If You're Happy and You Know It Lyrics

A popular action song encouraging children to express emotions through movement. Clapping, stomping, and shouting make it endlessly entertaining. Best for ages 18 months–6 years. Beyond fun, this song is a child-development workhorse: it pairs emotion words (happy) with embodied expression (clapping), which child psychologists describe as the most reliable path to emotional literacy. Extend the song by inventing new emotion-action pairs: "If you're proud and you know it, stand up tall." This invented-verse extension builds vocabulary for less-common emotions. For deeper SEL programming, see [best songs for emotional development](/blog/best-songs-for-emotional-development) and [how to raise an emotionally intelligent child](/blog/how-to-raise-an-emotionally-intelligent-child).

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
If you're happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet!
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet!
If you're happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet!

If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hooray!"
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hooray!"
If you're happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hooray!"