Spanish Poems: Spring

Douglas Wright is a well-known children’s poet and illustrator from Argentina. He writes some of my favorite Spanish poems to read with children. These Spanish spring poems are perfect for language learners.

You can find more poems for children and information about sharing them with language learners on our poetry resource page Spanish Poems for Kids.

Douglas Wright’s poetry is based in the natural world and a child’s experiences. The poems have familiar vocabulary, patterns, and rhythm and rhyme to help children who are learning Spanish appreciate the sounds of the language.

If you are looking for Spanish poems about spring weather, Douglas Wright recently published Hoy, el día dice “viento” on his blog, El Jardín de Douglas. He also has another poem called Llueve, llueve, llueve, llueve.  Because these Spanish poems are about wind and rain, they can apply to spring weather here in Wisconsin, and possibly where you live. Of course, Douglas Wight is writing about fall in Argentina, something you may want to point out to kids.

Douglas has generously given me permission to share his poetry on Spanish Playground. Thank you! Be sure to visit his blog where you will find many Spanish poems for children. After the poem, you will find suggestions for using it with Spanish language learners.

Hoy, el día dice “viento”

Hoy, el día dice “viento”,
viento fuerte y sonoro,
y las hojas de los árboles
responden “viento”, a coro.

Hoy, el día dice “viento”,
viento de acá para allá,
y nubes que piensan “viento”
pasan sobre la ciudad.

Hoy, el día dice “viento”,
viento loco, en remolinos,
que viene no sé de dónde
y se va por donde vino.

Hoy, el día dice “viento”,
“viento” dice la mañana,
viento que agita y golpea
los paños de mi ventana.

Hoy, el día dice “viento”,
y hasta los rayos del sol
se sacuden con el viento:
¡todo es viento el día de hoy!

Using Spanish Poems with Language Learners

These are a few activities you can use with Hoy el día dice “viento”. May can also be adapted for Llueve, llueve, llueve, llueve or other of Douglas Wright’s Spanish poems for kids. What works for your child or class will depend on the age and language level.

– To help beginners understand, have props for hojas de los árboles, nubes, paños de mi ventana, rayos del sol (paper cut outs of a tree with leaves, clouds, window with panes, sun with rays).

– Once children are familiar with the poem, have them say the first line of each stanza or aay “Hoy, el día dice viento” together. Then you finish the stanza.

– Talk about the weather where you live using the same concept: ¿Qué dice el día hoy? ¿Lluvia? ¿Sol? ¿Frío?

– If you do calendar time and talk about weather, you can include this question as a part of your routine.

– Kids can illustrate the poem, include the things that are mentioned and label them.

– Make your own Hoy el día dice poem together. Decide what the day says, and choose objects that reflect what the weather is like.

– Point out the rhyming pairs in each stanza (every second and fourth line). sonoro-coro / allá-ciudad / remolinos-vino / mañana-ventana. Often rhyme in Spanish is assonant rhyme, where only the vowel sounds from the stressed syllable to the end of the word are the same. Ask kids to identity which pair these words would rhyme with – loro, oro, toro, tesoro, lloro/ soledad, verdad, oscuridad/ pino, vecino, tocino, termino / campana, rana, semana.

If you are working with children who have more Spanish, ask them to identify:
– What words are used to describe wind? (¿Cómo se describe el viento en el poema? – fuerte, sonoro, loco)

– What things does the wind move? ( ¿Cuáles son las cosas que mueve el viento? – las hojas de los árboles, las nubes, los paños de la ventana, los rayos del sol)

– What verbs describe how things move in the wind? (¿Cuáles son los verbos que describen como las cosas mueven con el viento?  – pasar, agitar, golpear, sacudirse)

You  many also be interested in this post: Spanish Poems for Kids – 17 Activities for National Poetry Month

Photo Credit: LoJoLu Photography via Compfight cc