Every family needs a favorite song. Be it “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?” kids love singing simple songs. Over and over and over. Think about your last car trip. Assuming eyes were at attention and headphones pulled off, you could have sung “Hush Little Baby” to quiet a howling infant, “On Top of Spaghetti” to stave off prelunch hunger pangs, and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” to keep the driver awake.

An especially musical crew might come up with a personal family song. Just take a familiar tune and add amusing words of your own. Have the official family secretary jot them down because spur-of-the-moment creativity can slip away before being committed to memory.

If writing original lyrics seems a bit much, pull out a folio of old favorites. Or sing along to any number of collections of children’s music. You’ll hear perky singers wailing on “Muffin Man,” “London Bridge Is Falling Down,” “Yankee Doodle,” “Farmer in the Dell,” “Skip to My Lou,” and more. Before long, you’ll have a whole repertoire of kiddie classics to choose from to make the next family road trip seem a little bit shorter.

Singing releases a grand giddiness, a buoyant spirit in children of any age. That’s why it’s so much fun. And even if critics would classify your joyful noise as “croaking,” persevere.

You and your kids don’t have to be opera prima donnas to enjoy a family song. Even those who can’t carry a tune in a bucket can sing along and enjoy a memorable time of family fun and bonding.