The Grammy Award for Best Children's Album (from 2020: Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album) is an honor presented since 2012 at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in various categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."
History The Best Children's Album award is given to recording artists for works containing quality performances aimed at children. The award has had several minor name changes:
From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Recording for Children In 1961 it was awarded as Best Album Created for Children From 1962 to 1968 it was awarded as Best Recording for Children In 1969 no award was given in the Children's Field From 1970 to 1991 it was awarded as Best Recording for Children From 1992 to 1993 it was awarded as Best Album for Children From 1994 to 2011 the award category was split into Best Musical Album for Children and Best Spoken Word Album for Children From 2012 to 2019 it was known as Best Children's Album, after the Best Musical Album for Children and Best Spoken Word Album for Children categories were merged (basically returning to the situation as it was prior to 1994, although with a small name change). In 2020, spoken-word children's albums were moved to the Best Spoken Word Album category.Billboard.com, 19 June 2019 The category was renamed Best Children's Music Album.
The 2012 restructuring of these and other categories was a result of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the list of categories and awards. According to the Academy, "[it] passed the proposal that a return to one category for all types of recordings for children, as it was from 1958 to 1993, would be most appropriate in this new context." As of the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025, the category defines the intended audience range as "infant to 12 years old", and requires lyrics and English language translations to be included in entry submissions.
Recipients Year Recipient(s) WorkNomineesRef.1959 (artist)"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
1960 (artist)Peter and the Wolf
1961 (artist)Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks
1962 (artist)Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf
1963 (artist)Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals/Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
1964 (artist)Bernstein Conducts For Young People
1965 & Julie Andrews (artists) Mary Poppins
1966 (artist)Dr. Seuss Presents: "Fox in Socks" and "Green Eggs and Ham"
1967 (artist)"Dr. Seuss Presents - "If I Ran The Zoo" And "Sleep Book""
1968 (artist)"Dr. Seuss: How The Grinch Stole Christmas"
1970 (artist)Peter, Paul and Mommy
1971 & Thomas Z. Shepard (producers)Sesame Street
1972 (artist)Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs
1973 & Rita Moreno (artists)Produced by Christopher Cerf, Joe Raposo, and Lee Chamberlin"The Electric Company"
1974 (producer)Sesame Street Live!
1975, Sebastian Cabot & Sterling Holloway (artists)"Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too"
1976 (artist)"The Little Prince"
1977 & Karl Böhm (artists)Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
1978 & Jim Timmens (producers)Aren't You Glad You're You
1979 (producer)The Muppet Show
1980 & Paul Williams (producers)The Muppet Movie
1981 & Lucy Simon (producers)In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record
1982 & Dennis Scott (producers)Sesame Country
1983 & Lucy Simon (producers)In Harmony 2
1984 (artist) Quincy Jones (producer)E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
1985 (artist) Ron Haffkine (producer)Where the Sidewalk Ends
1986 & Steve Buckingham (producers)Follow That Bird: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1987, Geri Van Rees & Kathryn King (producers)The Alphabet
1988 & Jack Nicholson (artists)Produced by Bobby McFerrin, Mark Sottnick, and Tom BradshawThe Elephant's Child
1989 (artist) Music by Ry Cooder Produced by Mark Sottnick and Ry CooderPecos Bill
1990 (artist) David R. Lehman & J. Aaron Brown (producers)The Rock-A-Bye Collection, Volume 1
1991 (composer) Howard Ashman (lyricist)The Little Mermaid: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
1992 (producer)A Cappella Kids
1993 & Howard Ashman (songwriters) Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
2012, James Cravero, Kevin Mackie, Patrick Robinson & Steve Pullara (producers)All About Bullies... Big and Small
2013Engineered/Mixed & Produced by Dean JonesCan You Canoe?
2014 (artist)Engineered/Mixed by Pierre Messier Produced by Jennifer GasoiThrow a Penny in the Wishing Well
2015 (artist)I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
2016 (artist)Home
2017Secret Agent 23 SkidooInfinity Plus One
2018 (artist)Feel What U Feel
2019 Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz CatsAll The Sounds Grammy.com, 7 December 20182020 Jon Samson & Al Walser Ageless Songs for the Child Archetype 2020 Grammy Awards nominations list2021 Joanie Leeds All the Ladies 2021 Nominations list2022FaluA Colorful World2023Alphabet RockersThe Movement Wendy & DB – Into The Little Blue House Lucky Diaz & the Family Jam Band – Los Fabulosos Divinity Roxx – Ready Set Go! Justin Roberts – Space Cadet2024 123 Andrés Raniero Palm & Vladimir Suárez, producers Leandro Alvarez, Luis Angel Bonilla & Orlando di Pietro, engineers/mixers We Grow Together - Preschool Songs Andrew & Polly – Ahhhhh! Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon – Ancestars DJ Willy Wow! – Hip Hope for Kids! Uncle Jumbo – Taste the Sky2025Lucky Diaz & The Family Jam Band Winning producers and engineers/mixers TBDBrillo, Brillo! Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats – Creciendo John Legend – My Favourite Dream Rock For Children – Solid Rock Revival Divinity Roxx & Divi Roxx Kids – World Wide Playdate2026FYÜTCH & Aura VHarmony Joanie Leeds & Joya - Ageless: 100 Years Young Mega Ran - Buddy's Magic Tree House Flor Bromley - Herstory Tori Amos - The Music of Tori Amos and The Muses
Multiple wins Wins Recipients5Jim Henson3Leonard Bernstein2Howard AshmanRoss Bagdasarian Sr.Bill CosbyDavid LevineAlan MenkenMarvin MillerLucy Simon
References
External links Official site of the Grammy Awards Neela Vaswani's biography on her own site