A thorough list of classic hymns for children’s choirs to sing
It is hard to beat the sound of young children singing traditional hymns.
One of the great blessings of leading a church children’s choir is teaching these children the timeless classics; those hymns that Christians have been singing for decades, centuries, and in come cases, millennia.
Even if your church’s regular worship style is a bit on the more modern side, you cannot go wrong teaching these songs to your choir.
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Choir directors can also use their time directing to teach scripture memorization, too. With my choir, I usually come up with a medley centered around a theme. I select a couple of songs and verse(s) that all complement each other. This method of grouping songs and verses works great with the rehearsal lesson plan I typically follow, which you can find in the Resources Section.
What great hymns am I missing? Comment below with any additional group of song or verses that comes to your mind! Or come to our Simply Joyful Noises Facebook Group for more support.
Do you need to jog your memory on some of these songs?
Well don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.
I am linking to YouTube videos for the songs for each theme. Y’all, there is some weird stuff out there on the interwebs. I didn’t listen to the entire video for each of these. I hope there is nothing crazy (or crazier than some of these already are) in these clips.
My intention is that you might listen to the first few seconds of these clips to jog your memory on some of these. If it strikes a chord (ha! I love puns!) with you, then get a hymnal to get the lyrics and notes.
Another tip is to shout the titles at your Alexa smart speaker like this — “Alexa, play “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder” to hear the song. That works for many of these songs. Some titles will bring up funky versions, though.
My last suggestion is to learn a little about the songs that you are teaching. Who composed the tune? Who wrote the lyrics? In what language was it first written? What life circumstances motivated the author? What do theologians have to say about this hymn?
There are a lot of resources out there to do that. My personal favorite that I use all the time is Hosanna, Loud Hosanna Student Hymnal. This is a beautiful book and has a write up about 115 different hymns (many in the list I made below) with the treble clef, single melody line on the opposite page (which is great for me because that is the extent of my piano playing!).
P.S…you can also find info on most of these songs for free on wikipedia.
Now let’s get to what you’ve been waiting for. Here is your list of children’s choir hymns and verses arranged by theme.
List of Hymns for Children’s Choirs
Lord As Our Shepherd
Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us
Surely Goodness and Mercy (Skip to second 49 in this clip)
Memorize Psalm 23 (I PROMISE THE KIDS CAN DO IT!)
Praise
Praise To The Lord, The Almighty
All Creatures Of Our God And King
All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. Psalm 145:10
Trust
‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Palm Sunday
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9
Missions
Sing your favorite hymn in the language of the location your church is planning an upcoming mission trip. Another fun idea would be to video chat with your church’s missionary contact in that country for a short “interview” and practice session. Let him/her hear the kids sing before you hang up the phone.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
God As King
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in. Psalm 24:8-9
Singing
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Psalm 95:1
Atonement For Sin
Rock of Ages (“be of sin the double cure”…mind blowing line!)
As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
Friend
Jesus! What A Friend For Sinners
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. John 15:13-14
Heaven
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Revelation 21:1
Name of Jesus
All Hail The Power of Jesus Name
There’s Within My Heart A Melody
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 4:9-11
Story
I Will Sing The Wondrous Story
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. Psalm 66:16
Creation
All Creatures Of Our God And King
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1
Grace
Marvelous Grace Of Our Loving Lord
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21
Redeemed
Redeemed, How I Love To Proclaim It
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:7-10
I hope this resource has been helpful? What themes and medleys can we add to this list of hymns for children’s choirs to sing in church?
Additional Resources
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