This song and music video have a wonderful message for Mamá on Mother’s Day. The song is upbeat and fun and you will love Mariana Iranzi! Mariana is originally from Argentina. An accomplished professional musician, she also composes and performs Spanish songs for children. Her personality comes shining through in this video; it is sure to have both kids and adults singing along with smiles on their faces. Looking at language, this song works well [...]
Cantoalegre is an amazing resource. This fabulous organization from Colombia offers free downloads of their Spanish songs for kids. They explain their generosity saying Porque la música es de todos, te traemos canciones para descargar gratis. Because music belongs to everyone, we bring you songs to download free. Cantoalegre is a non-profit cultural organization in Colombia dedicated to the creation, study and performance of children’s music. The group performs, produces CDs, and has founded numerous [...]
I recently received an email from a reader looking for Spanish songs for preschoolers about trains and other forms of transportation. I shared a few songs with her and thought I would mention them here, too. I do a unit on el transporte with my preschoolers and have used the first two songs below about trains. The third song is longer and has more vocabulary, but works well with students who are a little older. [...]
The snow is almost gone here in Wisconsin, and many of us are talking and singing about the change of seasons with our kids. Los pollitos is a traditional song that fits in well if you are talking about spring, hens, eggs and chicks. Los Pollitos Vocabulary I like to sing this song in class because it has lots of useful vocabulary. It describes how a hen takes care of her chicks, and children learn [...]
The traditional folk song De Colores is sung throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The song is often associated with the Catholic church, but it is also taught as a Spanish song for kids to celebrate spring without specific references to religion. De Colores is a song that many teachers sing with classes at this time of year. It is a good way to introduce or reinforce spring vocabulary such as la primavera (spring), las [...]
Old McDonald is a song many English speakers learn when they are very young. The equivalent Spanish song for kids is En la granja de mi tío, and it is a fun way for children to learn animals and animal sounds in Spanish. There are several variations of the song in Spanish with different melodies and lyrics. In Spanish, it can be la granja de Pepito, la granja de Juan or la granja de Miguel. The number of [...]
Los pollitos is a printable story and coloring book of a traditional children’s song. In addition to the story-coloring pages, it has figures for stick puppets, picture cards for games and a teacher and parent guide with ideas for using the material and additional activities. The song is available to download from Music with Sara, and there is a YouTube video of the song with the illustrations. I had a wonderful time collaborating with illustrator [...]
Colores is a Spanish song for children written and sung by Patty Shukla. The song gets kids up and moving as they practice their colors in Spanish. Patty Shukla writes and sings fun, educational songs for children. Although most of her music is in English, she has also recorded a CD of Spanish songs for kids called Canta y Baila con Patty. You can find out more about her music on the Patty Shukla website [...]
Douglas Wright is a well-known author and illustrator from Argentina. Among his many talents, he writes poems for children in Spanish. I use his poetry with Spanish language learners because the language is accessible, the poems are from a child’s point of view and children identify with feelings and experiences. They also have rhythm and rhyme so that they are wonderful to listen to and fun to recite. Mi casa está viva has familiar vocabulary, [...]
Isabel Brazon of Baila Baila recently contacted me about sharing her Spanish songs for children with my readers. She is originally from Venezuela and now teaches, performs and records her music in the Los Angeles area. Her active, entertaining songs are written for children learning Spanish. They effectively teach vocabulary, basic grammar and pronunciation. You can listen to the songs on the Baila Baila website and download them from there. I will mention a few [...]
This Spanish song for kids teaches lots of house vocabulary and is also a good way for kids to hear and sing negative structures. Mostly though, this song is great fun. It describes a crazy house – without a roof, walls, floor – and has a funny twist at the end that kids love. The original song by Vinicius De Moraes is in Portuguese, but lots of artists sing it in Spanish. The versions have [...]
Sara, of Music with Sara, is adding art to her wonderful songs in Spanish for kids. She is sharing this cute patito and the lyrics of her song with Spanish Playground readers. Click here to download and print the picture, hang it where your little ones can see it, and sing, sing, sing in Spanish! It is a wonderful addition to a print-rich environment at home or school. You can hear the song below and [...]