16 Best Songs for Speech Therapy: Improve Articulation, Fluency & More

Is your child struggling with speech development? Are you a speech therapist looking for fresh, engaging material to liven up your sessions? Finding the right tools can make a world of difference, and music is a powerful ally in the journey towards clear communication. That's why we've compiled this ultimate list of the best songs for speech therapy, carefully curated to target specific speech sounds, improve articulation, and boost overall language skills. From classic children's tunes to modern hits, this selection offers a diverse range of melodies and rhythms designed to make learning fun and effective. Forget monotonous drills – discover how the magic of music can transform speech therapy into an enjoyable and successful experience. We'll explore why certain songs are particularly beneficial, highlighting their rhythmic patterns, lyrical clarity, and overall engagement potential for young learners. Get ready to sing your way to clearer speech!

16 Best Songs for Speech Therapy: Improve Articulation, Fluency & More
SongArtistAlbumListens
1. Under the Sea Samuel E. Wright 367M+
2. Let It Go Idina Menzel 317M+
3. If You're Happy and You Know It Traditional 158M+
4. Do-Re-Mi Julie Andrews
The Sound of Music
57M+
5. The Wheels on the Bus Traditional 22M+
6. Hakuna Matata Nathan Lane
Ernie Sabella
Jason Weaver
Joseph Williams
19M+
7. You've Got a Friend in Me Randy Newman Toy Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 13M+

1. Under the Sea - 1989

Repetitive Sounds and Phrases: "Under the Sea" features highly repetitive lyrics and sounds, excellent for building vocabulary and pronunciation skills. The consistent rhythm makes it easy to follow along.

Clear Diction: Samuel E. Wright's clear and expressive vocals provide a strong model for articulation, making it ideal for practicing speech patterns.

Engaging Melody: The upbeat and catchy melody keeps children engaged, encouraging active listening and participation, crucial for speech therapy.

Under the Sea - Samuel E. Wright

2. Let It Go - 2025

Vocal Range: Idina Menzel's powerful and expressive vocals offer a wide range of pitches and dynamics, providing excellent opportunities for practicing vocal articulation and intonation.

Repetitive Lyrics & Simple Melody: The song features a memorable, repetitive chorus ("Let It Go, Let It Go") and a relatively simple melody, making it easy for children and individuals with speech difficulties to sing along and practice pronunciation.

Emotional Expression: The song's powerful emotional arc, from restrained frustration to triumphant release, can help clients explore and express a range of emotions through vocal inflection, enhancing expressive communication skills.

Let It Go - Idina Menzel

3. If You're Happy and You Know It

Repetitive Lyrics and Actions: "If You're Happy and You Know It" features highly repetitive lyrics and actions, making it ideal for practicing articulation and motor skills.

Simple Melody: The song's simple melody is easy for children to sing along to, improving their vocal coordination and pitch accuracy.

Engaging Actions: The hand actions associated with the song encourage physical engagement, improving gross and fine motor skills alongside speech practice.

If You're Happy and You Know It - Traditional

4. Do-Re-Mi

Simple Melody: "Do-Re-Mi" features a straightforward melody, perfect for young children learning to pronounce basic sounds and syllables.

Repetitive Lyrics: The repetitive nature of the lyrics aids in memorization and pronunciation practice, reinforcing phonetic patterns.

Joyful Tone: The song's upbeat and cheerful tone creates a positive and engaging learning environment, encouraging participation and reducing anxiety.

Do-Re-Mi - Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music

5. The Wheels on the Bus

Repetitive Structure: "The Wheels on the Bus" utilizes highly repetitive lyrics and a simple melody, making it ideal for children learning to repeat words and phrases.

Predictable Rhythm: The song's consistent rhythm and rhyme scheme provide a strong framework for practicing pronunciation and rhythm, aiding in speech development.

Action-Oriented Lyrics: The descriptive lyrics ("The wheels on the bus go round and round") encourage engagement and provide opportunities for accompanying actions, enhancing comprehension and expression.

The Wheels on the Bus - Traditional

6. Hakuna Matata

Repetitive Phrases: "Hakuna Matata" utilizes simple, repetitive phrasing ("Hakuna Matata" meaning "no worries") which is excellent for building vocabulary and pronunciation skills.

Upbeat Melody: The song's cheerful melody and rhythm are engaging for children, maintaining their attention and encouraging participation.

Vocal Variety: The song features multiple vocalists with varying tones and styles, providing diverse auditory examples for speech therapy exercises.

Hakuna Matata - Nathan Lane,Ernie Sabella,Jason Weaver,Joseph Williams

7. You've Got a Friend in Me

Simple Melody: "You've Got a Friend in Me" features a straightforward, easy-to-follow melody, ideal for children and individuals working on vocal clarity and pitch.

Repetitive Lyrics: The song's repetitive lyrics and simple phrasing provide excellent opportunities for repetition and reinforcement of sounds, beneficial for speech development.

Positive Emotional Tone: The upbeat and friendly nature of the song creates a positive and encouraging atmosphere, motivating participation and reducing anxiety during speech therapy sessions.

You've Got a Friend in Me - Randy Newman

8. Old MacDonald Had a Farm (Traditional - 2025)

Repetitive Sounds and Simple Vocabulary: "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" utilizes highly repetitive phrases and a limited vocabulary, making it ideal for children learning to speak and improving pronunciation.

Engaging Rhythm and Melody: The song's catchy tune and predictable rhythm encourage participation and active listening, which are crucial elements in speech therapy.

Animal Sounds Integration: The incorporation of animal sounds ("oink, oink," "moo, moo," etc.) provides opportunities for practicing different phonetic sounds and expanding vocabulary related to farm animals.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm - Traditional

9. Itsy Bitsy Spider

Repetitive Structure: The simple, repetitive lyrics and melody of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" make it easy for children to learn and sing along, aiding in speech development and phonological awareness.

Clear Pronunciation: The song features clear, distinct pronunciation of common words and sounds, providing excellent practice for articulation and sound production.

Engaging Actions: The song’s association with simple actions (e.g., the spider going up and down the water spout) adds a kinesthetic element, further enhancing engagement and memory retention during speech therapy sessions.

Itsy Bitsy Spider - Traditional

10. The Alphabet Song (Traditional)

Simple Melody: The Alphabet Song features a straightforward, easy-to-follow melody, ideal for young children learning pronunciation and rhythm.

Clear Pronunciation: Each letter is clearly sung, providing excellent vocal models for speech development and phonetic awareness.

Repetitive Structure: Its repetitive nature aids memorization and encourages vocal repetition, beneficial for building fluency and confidence.

The Alphabet Song - Traditional
  • Hickory Dickory Dock
    11

    Hickory Dickory Dock

    Traditional

    1744

  • Buzz Buzz
    12

    Buzz Buzz

    Laurie Berkner

    1998

  • London Bridge Is Falling Down
    13

    London Bridge Is Falling Down

    Traditional

    1744

  • Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
    14

    Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

    Julie Andrews,Dick Van Dyke

    1964

  • Monkey Song
    15

    Monkey Song

    Music Therapy Tunes

    2008

  • Spatial Concepts
    16

    Spatial Concepts

    Songs for Speech

    2018