to “lifers”—tracks we’ve used in our classes and parties for years, and the kids still light up every time:
- “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” – Justin Timberlake
- “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
- “Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina and the Waves
- “Twist and Shout” – The Beatles
- “ABC” – Jackson 5
- “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
- “Firework” – Katy Perry
You’ll never regret having these in rotation. They’re upbeat, familiar, and give grown-ups a hit of nostalgia while keeping the little ones totally engaged.
A few family-favorite artists we’ll always recommend!
Want to keep things playful and age-appropriate without losing your mind to repetitive lyrics? We love these artists who get it right every time:
- Laurie Berkner: The queen of kids’ music!
- Joanie Leeds: Grammy-winning, empowering tunes with strong female energy and big singalongs
- Teacher Peter: Heartfelt, inclusive, and silly-smart songs that kids actually want to sing again and again ALSO A JWJ LA performer!
- The Pop Ups: Cool, clever, catchy
- Caspar Babypants: Yes, that’s the former frontman of The Presidents of the United States of America
- Lisa Loeb’s kids’ albums: Calm and melodic with a little indie flair
- Fyutch & Aura V.: The best father-daughter duo with beautiful music and empowering messages.
- Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats: Jazz-scat-along play, while singing foot-tapping songs highlighting the joys of life, community and resilience!
- Miss Katie Sings: Where Mr. Rogers meets Pete Seeger
These artists hit that sweet spot where the music feels made for kids,but never dumbed down.
We made you a playlist (of course we did)
We couldn’t resist creating the ultimate 2025 summer playlist for families. It’s got a mix of trending tracks, forever faves, and Jam with Jamie-approved party songs. Whether you’re packing snacks for a beach day or cleaning up after dinner, this is the soundtrack to your summer memories that won’t make you want to rip your ears out:
