One of the most thriving and lucrative areas of content creation is video aimed at children. From kids crafts to unboxing videos these video’s can gain millions of views and loyal fanbases. And its not just wacky characters and colourful visuals. Music plays a huge role in shaping how children respond to videos, helping to hold attention, support learning, and create positive emotional connections. For creators publishing on platforms like YouTube Kids, choosing the right background music is essential, not just creatively, but also legally.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to find the perfect music for engaging kids content.

Why the role of music is important in kids content

Children are highly responsive to sound. They tend not to have found a musical home yet so are open to exploring and getting a feel for different types of music. Using the right music in your content can make it feel exciting, friendly, funny, calming, or playful within seconds. For kids content creators, music helps to:

• Maintain attention and improve watch time
• Reinforce learning through repetition and lyric patterns
• Support storytelling and emotional cues
• Create a consistent music style so it builds a recognisable brand

With YouTube Kids showing no sign of slowing down, competition is high. Music is one of the easiest tools in the box to help you elevate your content and make it stand out.

Understanding a young audience

Creating content for children comes with a significant responsibility. Unlike adult audiences, children do not have full autonomy over what they consume, and they lack the ability to make informed decisions. Because their brains are still growing, creators have a duty to produce content that is enriching, positive, and supportive, rather than harmful or misleading.

And musically your choices should be chosen with age groups in mind. Younger children respond best to playful, simple and repetitive melodies, while older kids enjoy slightly more energetic and adventurous sounds with slightly more sophistication.

• Toddlers benefit from gentle, slow-paced music with clear, basic rhythms. Nursary rhyme type songs are ideal.
• Preschoolers enjoy more upbeat, playful tracks wivth cheerful melodies
• Older children respond well to dynamic and slightly more complex background music. It should still sound positive. Pop music works well

No matter the age range, music for kids content should always feel safe, friendly, and easy to follow. Avoid lyrical content that is not appropriate or emotionally sophisticated.

What characteristics make great kids content music?

Bright and playful feeling

Use music that is played using major scales with light instrumentation. Some good instrument choices are: ukulele, piano, whistling, glockenspiel, and mallets. Cheeky sounding synth voices are also great. These types of sounds are commonly used in kids videos because they sound cheerful and non threatening.

Simple melodies and clear structure

Don’t use overly complex compositions. Simple repetition helps children recognise patterns and feel comfortable with the sound. It encourages them to sing a long if there are vocals or hum along if instrumental.

Balancing energy levels

The tempo should match what’s happening on screen. Fast music works well for play and action, while slower tracks suit learning or calm moments. Avoid music that feels overwhelming or intense.

Keep attention spans by changing up music regularly

One effective technique in children’s content is regularly switching music tracks. This approach helps hold young viewers’ attention while injecting energy and excitement, making the content feel dynamic and always in motion.

Finding the right music for your type of content

Different styles of kids content require a different musical approache. Here are some examples:

• Storytelling and animation benefit from expressive music that enhances emotion. Match the narrative themes to the musical choices. Make sure the music changes with the onscreen action but try to find music that works well together.
• Educational videos need calm, friendly background music with un complex arrangements and less dynamics so it doesn’t distract from learning
• Toy unboxings and play videos work best with fun, bouncy, energetic tracks. Tracks that build with the onscreen anticipation can work particularly well.
• Animal videos try matching the animals persona to the musical choices. For example cute and fun music choices for Kittens and Koala’s. Scary or dramatic music for spiders and sharks.
• Arts and Craft videos tend to have low level music beds that are repetitive and loopable. Try to represent your personality in the music choices.
• Bedtime or relaxation content requires soft, slow, soothing music. Long pads and strings featuring simple melodic lines are perfect. If drums and percussion feature make sure they are very soft and don’t drive the songs.

Choosing music that complements your content well, helps keep children engaged and improves the overall viewing experience.

Using sound effects to enhance kids videos

Sound effects are extremely popular in much kids content. While you should exercise more discretion when using fx in adult content, kids don’t tire as easily from sound effect fatigue. Simple effects like pops, sparkles, whooshes, animal sounds, and chimes add humour, and help emphasise and exaggerate your videos. These fx work particularly well in childrens content as it helps them understand actions on screen and makes the videos feel more interactive. Highly successful youtube channels such as Like Nastya and Vlad and Niki are prime examples of this with sound effects highlighting almost every action.

Testing out your music and fx choices

Great kids content creators regularly test and refine their music choices. If you have children then ask for their feedback. You cant get better test marketing. Watch your videos from a child’s perspective, experiment with different tracks, and monitor audience retention and engagement using analytics tools.

The right music can improve watch time, encourage repeat viewing, and help your channel grow faster on platforms like YouTube Kids.

Sourcing the right music

YouTube has strict copyright rules, and this is especially the case for kids content. This is because there’s no ad revenue to be earned on YouTube kids channel so music rights holders don’t have the option to claim this in exchange for letting you publish the video. Using unlicensed music can therefore result in copyright strikes, demonetisation, or even content removal. Persistent abuse can even result in a channel ban.

Royalty free music is therefore the best solution. It allows creators to use tracks legally across platforms without worrying about takedowns. For YouTube Kids creators, it’s essential to choose music that comes with clear, creator-friendly licensing and unlimited usage rights.

Licensing can be expensive, especially when you are clearing individule tracks. Many small independent creators can find music licensing costs a struggle, especially when building a following. This is where subscription-based royalty free music services offer a huge advantage. RouteNote Licensing is the lowest-cost provider of production music and sound effects online. It offers unlimited access to a large royalty free music catalogue for just $4.99 per month.

We have a wide selection of playful, educational, and child-friendly tracks, making it easy for kids content creators to find safe, high-quality music without breaking their budget.

Summary

Finding the perfect music for kids content doesn’t have to be a challenge or expensive. focus on simplicity, positivity, and safe licensing, creators can enhance their videos and build stronger connections with young audiences.

And with affordable, unlimited royalty free music subscriptions starting at just $4.99, RouteNote Licensing offers an accessible solution for kids content creators who want high-quality music and sound effects without copyright worries.