Spanish songs with actions

Why actions help

An action gives your child a way to join in before they know the words, and it shows what each part is about: a pat on the tummy on «hambre» (“hungry”), a hug on «frío» (“cold”). It also signals what’s coming next, which can make it easier to come in on time.

Moving to music comes naturally: in a study with 120 babies aged 5 to 24 months, they moved more rhythmically to music than to someone talking, and the ones who matched the music best smiled the most. And keeping the beat works better together: in another study, children aged 2½ to 4½ drummed more in time with a person than with a machine.

Doing the action, not just watching it, counts too: in a small study with 20 French children around age 5 who were learning English words, those who repeated a gesture as they said each word could later say more of the words than those who learned them with pictures. Worth knowing if your family is learning Spanish.

Fingerplays and whole-body actions

Fingerplays use just the hands: the little beak in «Los pollitos dicen» (“The Little Chicks Say”), the rocking boat in «El barquito chiquitico» (“The Teeny Tiny Boat”), the comb in «Pin Pon es un muñeco» (“Pin Pon Is a Doll”). You can do them sitting down, on your lap, in the car or in a waiting room, and they give hands and fingers some practice. They’re a good place to start with the youngest, and for quiet moments.

Whole-body actions need room: crouching and jumping like frogs in «Cucú, cucú, cantaba la rana» (“Cucú, Cucú, the Frog Was Singing”), dancing with the doll in «Tengo una muñeca vestida de azul» (“I Have a Doll Dressed in Blue”) or touching each sore spot in «A mi burro le duele la cabeza» (“My Donkey Has a Headache”). Use them when kids need to move, after sitting for a while or before something calm, and finish with a slow round.

To teach a song with actions, sing slowly, face to face, one action at a time. Once your child knows it, pause just before the action so they can do it on their own; then you can speed up a little.

Make up actions together

There are no wrong actions: ask «¿cómo hace la tortuga?» (“what does the turtle do?”) and make your child’s idea the song’s action. In «Cucú, cucú, cantaba la rana», sing «Cucú, cucú, pasó un…» (“Cucú, cucú, along came a…”) and let your child decide who comes by and what they do; in «Los pollitos dicen», switch animals: «los patitos dicen cuac, cuac, cuac» (“the little ducks say quack, quack, quack”).

Take turns leading: the leader makes up an action and everyone copies it, then someone else leads. You can also play «Pin Pon dice» (“Pin Pon says”) with other routines, like brushing teeth. When the idea comes from your child, the song becomes theirs.

For children who move less

Every action has a seated version: a clap on each «cucú» instead of a jump, hands dancing on knees, arms instead of legs. If fingers are hard, the action can use the whole hand, the head, the eyes or the voice. What matters is joining in, not doing it exactly the same way.

With babies and children who need help, do the actions on their body, gently, watching whether they enjoy it: the little beak on their hand, a hug on «frío». A child with low vision can rest their hands on yours to feel the movement. For children who don’t speak yet or who use picture symbols, the pictogram lyric sheets for «Los pollitos dicen», «El barquito chiquitico», «Pin Pon es un muñeco» and «Tengo una muñeca vestida de azul» let them point to what comes next.

If your child needs more time, stick to one or two actions per song and repeat them without rushing. A familiar song with the usual actions is a good place to start.