November 2026 – Preschool Music Moments
November Preschool Songs: Apples, Turkeys & Thankfulness
At the risk of sounding like an old lady (I’m not, I swear!), every year that goes by, I think I love this season just a little bit more. It’s just so nice when you do get a moment to appreciate the fall color (the Seattle area is really showing off this year!), sip some apple cider (our friend even hosted a cider-pressing party!), and embrace the coziness of November…before the real chaos of the holidays arrives! (But we won’t go there yet!)
November preschool music is fun-fun-fun! At Little Kiddos Music Academy®, our preschool music classes are packed full, just like tummies after Thanksgiving dinner!
We still get to enjoy fall songs. Leaves, pumpkins, and acorns are still having a moment, after all.
Whether you’re a preschool teacher looking for fresh music ideas, a daycare director planning classroom activities, or an early childhood educator who wants to bring more music into the day, November is full of opportunities to sing, move, explore rhythm, and learn through play.
Here are some of our favorite November preschool songs, Thanksgiving music activities, and ideas to try with your little learners!
Fall Songs for Preschoolers
Before we jump right into apple songs and turkeys and Thanksgiving, let’s not forget about all the other lovely things happening in fall.
We love singing about acorns this time of year! I’m a Little Acorn is an easy and fun movement song to try with little ones.
Story songs are a great way to combine music, language, imagination, and listening skills in one activity. Here’s a favorite storytime song from our fall video class, part of the full Little Kiddos Music Academy® Video Curriculum.
Looking for more fall songs for preschoolers? Check out the Autumn Playlist on the Little Kiddos Music Academy® YouTube channel.
Apple Songs for Preschoolers
A big topic we cover in our preschool music classes (often in November, but not always!) is APPLES!
Those crunchy, sweet treats are absolute perfection this time of year. (And yes, I am biased. Growing up and living in Washington State, where we grow roughly 60% of the nation’s total apple crop, will do that to you. There’s your random fact of the day!)
Apple-themed preschool songs are a fun way to bring counting, movement, listening, and music vocabulary into your classroom.
Five Little Apples: Counting, Dynamics & Music Vocabulary
Five Little Apples is such a fun song! Not only does it work on counting, but it’s also a great way to introduce two of our Fancy Pants Music Words: pianissimo (very, very quiet) and crescendo (getting louder).
Apple Movement Songs for Preschool
Like all the video classes in our preschool music curriculum, we build in movement breaks. Movement songs can help children refocus, practice self-regulation, and engage with learning in a whole-body way. And obviously, they’re also lots of fun!
So, of course, we have apple-themed movement songs!
Apple seeds, growing like apple trees, then falling like apples from the trees…it’s a whole apple life cycle in these movement songs for little ones!
Apple Songs with Egg Shakers
Egg shakers are a simple way to get little hands moving while children listen and respond to music.
And, of course, we have a apple-themed shaker songs for you to try with your preschoolers.
More Apple Music Activities for Preschool
Want to extend the songs into a hands-on classroom activity? Use printable apples and try these ideas! (Tip: If you laminate them, they hold up and are ready for you every year!)
- The Apple Pokey: Just like the Hokey Pokey, but with apples, of course! Have children put their apples in, out, up, down, and all around.
- Apple Simon Says: Give directions to move the apples high and low, side to side, in and out, and near and far.
- Explore high and low pitch: Move the apples high when you hear high pitches and low when you hear low pitches.
- Cross the midline: Have children reach across their bodies toward the opposite shoulder with their apples.
- Add a steady beat: Tell kiddos that their apples have turned into steady beat apples. Play a familiar song with a clear beat (marches work great!) and invite children to tap or move their apples to the beat.
The apple-possibilities are endless!
These apple activities can help preschoolers connect music with movement, listening, spatial awareness, and early learning concepts. And you can adapt them to fit your classroom, your schedule, and your children’s developmental levels. We L-O-V-E using printables (of practically any preschool music class theme) for movement songs!
Turkey Songs for Preschoolers
You better shake a tail-feather and believe that we sing a lot of TURKEY songs in November. But, of course, we keep it all very rated-G and stress-free for every single little turKEY!
Counting songs are always a favorite, and Five Little Turkeys is a fun way to bring numbers and seasonal silliness together.
Five Little Turkeys
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes — Turkey Version
Just like the traditional song, but with a turkey twist! This one is a hit every year.
And because Little Kiddos Music teaches REAL music, this song is also a deep dive into tempo vocabulary. Children can experience changes in tempo while moving their whole bodies, helping connect the musical concept with something they can hear and feel.
That’s what I love about combining music vocabulary with movement. We’re not just singing a silly song. We’re giving children opportunities to experience musical concepts in action!
Check it out HERE!
Silly Turkey Song
I came up with this one so quickly, years ago, but it has become an absolute silly favorite every year. Preschoolers love it! Mm-Ah Went the Little Turkey
I’m a Little Turkey
It wouldn’t be a November music class without occasionally adding this turkey movement song in!
Thanksgiving Songs for Preschoolers: Teaching Thankfulness
Even more important than singing about turkeys is helping young children begin to experience and express gratitude.
Thanksgiving provides a natural opportunity to talk about kindness, appreciation, family, friends, and all the little things that make our days special.
In fact, we have an entire preschool music class focused on thankfulness!
Thanksgiving Storytime Song
I Am Thankful
I Am Thankful is one of our favorites. It incorporates simple sign language and is easy to teach, thanks to its call-and-response format and repeated lines.
Repetition gives children opportunities to become familiar with the words and participate at their own comfort level. And adding simple signs gives them another way to engage with the song.
Watch I AM THANKFUL
Try using this song as part of your November circle time, a Thanksgiving classroom theme, or a discussion about what your children appreciate.
Planning a Thanksgiving Preschool Performance?
Are you in charge of putting on a Thanksgiving preschool performance? First of all, take a deep breath. We can make this easier!
Fall Fun and Feeling Thankful are two of the themed preschool performances included in our Little Kiddos Music Academy® Show-and-Share Programs.
These ready-to-use preschool performance programs include simple songs, easy suggested movements, optional scripts, teaching tracks, and accompaniment tracks in MP3 format.
They’re designed to make sharing music with families enjoyable and manageable, without turning your classroom into a full-scale theatrical production. No complicated choreography, no pressure to memorize everything, and no weeks of stressful rehearsals!
And, like all our preschool music content, no music teacher or music background is needed. We do the planning for you and make the process as stress-free and easy as possible.
Now, for some on-theme music suggestions that everyone in your preschool classroom or home (or car!) can enjoy this month!
November Music Appreciation for FOR EARS OF ALL AGES:
🎧 Apple Tree — Rachel Portman
I’ve loved Rachel Portman’s music ever since hearing her score for the movie Chocolat. Delicious! Enjoy Apple Tree, featuring Esther Abrami on violin with the Vienna Radio Symphony.
🎧 Under the Apple Tree, Op. 20 — Josef Suk
This beautiful orchestral work was written for a play by Julius Zeyer that premiered in Prague in 1902. Zeyer had big dreams for an elaborate, large-scale stage production. Although the play is rarely performed today, Josef Suk’s music continues to be enjoyed in concert halls.
Take a few minutes to listen with your children. What do they notice? Can they hear the different instruments? Does the music sound playful, peaceful, mysterious, or something else?
🎧 What a Wonderful World — Louis Armstrong
This classic jazz standard is a lovely choice for celebrating all that is good in the world.
Louis Armstrong’s warm voice and unmistakable trumpet make this a wonderful opportunity to introduce preschoolers to a different musical style. This video is also an adorable version to share with little ones! Ask them what they saw that they think is wonderful!
🎧 Thankful — Louis Armstrong
Louis and his orchestra have another fantastic song about love and being Thankful. Recorded wayyyy back in 1936, it’s a fun one!
And, without fail, his epic trumpet skills make my dog, Lily, do an adorable head tilt. I’m thankful!
November STEM & Extension Activities for Preschoolers
Looking to extend the learning beyond music? These preschool STEAM activities are perfect for November!
🍎Apple Exploration Lab
STEM Focus: Math, Science
Slice an apple (save the seeds for next activity if needed) and have kiddos make observations on seeds, skin, texture, weight, smell, etc.
Questions:
- Are the seeds smooth or rough?
- Heavy or light?
- Can you sort them into similar sizes?
- How many can we count?
This teaches sensory exploration, science exploration and vocabulary.
🍎 Apple Seed Germination
STEAM Focus: Science (observation) & Art
Place a few apple seeds on a damp paper towel inside a clear plastic cup or bag. Keep the paper towel moist, but not soaking wet, and observe the seeds over time. Apple seeds may need several weeks of cold, moist conditions before germinating, so sprouting within the first week isn’t guaranteed.
Have kiddos draw what they observe each week, looking for changes in the seeds and the first signs of root growth.
Teacher tip: For more reliable results, place the seeds in a damp paper towel inside a sealed bag and refrigerate them for about 6–8 weeks before bringing them out to observe germination. Adult supervision is recommended, and seeds should not be eaten.
🎶Seasonal Sounds
STEAM Focus: (Language, Literacy), Music
Help kiddo(s) count and clap syllables in seasonal words. (i.e. Ap-ple. Thank-ful. Turk-ey. Pie. Love. Grat-i-tude). You could also play them on instruments and match them to rhythms. Quarter note = one sound, one beat. (Pie). Double-eighth note = two sounds, one beat. (Ap-ple).
Make November Preschool Music Easy with Little Kiddos Music Academy®
Speaking of easy…did you know that the Little Kiddos Music newsletter, Musical Moments with Ms. Jenny, delivers monthly music ideas straight to your inbox at the beginning of every month?
It’s a great way to stay updated on our preschool music curriculum options and get practical, easy-to-use music ideas for your early learning classroom.
Whether you’re planning circle time, adding music to your Thanksgiving theme, looking for movement breaks, or searching for a complete preschool music curriculum, I want to help make music learning joyful, meaningful, and manageable.
Little Kiddos Music Academy® offers playful, evidence-based preschool music lessons designed to help children ages 1–6 explore the language of music through singing, movement, rhythm, instruments, and play.
No music background needed. No music teacher needed. Just press play!
