Spanish Learning Songs by Rockalingua

I wrote about the free Spanish learning songs on Rockalingua a few months ago. Recently, I checked out their new songs, videos, games and worksheets. I am really impressed by the quality materials they offer for teaching children Spanish, and they are continually adding more! All of the songs and support materials provide fun, high-interest comprehensible input.

In addition to a selection of free materials, Rockalingua has subscriptions that give you access to all of the Spanish learning songs and other materials on the website. They also have a store where you can buy their music and videos. No matter what your teaching situation, I encourage you to take advantage of the one-week free trial that Rockalingua offers.

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to María on winning the Rockalingua subscription!
Rockalingua is offering a free one-year subscription (Family or Teacher!) to one Spanish Playground reader. To enter, tell us in comments what your favorite song is to sing with your kids or students, or which of these Rockalingua songs you would like to sing with them to help them learn Spanish. This giveaway will run through Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Terrific Features of Rockalingua Spanish Learning Songs

– A contemporary sound that appeals to kids and does not sound like music for babies.

– Vocabulary and structures commonly included in elementary curricula make the materials a perfect supplement to any program. For example, there are songs that teach numbers, letters, days of the week, seasons, parts of the body, common first person verbs, adjectives, feelings, means of transportation, clothes, places, professions, etc.

– A tempo that makes the songs fun to sing, yet is optimal for clarity and correct pronunciation. The beat guarantees that kids will stress the words correctly.

– Printable sing-along lyric sheets with drawings to clarify the lyrics. Kids can color these sheets.

– Music videos with images that correspond to the lyrics create comprehensible input.

– On-screen lyrics on the music videos make it easy for kids to sing along.

– Worksheets with the vocabulary and images from the song provide kids with additional exposure and practice.

– Materials require no preparation on a teacher’s part, yet provide an effective, fun learning experience. I know it sounds as if this cannot be true, but it is. I can walk into class with these songs and lyrics sheets and teach a lesson.

– Songs include common structures that kids need to hear over and over to internalize. For example, I love that the transportation song goes A mí me gusta viajar…repeating the a mí me. I also like that common reflexive verbs are included in several of the songs. You can hear a bit of the song in the video below. The entire song is free on the Rockalingua website.

– The videos are great! They are funny (Mi amigo Bob) or cool (ABC Rock&Roll) or cute (Colorín Colorado). They are not the same, but they are all good.

– The games provide additional vocabulary practice at different levels of mastery. The drop and drag matching games do not require kids to produce the language. In the concept race games, on the other hand, kids have to write the words. All of the games provide additional exposure to native speaker audio. The games are timed, and are challenging enough that kids will have to do them several times, and really know their vocabulary, to win. The games will also be available on tablet in a few weeks.

Additional Considerations

Re-entering material
I know that all of us work very hard to spiral, re-enter, and review what we teach. As kids acquire more language, it is difficult to cover what we would like during class time. Singing is an effective, quick review of vocabulary and structures. When it is coupled with video to create comprehensible input, children can get a tremendous amount of language in a few minutes. Because the whole class is actively involved by singing, this is a very efficient use of class time.

Extension activities
These materials are ready to use and effective as they are. However, there are many additional ways to use the music in class. Kids can lip sync a song, or present it with “Glee-style” choreography. They can illustrate a song with their own drawing or photos, act it out, or create a role play that includes all of the lines. There are lots of possibilities.  I am sure that your kids or students will be able to unlock the potential in these songs.

Homeschoolers
Teaching languages can be a challenge in a home school setting. These songs are fun and dynamic and provide excellent exposure to native speaker audio. I think that they could be of particular value to homeschooling families and groups as a supplement to an online or traditional curriculum.