Cedarmont Kids Songs Of Praise

What You Actually Get With The Songs Of Praise Series

Cedarmont Kids has been putting out quality children's music since the early 90s, and the Songs Of Praise collection sits somewhere between their older stuff and their more recent worship-focused releases. It's acoustic-driven, singalong-friendly, and aimed at kids roughly ages 3 to 8. The songs are mostly straightforward praise choruses rearranged for a younger audience, with clean production and no edgy content to worry about. I picked this up a few years back because I needed something that wasn't the same three nursery rhyme albums on loop, and honestly, it held up. Not all of the tracks are standalone hits, but as background worship music during car rides or Sunday school prep, it works without being annoying after the twentieth playthrough.

Cedarmont Kids Songs Of Praise download and availability

The album is available through major digital retailers like Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify. If you want MP3 files for offline use, your best bet is Amazon or iTunes. There isn't a direct download from Cedarmont's own site anymore, which is a little annoying. I ended up buying the MP3 version on Amazon for about thirteen dollars, and I've had zero issues with file quality or compatibility across devices. If you're looking for free options, I wouldn't recommend pirated copies. The audio quality on those tends to be compressed to hell, and it ruins the listening experience for something that's already mixed relatively simply. The paid versions are clean, and the difference is noticeable on car stereo systems or smart speakers.

How I Actually Use This In Practice

I put it on during morning routines, car rides to church, and occasionally as background noise while the kids draw or play. It doesn't demand full attention, which is exactly what you want. Some parents try to make it a teachable moment every time it plays, and that's fine, but honestly, the album works best when it's just part of the environment. One edge case I ran into was that several tracks share the same melody because they're based on well-known hymn tunes. "Praise Him" uses the same tune as "Come Thou Fount," which confused my kid when I tried to point out the lyrics. I just made a quick cheat sheet mapping each song to its original hymn tune, and that stopped the questions. If you're teaching this stuff to kids, having that reference handy saves a lot of back-and-forth.

Counter-Intuitive Thing Nobody Mentions

Most people treat this album as a worship introduction, but the actual sweet spot is using it alongside the older, simpler Cedarmont Kids albums like "Awesome God" or "I Am A Superhero." The Songs Of Praise record has slightly more complex arrangements and a faster pace than the toddler-focused stuff. If you jump straight into it with a four-year-old, they'll lose interest within a couple tracks. Start with the basic alphabet or creation albums, then work them up to this one after they've had a few months of familiar songs. Another thing that catches people off guard: some of the lyrics assume a level of theological vocabulary that young kids don't have yet. Words like "glory," "praise," and "worship" get thrown around without much context. I found myself pausing between tracks to explain what those words meant in plain language, which turned into five-minute impromptu lessons. That's not a flaw in the album, but it's something to be aware of if you're using this as a teaching tool rather than just background music.

Known Limitations And Where It Falls Short

The biggest issue is the track ordering. The first half of the album is high energy and the second half drops off noticeably in tempo and engagement. If you're playing this for kids, expect them to check out halfway through unless you shuffle it. I stopped bothering with the original track order and just queue up the faster songs back to back. The acoustic instrumentation is warm but thin on some streaming platforms. If you're listening on phone speakers or cheap Bluetooth buds, a lot of the guitar and keyboard layers disappear, and it sounds hollow. Use decent headphones or a proper speaker system if you care about hearing the arrangement as intended. There's also a cultural stagnation problem. The album hasn't been updated or reissued with newer worship songs, so everything sounds like it's stuck in the mid-2000s. That's not necessarily bad, but if you're comparing it to modern kids' worship labels like One Step Music or Great Good Happy News, this sounds dated. It still holds up for what it is, but manage expectations if you're looking for contemporary sound.

Who Should Skip This Entirely

If you're after interactive, movement-based worship content where kids are supposed to dance or act out the songs, this isn't it. This is a listening album, not an activity record. For that you'd be better off with something like Worship Tunes or Hosanna! Music, which are designed around kinetic engagement. Cedarmont Kids Songs Of Praise is background and singalong material, plain and simple. If your budget is tight and you're just getting started, the earlier albums in the Cedarmont Kids catalog tend to be cheaper and more universally loved by young children. This one is worth adding to the rotation once they've outgrown the simplest stuff, but it's not essential if you're only going to buy a couple of albums.