Patriotic Songs for Elementary Students – “The Big 6”
Are you searching for patriotic songs for elementary students? These 6 patriotic songs are a must for your lesson plans.
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I’m sure you’ve seen those TV segments where people are asked to name our national anthem or sing a patriotic song. The answers are often funny, but they also reveal a sad reality: many people don’t know our country’s most familiar patriotic songs.
That’s one reason I believe patriotic songs belong in elementary music lesson plans all year long. They fit especially well around patriotic holidays, but they can also become meaningful school traditions.
At our school, every all-school assembly begins with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a patriotic song. The entire audience joins in. It’s a simple routine that builds community and creates a shared musical experience for students, staff, and families.
Important Note: Teaching patriotic songs is ABSOLUTELY NOT about politics. It is about sharing the music of our nation. These songs connect us, remind us of our shared history, and help unite us as Americans.
The Big 6 Patriotic Songs All Americans Should Know
Over the years, I developed what I called “The Big 6.” These were the core patriotic songs I taught in sequence from kindergarten through fifth grade.
Because the list was cumulative, students reviewed familiar songs while learning new ones. By fourth and fifth grade, most students could sing all six songs from memory.
I never treated these as one-and-done lessons. We revisited them throughout the year:
- At assemblies.
- While lining up.
- During patriotic events.
- Even in the cafeteria.
Building this core repertoire made it much easier to plan for:
- 9/11 observances.
- Veterans Day.
- Presidents’ Day.
- Memorial Day.
- Other patriotic programs and assemblies.
I used sign language and simple motions to help younger students remember the challenging vocabulary in many of the lyrics.
To help students understand the history behind the songs, I often added children’s storybooks. These books helped set the stage and showed students why these patriotic songs still matter.
Patriotic Storybooks for Elementary Music Class
Children’s storybooks are a simple way to add context to patriotic songs.
They can help students:
- Learn the history behind the song.
- Understand challenging vocabulary.
- Make stronger connections to the music.
- See why these songs still matter.
There are many storybook versions of patriotic songs. Add one before singing or performing the song to help set the stage.
For more ideas, see Establish Historical Context Using Storybooks.
Core Repertoire of Patriotic Songs for Elementary Students
By teaching these songs in a standard sequence, each grade level had time to learn new songs and review familiar ones.
At the beginning of each school year, we reviewed the songs students had already learned. Then we added the new songs or verses for that grade level.
This helped:
- Build a shared school repertoire.
- Make patriotic programs easier to plan.
- Help new students feel included.
- Give students repeated practice over several years.
To help younger students with difficult vocabulary, I often added sign language or simple motions.
Here is the grade-level sequence I used to help students build a strong repertoire of patriotic songs throughout their elementary years.
Core Patriotic Repertoire by Grade Level
This list is cumulative, meaning students continued to learn new songs while reviewing those they had already mastered.
| Grade Level | Song Title | Notes |
| Kindergarten | This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) | Refrain Only |
| Grand Old Flag (George M. Cohan) | ||
| Grade 1 | This Land Is Your Land | Add Verse 1 |
| America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) (Samuel Francis Smith) | ||
| Grade 2 | This Land Is Your Land | Add Verses 2 & 3 |
| America the Beautiful (Katharine Lee Bates) | Verse 1 | |
| Grade 3 | The Star-Spangled Banner (Francis Scott Key) | Verse 1 |
| Grades 4-5 | The Star-Spangled Banner | Verses 1-4 |
| God Bless America (Irving Berlin) |
More Patriotic Songs for Elementary Students
The Big 6 formed the core of our patriotic repertoire, but they were not the only patriotic songs I taught.
Throughout the year, I added other songs for:
- Performances.
- Assemblies.
- Classroom lessons.
- Special programs.
Some of the songs worked well for teaching specific music concepts, while others were ideal for audience participation or grade-level performances.
- Allegiance Rap, by Teresa Jennings
- Fifty Nifty United States, by Ray Charles
- The Preamble (School House Rock), by Lynn Ahrens
- We Remember, John Jacobson & Mac Huff
- Yankee Doodle
- Yankee Doodle Boy, George M. Cohan
Patriotic Collections & Programs
When planning patriotic programs, I never used an entire program exactly as written. Instead, I selected the songs and activities that best fit my students and performance goals.
These collections are great resources for:
- Concerts.
- Assemblies.
- Veterans Day programs.
- Patriotic classroom activities.
The resources below have all provided meaningful repertoire (and sometimes narration) for performances and classroom instruction.
- American Essentials, Paul Jennings, Teresa Jennings & John Riggio | Plank Road Publishing
- Americans We, Teresa Jennings
- American Voices, John Jacobson and Roger Emerson
- Freedom, Teresa Jennings
- Get America Singing Again, Volume 1
- This is America, Teresa Jennings
- We Sing for Our Veterans, Teresa Jennings, John Riggio & Mike Wilson | Plank Road Publishing
Conclusion
Teaching the Big 6 patriotic songs and weaving them into daily and yearly routines has made a lasting impact on my students.
They didn’t just sing the words for one performance. They truly knew them and could sing them with confidence.
Revisiting these songs year after year helped build our school community and created shared musical moments students remembered long after they left my classroom.
These are not simply songs elementary students should know. They are songs American citizens should know, and I’m grateful to play a small part in passing them on.
Patriotic Songs with Orff Arrangements
Need a patriotic music lesson that’s meaningful, easy to teach, and includes Orff instruments? These easy-to-teach activities are perfect for concert or classroom use on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, 9/11 remembrances, Presidents Day, or any patriotic holiday.
These arrangements provide your elementary music students and audience a memorable performance experience.
Note: Yankee Doodle may sound like a silly song, but its history helps students understand the courage and resilience of the founders of our country.
More on the Blog
- How to Involve ALL Students ALL of the Time
- Talk Less Teach More Music
- How to Integrate Music Reading into Every Lesson
Meet the Author
Terri Lloyd is an experienced music educator with over 25 years of teaching in elementary music classrooms. She holds a Master’s in Education, an Instructional Technology Certificate in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor of Music. Her resources are designed to help music teachers develop students’ music literacy and performance skills while enjoying learning.
She presents music education workshops, develops curriculum, and writes for her blog. Terri is on the music staff at her church and leads a children’s program. She performs as an active community musician with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
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