This is an interesting question. I don’t know of any Catholic children’s hymnals and perhaps that is worth considering. I attended a Catholic grade school, but the music we learned there was of the “Gather” variety. There are Catholic hymns with simpler words, but they seem rare. One of my favorites:

“The King of Love my shepherd is,
His goodness faileth never
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever”

I wonder if the traditional children’s hymns of the Church were Latin ones?? For a long time, schools taught Latin as a standard subject. Since that has changed, Latin hymns are no longer ideal qua children’s music, but perhaps that was not always the case?

“Holy God, we praise thy name!
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee.
Infinite thy vast domain;
everlasting is thy reign!”

It inspires me, but the large words and odd syntax will probably keep it from coming to life for a 5-year-old. They’re unlikely to learn much from this or to go around singing it to themselves. Something more down-to-earth is needed.

Mormons put a lot of effort into enabling children to sing. Every week in Sunday school, approximately 20 minutes is devoted to singing together with the other children (being the children’s song leader is a specific job), and there is an entire separate hymnal with kid-appropriate songs. Some are corny, but some are lovely, and as a child I would go around humming them to myself at other times during the week. They chose themes that children could understand: the love of Jesus, the joy of natural blessings, and the importance of gratitude. And then there were settings of Biblical (and, for us, Book of Mormon) stories that made for some boistrous and fun tunes.

Here are the words of one that I learned in early childhood and still treasure:

“Can a little child like me
thank the Father fittingly?
Yes, oh yes, be good and true
Patient, kind in all you do.
Love the Lord, and do your part;
Learn to say with all your heart,
‘Father, we thank thee!
Father, we thank thee!
Father in Heaven, we thank thee!’”

An explanation of “fittingly” and “do your part” was all that was necessary for me to understand this simple song. Another one, which I think is not originally Mormon (anyway, the tune is and old one, and I’ve heard it sung to Catholic other words though I can’t at the moment think what):

“Fair is the sunshine;
fairer the moonlight;
and all the stars in Heaven above!
Jesus shines brighter;
Jesus shines purer
And gives to all the earth his love.”

There are two more verses. Lovely little tune, and I used to sing it to myself as I walked home from school. I know dozens more, but, as I said, the majority are too distinctively Mormon to be sung with Catholic children. Anyway, this was the sort of thing I had in mind.

Don’t they do any singing with the children in Catholic school? What do they sing?

As far as children’s songs go, I do know some simple rounds, commonly sung in Catholic circles, that are suitable for children as well as adults. I think bluegrass Gospel music has Celtic roots, so its loosely in the Catholic folk tradition. (: Of course, Gospel songs are usually rhythmic and repetitive, ideal for children. What sort of children’s music did you learn?

Many Catholics play their children Christian sing-along videos, but frankly, I’ve always found that depressing. Before the advent of “canned music,” children learned to sing by listening to the traditional folk music of their parents and community. Now that we have cds and movies, there is less incentive for the common man to make music and or to teach his children that art. Modern children are so culturally and musically impoverished - I wonder if this distinct genre of corny children’s music only exists because most are incapable of learning anything more challenging. In my experience, children who often hear their parents singing learn to hold a part and sing “adult” music at a very young age. I know two sisters, 7 and 9, who’ve been singing together in two parts for at least a couple of years now.

The only unfortunate part of this thread is that nobody has volunteered information regarding tunes for children. Do Catholics not have any songs written especially for children? That would be quite a shame.

I’m eager to see the Oxford Book of Carols — I know a few of the ones you mentioned, and like them, and anyway I *love* Christmas carols. But again I must protest that there is a time and place for many different things. My love of sacred music has never cured me of a fondness for more contemporary classics like “Jingle Bell Rock” and “White Christmas”, nor do I think it necessarily should. In my childhood we sang and loved both. On Christmas Eve, only the sacred were sung, but at other times in the season we would also enjoy silly but harmless secular tunes. I think we pretty well understood the relative importance of each.

Blessed Be That Maid Marie, Riu Riu Chiu, Swete Was the Song the Virgine Soong, The Coventry Carol etc. etc. etc…Catchy tunes and lyrics of marvelous theological richness to purge the memory of “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Jingle Bells.”

Btw, my friends and I have at times been known to sing polyphony not only round campfires, but when walking downtown, traveling by automobile, or breakfasting after Sunday Mass and we always received incomparable pleasure from the activity. However, we are choir nerds and therefore an unusual case. (: I would have to agree that polyphonic Masses are not ideal campfire songs.