Rewrite your pop favorite!
Rewrite your favorite pop song’s lyrics into a kid-friendly new story, keep the melody and rhythm, practice singing, and perform it for family.
Step-by-step guide to rewrite your pop favorite
Step 1
Pick your favorite pop song to rewrite and get excited.
Step 2
Find a clean copy of the song's lyrics and read them once.
Step 3
Mark the chorus and each verse on the lyrics with your pencil.
Step 4
Choose a kid-friendly story theme for your new lyrics like pets space or friendship.
Step 5
Rewrite the first verse to tell your new story while keeping the melody and rhythm.
Step 6
Rewrite the chorus so it matches your story and keeps the same beat and rhyme.
Step 7
Rewrite any other verses so the whole song tells your kid-friendly story.
Step 8
Sing each new line slowly to the original tune to check the syllable rhythm.
Step 9
Swap out any words that do not fit the rhythm or are not kid-friendly.
Step 10
Draw or color a simple title page for your new song if you like.
Step 11
Add a small gesture or prop idea to go with a chorus line.
Step 12
Practice singing your whole new song three times in a row with your gestures or prop.
Step 13
Perform your kid-friendly pop rewrite for your family and have fun.
Step 14
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
I don't have a printed clean copy of the song's lyrics or a pencil—what can we use instead?
Use the song's lyrics on a phone or tablet (or print from an official lyrics site) and mark chorus/verses with a stylus, washable marker, or mechanical/colored pencil as a substitute for the pencil.
My new lines don't match the melody—how can I fix rhythm and syllable problems?
Sing each new line slowly to the original tune as instructed in step 8, then swap out any words that do not fit the rhythm per step 9 or trim/add syllables so the chorus and verses flow.
How can we adapt the activity for a 4-year-old versus a 10-year-old?
For a 4‑year‑old, pick a super-simple theme, let them repeat the chorus with one gesture and draw the title page, while a 10‑year‑old can rewrite full verses keeping melody/rhythm, add a prop idea for the chorus, and practice the whole song three times in a row.
How can we make the performance more special before sharing on DIY.org?
Draw or color a polished title page, create a small choreographed gesture or prop for the chorus, record your practiced three‑time performance, and upload the video to DIY.org for sharing.
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Facts about songwriting for kids
✍️ Rewriting lyrics keeps the melody and rhythm but swaps the words to tell a brand-new, kid-friendly story — that’s how fun parodies and sing-alongs are made.
🧠 Making and singing new lyrics boosts memory, language skills, and creativity — and it’s a great way to practice performance confidence!
🎶 Matching the original song’s syllable and stress pattern helps your new lyrics fit the melody smoothly.
📜 Performing a rewritten song for family at home is usually fine, but recording or sharing it publicly can touch on copyright rules.
🎤 Some cover versions become more famous than the originals — Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” is a classic example.
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