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 comedians stop people on the street and ask them to name our national anthem or sing a few lines from a patriotic song. The answers are usually ridiculous and while it makes for good comedy, it also reveals something unfortunate. As citizens, we should know our country’s most familiar patriotic songs.
That’s one reason I believe these songs belong in our elementary music lesson plans all year long. They fit especially well around patriotic holidays, and at our school they became a meaningful tradition. Every all-school assembly begins with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a patriotic song, and the whole audience joins in. It’s a simple routine that builds community and sets a positive tone for any event.
Important Note: Teaching patriotic songs is ABSOLUTELY NOT about politics. It is about sharing the music of our nation, songs that connect us, remind us of our shared history, and help unite us as Americans
What’s in this post? Click to open the Table of Contents
The Big 6 Patriotic Songs All Americans Should Know
Over the years, I developed what I called “The Big 6.” This is a core set of patriotic songs that I taught in a sequence from kindergarten through fifth grade. Because the list was cumulative, by fourth and fifth grade my students could sing all six songs from memory. I never treated them as “one-and-done” lessons either. We revisited them often, at assemblies, while lining up, or even in the cafeteria. My students liked and genuinely knew these songs.
By building a core repertoire, planning for patriotic events such as 9/11 observances, Veterans Day, Presidents’ Day, or Memorial Day became much easier. I also incorporated sign language or simple motions to support younger students as they learned the challenging vocabulary found in many of the lyrics.
To help set the stage and provide context, I often used children’s storybooks that shared the history behind each song. Those stories helped students understand why these patriotic songs still mattered.
Patriotic Storybooks for Elementary Music Class
There are many different children’s storybooks depicting each of these songs. Add a storybook to enhance the activity. See Establish Historical Context Using Storybooks for more about setting the stage and learning the history behind the songs.
Core Repertoire of Patriotic Songs for Elementary Students
By teaching songs in a standard sequence, each grade level had the chance to learn or relearn them all. At the beginning of each school year, we reviewed all of the songs and added the new songs and additional verses for each grade level.
This also helped new students feel included as part of our school community. To help younger learners with the difficult vocabulary, I often added sign language or simple motions to help them remember the lyrics.
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
These “Big 6” were not the only patriotic songs I taught. They simply formed the core repertoire. I also mixed in additional pieces for performances, assemblies, and classroom lessons. Some worked well for teaching specific music concepts, and others were great choices for audience participation or grade-level programs.
Here are a few more patriotic songs that have worked well with my students:
- 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
These songs also worked well for programs and assemblies. Here are some collections I often pulled from when planning performances.
Patriotic Collections & Programs
When I planned patriotic events, I never used an entire music program exactly as written. Instead, I selected the portions that worked best for my students and our performance goals. Below are several collections I’ve used over the years. Each one offered strong material for concerts, assemblies, or classroom connections.
- 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 made a lasting impact on my students. They didn’t just sing the words for a single performance. They truly knew these songs and performed them with confidence. Introducing them year after year strengthened our school community and created shared musical moments that students remembered long after they left my classroom.
These aren’t simply songs that all elementary students should know. They are songs all American citizens should know, and I feel grateful to play a part in passing them on.
Patriotic Song with Orff Arrangement
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.
This arrangement provides your elementary music students and audience a memorable performance experience.
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. She is on the music staff at her church and leads a children’s program. She performs as a active community musician with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
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