You know the tune. You can’t help it. As soon as those four iconic harpsichord notes hit, your fingers are already twitching, ready to snap twice. It’s a pavlovian response at this point. But lately, there’s this specific version of the theme that has taken over preschools, YouTube Kids playlists, and kindergarten classrooms everywhere: the Addams Family days of the week song. It’s a weirdly perfect marriage of 1960s gothic kitsch and early childhood pedagogy. Honestly, it’s kind of a stroke of genius. Vic Mizzy, the man who composed the original theme back in 1964, probably never imagined his "neat, sweet, and petite" lyrics would be swapped out for "Sunday and there's Monday," but here we are.
Music is the "sticky" way we learn. Ask any adult to recite the alphabet without singing it in their head, and they’ll probably pause for a second. We’re wired for rhythm. By taking a melody that is already deeply embedded in the cultural subconscious and applying it to the sequence of the week, educators created a tool that is basically impossible to forget. It’s catchy. It’s a little bit spooky. It works.
The Weird History Behind the Snap
Before we get into the "Monday, Tuesday" of it all, we have to talk about why this melody works so well for teaching. Vic Mizzy was a legendary songwriter who knew exactly how to hook a listener. When he wrote the original Addams Family theme, he actually played the harpsichord himself because the studio didn't want to pay for a separate musician. He also overdubbed his own voice three times to create that specific vocal layer you hear in the opening.
The most important part? The finger snaps.
Those snaps are a percussive bridge. They provide a physical anchor for the brain. For a toddler trying to memorize the order of seven distinct days, having a physical action—the snap or a clap—at the end of the phrase acts like a mental "save" button. Most versions of the Addams Family days of the week song keep those two beats at the end of every line. It gives the child a moment to process the information they just sang before moving to the next day. It’s simple, but it’s effective as hell.
How the Lyrics Actually Go
If you’ve heard a teacher singing this in a hallway, it usually follows a very specific, slightly modified structure to fit the seven-day cycle. Unlike the original show theme, which has a verse-chorus-verse structure, the educational version is usually a continuous loop.
It starts with the hook:
"Days of the week (snap, snap)."
"Days of the week (snap, snap)."
"Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (snap, snap)."
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Then comes the meat of the lesson. "There's Sunday and there's Monday, there's Tuesday and there's Wednesday, there's Thursday and there's Friday, and then there's Saturday."
It’s interesting because the original theme’s meter is actually quite complex. It’s bouncy. It’s got a bit of a vaudeville swing to it. By forcing the names of the days into that rhythm, kids are actually learning syncopation without realizing it. They have to stretch "Wednesday" and "Saturday" to fit the beat. It’s a mini music theory lesson disguised as a calendar exercise.
Why Teachers Choose This Over the "Alphabet Song" Melody
Most people grew up learning everything to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." The ABCs, "Baa Baa Black Sheep"—it’s all the same melody. But that melody is soft. It’s lullaby-adjacent.
The Addams Family melody is different. It’s energetic. It’s got an edge to it. Because it’s associated with characters that are "creepy and kooky," it feels slightly "naughty" or "cool" to kids who are tired of the standard nursery rhyme aesthetic. It’s also incredibly repetitive in the best way possible. Research into mnemonic devices often points toward "chunking" as a way to retain data. This song chunks the week into two-day segments, making it much easier for a four-year-old to visualize the passage of time.
Also, let’s be real: kids love the snaps. It’s a fine motor skill challenge. Some kids can’t snap yet, so they clap. Some kids just hit their thighs. It’s an inclusive bit of choreography that keeps them engaged. If they’re moving, they’re paying attention. If they’re paying attention, they’re learning that Thursday comes after Wednesday.
The Wednesday Addams Effect
We can't talk about the Addams Family days of the week song without mentioning the massive resurgence of the franchise thanks to Netflix. When Wednesday dropped, the Addams brand went from "classic TV nostalgia" to "global Gen Z obsession."
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Suddenly, anything Addams-related was trending. While the show didn't feature the "Days of the Week" educational version, it refreshed the melody in the minds of parents and older siblings. It made the theme relevant again. You started seeing TikTok creators using the song for "outfit of the week" videos or "day in the life" montages.
This cultural crossover is why the song hasn't faded away like other classroom jingles. It has legs. It bridges the gap between a toddler’s classroom and a teenager’s FYP. There’s something strangely wholesome about a family that loves the macabre being the vehicle for teaching children the basics of time management. Morticia would probably find the irony delicious.
Common Variations You’ll Hear
Depending on which YouTube channel or teacher you're following, the lyrics might shift slightly. Some versions start the week on Monday because that’s the start of the "school week."
"There's Monday and there's Tuesday, Wednesday and there's Thursday..."
Purists will argue that Sunday is the start of the week on most calendars, but in a classroom setting, starting with Monday often makes more sense for a child’s routine. Then you have the "slow vs. fast" versions. Many ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers use a slowed-down version of the Addams theme to help with pronunciation. The hard "d" sounds in "Monday" and "Tuesday" are emphasized by the sharp staccato of the music.
The Science of Why You Can't Get It Out of Your Head
Earworms, or "involuntary musical imagery," usually happen with songs that have a simple, upbeat interval and a bit of a rhythmic quirk. The Addams Family days of the week song checks every box.
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- Repetitive Melodic Contours: The notes go up and down in a predictable pattern.
- The "Gap": The silence where the snaps happen creates a "Zeigarnik Effect" in the brain. Your brain wants to fill that silence.
- Familiarity: Most adults already know the tune, so when they hear the "Days of the Week" version, their brain works harder to reconcile the new lyrics with the old ones, locking the song into long-term memory.
It’s basically a viral loop for the human brain. Once it's in there, it's staying.
Don't Forget the Visuals
If you're looking for this on YouTube to show a kid, you’ll notice that the most popular videos (some with tens of millions of views) use very specific imagery. They usually involve a "house" structure where each window represents a day. This is a classic teaching technique. It provides a spatial representation of time.
By linking the Addams Family days of the week song to a visual of a house, kids begin to understand that a "week" is a container. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. They see the "Sunday" window light up, then the "Monday" window. It’s a multi-sensory experience: they hear the name, they see the word, they snap the beat, and they visualize the sequence.
Actionable Ways to Use the Song
If you’re a parent or educator trying to help a child master the calendar, don't just play the song and walk away. Interaction is the key to retention.
- The "Stop and Snap" Game: Sing the song but stop randomly. The child has to perform the snaps and then name the next day before you start singing again.
- Choreography Change: If they’ve mastered the snaps, change the movement. Monday is a clap, Tuesday is a stomp, Wednesday is a hop. This builds physical coordination alongside cognitive memory.
- The Morning Meeting: Use the song as a transition. It’s the "cue" that it’s time to talk about the day’s schedule. Predictability reduces anxiety in children, and the familiar tune acts as a comforting signal.
- Printable Visuals: Get a calendar that looks like the Addams house. Use sticky notes to move a "Gomez" or "Morticia" figure from day to day as you sing.
The Addams Family days of the week song isn't just a gimmick. It’s a piece of pop culture that has been repurposed into one of the most effective teaching tools in the modern classroom. It’s catchy, it’s functional, and honestly, it’s a lot more fun than just reciting a list. So go ahead, snap twice. Everyone else is doing it.