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1st Grade Character Education Songs

23 1st grade character education songs. Teacher favorites: Community Song and Community Song (MP3). How teachers use these

1st Grade Character Education Songs

23 1st grade character education songs. Teacher favorites: Community Song and Community Song (MP3). How teachers use these

Song
Song1st GradeCommunity Song

The Community Song teaches kids how to be a good citizen in the community. This is a fun citizenship song that teaches kids about being a citizen and being part of their community.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCommunity Song (MP3)

Using the Community Song (MP3), students learn how to be a good citizen in the community by listening to this catchy song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradePlease and Thank You Song
1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeGood Morning Song (MP3)

UsingGood Morning Song (MP3), students will have a great day at school after listening to this song in their morning circles.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeOops I Made A Mistake Song
1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeResponsibility Song (MP3)

Using the Responsibility Song (MP3), students learn how to show responsibility at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCaring Song

Using the Caring Song, students learn how to care for others at home. This song will help build confidence and your kids will want to show kindness to others. Our students need a lot of practice and examples of how to treat each other kindly. This song will help your…

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeTruth Song (MP3)

Using the Truth Song (MP3), students learn how to speak the truth and how to be honest while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeSongs for Kids (MP3 Album)

Songs for Kids Download by Have Fun Teaching has 18 fun and educational songs for kids.

1st GradeEnglishCharacter EducationBundles
Song
Song1st GradeCharacter Songs (MP3 Album)

Using the Character Songs (MP3), students learn different character skills that build caring and thoughtful individuals home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationBundles
Song
Song1st GradeRespect Song (Classroom Mix Version)

Using the Respect Song (Classroom Mix Version), students learn how to treat each other with respect at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeFairness Song (MP3)

Using the Fairness Song (MP3), students learn how to treat each other fairly at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradePatience Song (MP3)

Using the Patience Song (MP3), students learn how to have patience for others at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeHey Bully Song (Original Music Video)

Using the Hey Bully Song (Original Music Video), studentslearn how to deal with a bully by listening to this catchy song and watching this video.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeFriend Song (MP3)

Using the Friend Song (MP3), students learn how to be a good friend at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCharacter Songs (Instrumental Karaoke Version)

Using the Character Songs Download Instrumental Karaoke Version, students learn different character skills that build caring and thoughtful individuals while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCourage Song (MP3)

Using the Courage Song (MP3), students learn how to standing up for what is right, never giving up, and to be happy with who they are.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCaring Song (MP3)

Using the Caring Song (MP3), students learn how to care for others at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCaring Song Remix (MP3)

Using the Caring Song Remix (MP3), students learn how to care for others at home and at school while listening to a song.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
Song
Song1st GradeCourage Song Remix (MP3)

Using the Courage Song Remix (MP3), students learn how to standing up for what is right, never giving up, and to be happy with who they are.

1st GradeSocial StudiesCharacter EducationSongs
From our teachers' playbook

Kindness, practiced out loud

What do 1st graders learn about character education?

First grade is where "be nice" turns into real words kids can use. Six- and seven-year-olds learn to name traits like respect, responsibility, honesty, patience and caring, and, even better, what each one looks like at the lunch table or on the carpet. They practice saying "please" and "thank you," taking turns, owning a mistake with "I'm sorry, I'll fix it," and noticing how a friend feels. The click moment comes when a child spots a trait in someone else and names it: "That was responsible, you put the markers back!"

Our favorite ways to make good character stick

Character grows through repetition and real moments, not one big lecture. These are the moves we lean on all year.

Sing the mistake, then fix it

Mistakes feel huge to a first grader. Play the Oops I Made A Mistake Song at morning meeting, then pause and ask, "What could you say after an oops?" Keep the chorus as a class signal: when someone spills or stumbles, a friend can start humming it and everyone remembers that mistakes are how we learn.

Why it works: a catchy, repeating tune gives the brain a hook to hang words on, so sung text is remembered better (Wallace, 1994).

Oops I Made A Mistake SongTry it withOops I Made A Mistake SongSongsOpen it →

Draw a good classmate

Ask kids to show what a good classmate does, not just say it. They draw a friend sharing, helping or listening, then label it with one trait word. Hang the drawings in a "Caught Being Kind" hallway and add new ones whenever you spot the real thing.

Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.

Good Classmate WorksheetTry it withGood Classmate WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

One trait, one short story

Pick one trait a week and read one short passage about it every other day. Kids answer a question or two, then tell a partner when they did the same thing. Short, repeated visits beat a single character day, and the reading practice comes along for free.

Why it works: spreading practice out over days is one of the two most effective study methods in a major research review (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Character Reading Comprehension WorkbookTry it withCharacter Reading Comprehension WorkbookWorkbooksOpen it →

Make it feel like play

Good manners and teamwork are way more fun when they turn into a game.

Please and Thank You SongSongs

Manners echo

Play the Please and Thank You Song, then act out quick scenes: passing the glue, borrowing a crayon. Kids shout the magic words right on cue.

Open Please and Thank You Song →Back to School Behavior Flash CardsFlash Cards

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Hold up a behavior card and kids vote with their thumbs. Then a volunteer shows the "thumbs up" version.

Open Back to School Behavior Flash Cards →Get to Know Your Super Classmates Back to School ActivityActivities

Super classmate hunt

Kids interview each other to find what makes every friend special. It builds respect and a little class pride.

Open Get to Know Your Super Classmates Back to School Activity →

What's on this page

23 Songs

Teacher favorites right now: Community Song, Community Song (MP3) and Please and Thank You Song.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What is character education in 1st grade?

It's teaching kids the traits that help them get along and do their best, like respect, honesty, responsibility, patience and caring. In first grade it's very concrete: what each trait sounds like and looks like in class and at home.

How do I teach respect to a 6-year-old?

Name it every time you see it. Model respectful words, practice them in quick role plays, and point out real examples: "You waited until she finished talking. That's respect." Kids repeat what gets noticed.

How long should a character lesson be in first grade?

Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. A song, a short story or scene, and one question to talk about. The real practice happens all day, so short and frequent wins.

How can parents reinforce character traits at home?

Use the same trait words your child hears at school, and praise the behavior, not just the result. Ask at dinner, "Who was kind to you today? How were you kind?" It keeps the conversation going.

Do songs really help kids learn character traits?

They help kids remember the words and the message. A catchy chorus gives children a quick reminder they can recall in the moment, like humming the patience song while waiting in line.

Keep exploring

1st Grade Character Education Resources1st Grade Social Studies ResourcesCharacter Education ResourcesKindergarten Character Education Resources2nd Grade Character Education Resources

Written by the Have Fun Teaching team of elementary teachers and homeschoolers. Research: Wallace, W. T. (1994). Memory for music: Effect of melody on recall of text. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20(6). U.S. Department of Education, What Works Clearinghouse (2021). Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades. Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1).