Rebecca Writes: List: Kid-friendly Hymns

It's another cooperative list.

What hymns did you love as a child? What hymns do your kids like? I'll start the list, you add your favorites in the comments, and I'll add your suggestions to the list, linking back to your blog. Okay?

This post is inspired by Carla, who mentions a couple of hymns her kids like, so why don't I start with her suggestions, and then add a couple of my own?

Carla says her kids like Victory in Jesus,
He Leadeth Me,
and Onward Christian Soldiers.
I used to love To God Be the Glory, and I know a lot of children like that one. I was intrigued by the term "vilest offender," and had a picture in my mind of a guy who looked something like the Hamburglar. (Plus, Colleen Emery and I sang this together in the evening service at church when we were in third grade.)
Oh, How I Love Jesus. This one is my suggestion, too. I taught this to the Pioneer Girls, when there used to be Pioneer Girls and when I used to lead them, and they really took to this one. It was their favorite, and the only actual hymn they sang.
Kim of Hireath loved A Mighty Fortress is Our God. She tells you about it here. I loved that one, too. One year I remember it being our VBS theme song, and we had an illustrated version, with pictures of a fortress and a bulwark. Very cool.
Kim in ON's daughter loved Wonderful Grace of Jesus because it's so lively. Yep, that's one that's got some very interesting stuff going on!
Evers Ding's children enjoy Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,
Rock of Ages,
Holy Holy Holy,
Immortal Invisible, and
Be Thou My Vision.
Julana liked Jesus Loves Even Me, and included some of the words for us.
I am so glad that our Father in Heav’n
Tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see,
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

Refrain

I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me.
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
Waterfall liked Just As I Am,
At Calvary,
The Old Rugged Cross. These three, she says, were some of the first songs she taught herself by ear on the piano.
Scott McClare liked two already mentioned hymns: To God Be the Glory and Holy, Holy, Holy. To those, he adds All Things Bright and Beautiful and
This is My Father's World. (This was one of my favorites, as well.)
Karen seconds the choice of Holy, Holy, Holy, and says that she sang it at her sister's baptism when she was 6. She also adds a list of her children's favorites.
Be Thou My Vision for the 17 year old.
Crown Him with Many Crowns for her 8 year old.
O the Deep, Deep love of Jesus for the 18 year old.
How Great Thou Art for the 12 year old. (I think this is another one veryt commonly liked by children.)
Jesus Loves Me--her five year old.
Ian McKenzie liked Dare to Be a Daniel.
I suspect it was because we would shout out the letters b-a-n-d as loudly as possible at the end of each stanza.
My youngest son liked this one, too, because his name is Daniel. I found out, however, that he thought Daniel's band was of the musical sort. Julana seconds this choice, pointing out that "children can imagine themselves in a heroic role with that one."
Terry Stauffer's kids like Joyful, Joyful and
Come Thou Fount, and his seven-year old daughter sings the last one around the house. His wife's favorites as a child were
Give Me That Old Time Religion and
Precious Jewels. I have the distinct impression that Terry isn't all that impressed with his wife's choice of Give Me That Old Time Religion.
Anne's son loves Holy, Holy, Holy, too, but she once heard him sing "God in three purses, Blessed Trinity".
Anne's daughter loved Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise, and
as a child, Anne loved O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,
Rejoice the Lord Is King, and
Blessed Assurance.
Columbine says
It is Well with My Soul has always been a favorite because of the harmonies of the chorus. The background of the song makes it that much more precious.
She also liked Surely Goodness and Mercy.
It was fun to sing, and as a teen I had a good friend named Shirley and my brother always called her Shirley Goodness and Mercy.
She adds:
As I think back to my childhood, some 40+ years ago, one of the things I enjoyed the most was the Sunday evening singing. We could chose our favorites and the song leader would call on children as well as adults. Some services were only times of singing - song services. I think that in today's world, our children miss out on this. Learning to sing harmony, having a hymn book to leaf through, trying to find a song no one has chosen yet, and so forth.
Island Sparrow adds Amazing Grace and
Softly and Tenderly to the list.
Suz says that her three-year-old loves I'll Fly Away, and "sings the refrain with great gusto."
Her six-year old likes Jesus Loves Me.
Theresa Shirkie adds There is a Fountain,
Only a Sinner Saved by Grace,
When We Reach Our Peaceful Dwelling, and
It Is Well With My Soul.
Rey's son likes to sing 2 Timothy 1:7 to On Calvary We've Adoring Stood.
Elizabeth says that her favorite song when she was young was I Sing a Song of the Saints of God, and she was very inspired by it as a child and teenager. She leaves some of the words for us:
I sing a song of the saints of God
Patient and brave and true,
Who toiled and fought and lived and died
For the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
And one was a shepherdess on the green:
They were all of them saints of God
And I mean - God helping - to be one too.

Verse three:
They lived not only in ages past,
There are hundreds and thousands still,
The world is bright with the joyous saints
Who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them at school, or in lanes, or at sea,
In church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea,
For the saints of God are just folk like me,
And I mean to be one too.
Sierra and her sisters like Lord of the Dance, and thought it should be sung every Sunday instead of just on Easter.