July 2026 – Music Moments
Music Activities for Preschoolers: Sea Creatures & Beach Songs
Summer is here, and that means sunshine, sandy toes, beach adventures, and lots of opportunities for playful learning!
At Little Kiddos Music Academy, July is all about sea creatures and beach-themed music activities. Honestly, we get to sing some of our very favorite songs this month. Who doesn’t love an under the sea, musical adventure?
Ocean themes are naturally exciting for toddlers and preschoolers because they spark imagination, movement, curiosity, and sensory exploration.
And the best part? These playful songs and activities are doing much more than entertaining little ones.
When kiddos sing, move, keep a steady beat, and explore rhythm through themed music play, they are building:
- Language and vocabulary
- Listening and focus
- Rhythm and steady beat skills
- Motor coordination
- Pattern recognition
- Early science curiosity
All of the songs and activities in our preschool music curriculum are playful, evidence-based and designed with intention. The July and summer songs just also happen to come with the added feel of salt, sand, sun and a lovely sea-breeze!
🎵Our Favorite July Songs for Preschoolers
There really are just too many sea-creature-loving, beach-going, summer-fun songs to choose from, but if I must…these are especially big hits right now!
🐠The Creatures in the Sea
Our sea-themed Wheels on the Bus song is always a hit and so versatile! The possibilities are endless. 👉The Creatures in the Sea
🌊Let’s Dive Down
This sweet tune set to the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is made even more engaging with some simple sign language. Check it out! 👉Let’s Dive Down
🐢 I’m a Little Turtle
The real fun (and challenge!) of this song is kiddos seeing just how slowly they can move that little turtle along.👉 I’m a Little Turtle
We’ve added many new sea creature and beach songs to our preschool music classes this year. Including two new favorites:
🦀 Five Little Sand Crabs
What a storytelling, musical adventure we experience with this song!
👉Five Little Sand Crabs
🥁 Drumming in the Ocean
In our sea-themed music class, kiddos explore steady beat, rhythm, and musical expression while pretending to adventure through the jungle. When we go deep in the ocean, we get to see different sea creatures that move at different tempos and with different dynamics. It’s such a fun way to experience these concepts in music! 👉Drumming in the Ocean
And to add to the summer fun, this song is a blast! (I can imagine it happening in the car on the way to a fun-filled beach day.)
🏖️ Packing for the Sand, Sand, Sand
This cumulative song uses the melody of A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea and hey! Could maybe even help you remember some of what’s needed for that fun beach adventure!
Cumulative songs (think The Twelve Days of Christmas) pack a serious punch. They have so many benefits for little learners!
- Fun song? Yep!
- Engaging movements? Yep!
- Listening skills? Yep!
- Sequencing & memory? Yep!
👉Packing for the Sand, Sand, Sand
A song like this is the perfect example of how music boosts the brain in such a multitude of ways. In fact,👉Music Supports Early STEM especially in these critical early learning years!
And, of course, in our Sea Creatures-themed Video Class, we use sea creatures for our Rockin’ Rhythms practice.
Practicing playing rhythms goes swimmingly with these cute images along for the ride!
July Music Appreciation for FOR EARS OF ALL AGES:
Here are a few of my favorite listening picks this month. These are perfect for expanding your child’s musical world!
🎧 La Mer – Charles Trenet
This song was a surprise hit when released by the composer in 1946. It has continued to be a jazz standard ever since.
🎧 Somewhere Beyond the Sea – Bobby Darrin
This take on the jazz standard was released in 1959 and transformed the original ode to the sea into an ode to a loved one. Ahh, l’amour.
🎧 La Mer – Claude Debussy
There’s seems to be a very French theme to my listening suggestions for this month. It could be because I dream of being on a beach in the south of France. Or maybe it’s just because the French really do know how to invoke emotion and paint an image with their music. Claude Debussy’s ocean piece is definitely more varied in mood and texture than the previous two reminding us that the ocean is every changing.
🎧 Aquarium — Camille Saint-Saëns
We’ll finish our listening adventures with this magical piece from Carnival of the Animals. Aquarium is an ethereal and whimsical underwater journey. (And this video provides a fitting scene from the Sydney Aquarium!)
July STEM & Extension Activities for Preschoolers
Looking to extend the learning beyond music? These preschool STEAM activities and resources pair beautifully with our July sea-creatures and beach theme!
Sand Castle Builders
STEM Focus: Engineering
Sand is, of course, a building option, but if it’s not available, you can always make due with other materials (even pillows and couch cushions)! Some possible building supplies:
- Blocks
- Cardboard tubes
- Craft sticks
- Paper cups
Can you build the tallest sandcastle? Or the strongest to withstand “waves” (blowing, fanning, spraying with a spray bottle)?
This teaches: engineering, stability, cause/effect, design testing.
Sink or Float
STEM Focus: Observation, Prediction & Scientific Thinking
Materials:
- Bucket/bin of water
- Shells
- Toy sea animals
- Rocks
- Sponge
- Plastic shovel
Ask kiddos to predict: Will it sink or float?
🎵 Music and Movement
Crab Walk Rhythm Game
Have kiddos crab-walk or side-step to a steady beat while you pat on your lap or tap a drum. You can chant:
“Crab, crab, side to side,
Walking by the ocean tide!”
Pause the beat randomly and have everyone freeze.
This builds: impulse control, beat awareness, listening skills.
This simple activity combines movement, imagination, listening skills, and real music learning all at once.
Have kiddo suggest other sea creatures they can copy while moving side to side.
Exciting Little Kiddos Music Academy® Updates!
At the time this post is being published, Early Access is still available for the Little Kiddos Music Academy At-Home Video Curriculum.
Forty playful, evidence-based music classes designed specifically for ages 1–6 teach real music skills through singing, movement, storytelling, and hands-on instrument play.
Price may increase as we get closer to the school year.
For Teachers and Schools
I’m also excited to share that Teacher and School Early Access licensing is now open!
Educators receive:
- Forty video music classes
- A full Educator Resource Library
- Extension activities and printables with each lesson and beyond!
- Teaching tips gathered from 25+ years of early childhood music experience
- Seasonal Show-and-Share Programs for families
- …and more!
The Show-and-Share Programs are ready-to-use performances and are often educators’ favorite resource because they make family events simple and stress-free. We love that!
The School Video License is ideal for multiple classrooms, teachers, and locations. 👉 School-Wide Music Video Curriculum License
The Teacher Video License is perfect for individual teachers and in-home daycare providers. 👉 Preschool Teacher Music Video Curriculum License It also works great as complete, ready-to-go sub plans.
Early Access allows you to begin exploring lessons and resources as they become available. The complete curriculum will be ready before the 2026–2027 school year.
