5,000-Step Kids’ Movie Soundtrack Playlist
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on the link and make a purchase, we’ll get a small percentage at no extra cost to you.
Throughout our Summer of Simple Walking series, we’ve been finding all kinds of ways to make our walking routine fit into our hectic summer lives. For me, that’s often meant getting my daughter to join me on my walk. It’s been a part of our routines since the pandemic hit when she was eight—and while she used to join me on her scooter or her rollerblades, she now joins me most mornings for a three-mile walk.
Sometimes, though, it takes a little extra motivation (and possibly even trickery) to get your kids to move with you. And that’s why I created this playlist. Every song on the list is featured in a family movie—from Despicable Me to Trolls to K-Pop Demon Hunters. So they’ll be songs that your kids can enjoy with you while you walk.
This playlist runs over 45 minutes—to get you those 5,000+ steps—but I fully understand that it’s not always easy to keep your kids moving that long. But summer is all about adjusting. Whether you use the whole playlist or a couple of songs for each short walk—if you get the kids to walk or just push them in a stroller—hit play and enjoy!
A little more about the playlist:
I’ve included a number of different ways to listen. I’ve got YouTube videos posted below. If you want to download the MP3, I’ve also got links to find them on Amazon. Or you can listen to the whole thing by playing the Spotify playlist.
For each song in this playlist, I’ve listed the beats per minute, the pace (in minutes per mile) that you’ll be walking if you’re walking to the beat, and the number of steps that you’ll take during the song if you keep up that pace. We’ll start with an easy pace and work our way up, finishing with a cool-down. The songs here eventually build up to a pretty brisk pace, but take it at a pace that works for you—whether that means moving faster or slower. You’re totally allowed to dance and sing your way through this playlist, too (in fact, it’s almost guaranteed). If you follow the pace of each song, you’ll be over 5,000 steps (or around 2.5 miles) by the time you reach the end. If you’re looking for more steps, feel free to play it again—or move on to another one of my playlists. You can find them all on the Playlists page.
1) “Feeling Alright” – Elle King
Movie: The Bad Guys (2022)
We always start our walking playlists with a warm-up track—and this laid-back track from The Bad Guys will give you an easy but upbeat start to your walk.
Find it on Amazon
Beats per Minute: 88
Pace: 22:44
Steps: 359
2) “It’s Gonna Be a Lovely Day” – LunchMoney Lewis
Movie: The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
We’re keeping it fun and upbeat for today’s playlist. And, just like our first song on the list, this one is an updated version of a classic. So while your kids may recognize it from a favorite movie, you’ll probably remember the original.
Beats per Minute: 100
Pace: 20:00
Steps: 387
3) “All Star” – Smash Mouth
Movie: Shrek (2001)
(Also Rat Race, Mystery Men, Inspector Gadget, and others)
Confession: our family is not a Shrek family. But it doesn’t really matter how you feel about Mike Myers’s surly green ogre. Whenever you hear this upbeat hype song, you can’t help but sing along.
Beats per Minute: 104
Pace: 19:14
Steps: 451
4) “The Other Side” – SZA and Justin Timberlake
Movie: Trolls World Tour (2020)
The Trolls movies always have the best soundtracks. Back when CDs were a thing (and my kid was little), we had the original movie’s soundtrack playing on repeat in my car for months. And this track from the second movie is another great pick for a family walking playlist.
Find it on Amazon
Beats per Minute: 106
Pace: 18:52
Steps: 332
5) “Try Everything” – Shakira
We may be on our second Zootopia movie, but this track from the Disney original is still a favorite. You don’t have to be a kid—or a fan of the movie—to feel inspired by this song.
Beats per Minute: 115
Pace: 17:24
Steps: 378
6) “Walk the Dinosaur” – Queen Latifah
Movie: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
This is another one of those classic songs that got the kids’ movie soundtrack treatment. This one always takes me back to when I was a kid—and that scene in Encino Man—but I’d say Queen Latifah does the song justice, too.
Beats per Minute: 117
Pace: 17:06
Steps: 349
7) “Best Day” – Kesha
Movie: The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)
The birds may be angry, but this song is anything but. There’s just something about this Kesha remix that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It’s perfect for a walk outside with the kids.
Beats per Minute: 119
Pace: 16:48
Steps: 357
8) “Golden” – Huntr/x
Movie: K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025)
This song isn’t just another song from a kids’ movie. It was a 2025 phenomenon. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing it. It was all over every radio station. It won a Grammy and an Oscar. And though I’ve heard it a million times, I still can’t help but love it.
Beats per Minute: 123
Pace: 16:16
Steps: 400
9) “I Like to Move It” – Sacha Baron Cohen
Most of the songs on this playlist are performed by actual musical artists as opposed to the film’s voice actors—except this one. You just can’t beat this song by Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien. It will make you want to move it, move it every single time.
Beats per Minute: 125
Pace: 16:00
Steps: 406
10) “Celebrate” – Pitbull
Movie: Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
We’re going back-to-back on Madagascar tracks! This Pitbull track is another one that will put an extra spring in your step while you walk with the kids—and they’ll love it, too!
Beats per Minute: 127
Pace: 15:45
Steps: 409
11) “Better When I’m Dancin’” – Meghan Trainor
Movie: The Peanuts Movie (2015)
Once, Peanuts cartoons were known for their jazzy piano music—but the 21st century Peanuts stepped it up a bit by featuring this peppy track from Meghan Trainor. This is another song that never fails to put a smile on my face whenever I hear it.
Beats per Minute: 128
Pace: 15:38
Steps: 375
12) “SUPA GOOD!!!” – Yung Gravy feat. James Brown
Everything about this song is so…Dog Man. It’s high energy and a little bit crazy. It’s the kind of song that your kids can definitely get behind—and it might just be fun for you, too.
Beats per Minute: 142
Pace: 13:59
Steps: 358
13) “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
This is another one of those kids’ movie tracks that I will just always love. It’s just endlessly upbeat—the kind of song that I pull out when I’m feeling less-than-happy, and it always makes me want to get up and dance. And that makes it the perfect song for our last big push of today’s walk!
Beats per Minute: 160
Pace: 12:30
Steps: 621
14) “Original” – Sia
The movie may not have been an overwhelming success, but this Sia track from Robert Downey, Jr’s Dolittle makes a great track for our cool-down song—a celebration of being just a little bit different.
Beats per Minute: 96
Pace: 20:50
Steps: 342
Total Time for Today’s Workout: 47:17
Total Steps: 5,542
Congrats on making it through today’s kid-friendly walk!
I know that walking with the kids probably isn’t a 45-minute kind of thing (especially for the littler ones), but if you’ve gotten all the way to the end and you’ve been keeping up with the beat, you’ve just gotten over 5,000 steps (or around 2.5 miles). Way to get those steps in! If you’re feeling like getting more steps, feel free to hit play again and keep going! Or move on to another playlist!
Do your littlest walking buddies have any favorites from the playlist? Do they have other favorites to add to the list?
