Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Long Beach, CA

Bella and I spend a lot of time dancing around the living room. It's fun, it's great exercise, and no matter what has gone wrong that day, it never fails to put us in a great mood. Here are some of the songs on our dance party playlist:

Clap Your Hands. I've loved They Might Be Giants since I first heard them when I was a college freshman. These days they're playing children's music, and their c.d. No was in heavy rotation at our house when Bella was a toddler. Clap Your Hands is one of our favorite tracks from the disc, and it's practically guaranteed to get your kid jumping around the living room.

Shake My Sillies Out. When I play Shake My Sillies Out, my daughter runs to get her musical instruments, and we shake along to the beat. If you don't have instruments, you can make a shaker with an empty bottle and some beans.

Rockin' Robin. A while back I made a playlist of oldies for a birthday party, and for weeks afterward my daughter asked to listen to Rockin' Robin every day. As the song plays, you can flap your wings like a bird, or teach your kid the hand-clap rhyme you learned in middle school.

I'm Gonna Catch You. I spend a lot of time chasing my daughter around the house. Some days I'm the big bad wolf to her Red Riding Hood, and other days I'm just trying to comb her hair. When it's raining outside, and we're going stir-crazy, I play I'm Gonna Catch You by Laurie Berkner and we run laps around the living room.

I remember doing the Hokey Pokey at the roller rink the 70's* when I was a kid, and it's just as much fun now as it was then. My favorite version features Dan Zanes and Father Goose. So put your right foot in, and shake it all about.

*Yes, I am very old.