Bus Trips Are Much Better With Singing!

Long before portable videogames, cell phones, and tablets existed, the best way to keep children entertained during road trips was singing. We say it was the best because it is easy, accessible, fun, and dirt-cheap. But if you think that bus songs are only appropriate for school trips, you’re wrong.

If handled with enough patience, bus travel songs can be an opportunity to bond, which is perfect for a family trip. It’s a chance for adults to remember songs they heard years ago, share experiences with their kids, and simply admire the passage of time in a beautiful, yet playful and energetic way.

Here, we are going to make things easy for you to enjoy that activity. This article shows BCS Travel’s best recommendations of songs for you to sing with your group during a road trip – not necessarily children. Then again, if you know other good songs for the bus, feel free to make your list longer!

Songs for Young Children

When you have to entertain toddlers, you are going to need simple songs so they can easily engage and stay focused. Besides that, it’s always interesting if their lyrics feature educational content such as counting the numbers or listing the letters of the alphabet. Here are some good bus riding songs:

• The Wheels on the Bus: Among the many children’s songs about a bus we can find, this one is the best because it is repetitive and brings fun motions the students can do while singing.
• The Ants Go Marching: Another classic of road-trip songs. In fact, classic enough that it was adapted from a Civil War tune. Excellent to help young children learn numbers in a fun way.
• On Top of Spaghetti: While the original version is over 100 years old, people often associate it with a 1963 interpretation. The song is ridiculous in a playful way that your kids will love!
• If You’re Happy: The lyrics invites children to clap and stomp, so be prepared. However, you can gently keep things under control by bringing goofy versions such as “wiggle your nose”.
• Kookaburra: This song is named after a brown and white bird native to Australia. This song was originally written for the local Girl Scouts and has become commonplace in road trips.
• Down by The Bay: So many years of use has given this song countless versions. The lyrics is perfect to keep them moving, so it is especially interesting to keep a small group focused.
• 99 Bottles of Pop: It is easy to see that it is a kid-friendly adaptation of the original one. You can use it as a long, veiled math exercise, given that children will have to count from 99 to 1.
• This is The Song That Doesn’t End: Since the lyrics makes this song live up to its name, you will have to be careful. It is good for smaller groups which you can easily keep under control.
• Do, Re, Mi (Doe a Deer): Made popular in the movie The Sound of Music, this song is catchy enough to keep children interested. They can even pretend they are part of the Von Trapps!

Songs for Older Children

If you are traveling with older passengers, we have to rethink our plans. We recommend you to use more complex songs to sing on a bus, even if they are less catchy. After all, pre-teens will yawn and roll eyes at the songs above. If you can play them along on a speaker, your trip will be even better!

• Don’t Stop Believing: While the 1981 song is a classic, there are several versions performed by the Glee cast. They’ll surely spark the kids’ memories and make them participate more.
• YMCA: The bad part is that you’ll have to adapt the dancing so they can interact safely while being seated. The good part is everything else: everyone knows at least this song’s chorus.
• Brown-Eyed Girl: Van Morrison’s hit is another top pick for singing together. It’s more likely that the adults will sing the lyrics, but all kids can participate humming the famous melody.

If you have other crowds traveling with you, such as teenagers or primarily adults, it doesn’t have to be a problem. The best plan B you can have is to bring a speaker. This way, you can ask them for their favorite songs to sing on the bus and play each one at a time. Everyone will have their say.

We want you to take your time dealing with the trip music because we will handle everything else. BCS Travel has transportation specialists who are ready to receive your itinerary and just make it happen. Feel free to contact our agency today, so we can talk about your requirements in detail.