Kids / Other

Kids Vinyl Records: Children's Songs, Classical for Kids and More

Kids vinyl records beyond bedtime stories

This selection of kids vinyl records gathers everything that is not strictly stories and lullabies: children's songs, early music education, classical pieces written for young ears, readings and stage shows. You will find names as different as Henri Dès, Steve Waring, Les Frères Jacques, Yehudi Menuhin and the Berliner Philharmoniker, plus actors such as François Périer. Many titles here are French-language recordings, a natural fit for bilingual families. And vinyl has a special appeal for children: an object to handle, a jacket to look at, and listening without a screen.

Children's songs and music education classics

French-language children's music has its landmarks. Henri Dès, a Swiss singer, has written for kids since the late 1970s, and Anne Sylvestre's "Fabulettes" remain a reference for their writing. On the classical side, a few works were written to introduce children to music: Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," with one instrument per character, Saint-Saëns's "The Carnival of the Animals," often recorded with spoken verses, and Benjamin Britten's "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra." These exist in many versions, with different narrators, languages and orchestras.

Vintage copy or new edition?

For everyday use by young children, a recent edition is usually the right call: new vinyl, clean sound and no worries about damaging a valuable copy. Vintage records appeal to nostalgic parents and collectors; on used copies, check for scratches, which are common, and for the booklet if one was included. For a narrated classical record, look at who reads the text and in which language. The same work can vary a lot from one version to another: some run a few minutes per side, others fill the whole record with longer narration.

• Language and narrator
• Booklet or lyrics included
• Vinyl condition on used copies
• Suggested age and side length

Gifting a kids record and comparing prices

A children's record makes a welcome baby shower or birthday gift, especially for families that already own a turntable. For little ones, a recent version of "Peter and the Wolf" or an album of songs is a safe bet. Each product page on Vinyles.com lists offers from several partner stores for the same record, so you can compare prices before choosing. The stories, rhymes and lullabies collection complements this selection. The links above this text lead to artist pages as well.