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Little Folkies, the multi-award-winning, San Francisco-based folk music program for parents, teachers, and kids ages 0-5, is out with the first of four volumes of original folk music for young children, Songs for Fall, today on Smithsonian Folkways. Listen to the album, which features a party of string instruments and the lilting vocals and guitar of musician, educator, and Little Folkies co-founder Irena Eide, HERE.
The first album of a four-volume set that orbits around the earth’s seasons, Songs for Fall embodies the season of transition and gathering with sweet, peaceful tunes about animals, the universe, and more. Mastered by visionary traditional Appalachian fiddle and banjo expert Dirk Powell (who also plays fiddle on “Rocketship”) and featuring the old-timey twang of the mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and the occasional tambourine or rain stick, Songs for Fall is a veritable celebration of togetherness and sound. Children learn to hoot like the wise old owl and splash around like a fish, dance on their tiptoes, and play outdoor games together. The album is bursting with creative possibilities. Like each seasonal collection, Songs for Fall nurtures discovery and the innate love of music and play that the Little Folkies curriculum was built to uplift.
Developed by Eide (artist name: Rainy Eyes) and co-founded in 2009 with Joshua Smith, the Little Folkies curriculum features a joyful treasury of original and traditional folk songs to inspire singing and movement. Eide has written over 46 original songs for young children and adapted a number of traditional songs for Little Folkies. The 4-CD physical set anthologizes this music in an interactive songbook that is intended for parents to use at home to sing and play the songs with their children. The book comes with lyrics, chords and instructions to play along with each song, and each song also comes with a special movement or an activity. It also includes artwork designed by old-time, country-folk, and early roots musician Pharis Romero and illustrated by Amelia Heron. The full seasonal collection and accompanying songbook will be available in September 2025.
In a typical Little Folkies classroom, young children dance and sing, learn wooden instruments, and engage with hand movement and rhythmic play. Interacting with music at a young age is deeply generative for young children, who gain self-confidence, develop their coordination as well as fine and gross motor skills, and improve focus and memory in the process. Little Folkies nurtures our deep-down connection to music using fun and gentle songs that teach children about the world around them.
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