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Lesson plan: «A mi burro le duele la cabeza»

Children sing «A mi burro le duele la cabeza» (“My Donkey Has a Headache”) touching each part of the body the song names, remember the doctor’s pretend remedies in order and play at caring for someone who feels unwell.

Ages
Ages 3–6
Time
35 minutes
Areas
Language and communication · Movement and the body · Getting along and feelings

Opening

  1. Show the donkey lying down, as if he felt unwell, and ask: «¿Qué le pasará? ¿Qué hacemos cuando a alguien le duele algo?» (“What could be wrong? What do we do when something hurts?”). Welcome every answer.
  2. Play at touching the parts of the body the song names: the head, the throat, the «pezuñas» (“hooves”: your feet!), the heart, the knees, the ears and the eyes.
  3. Watch the video once, together, to meet all the doctor’s remedies. Then turn the screen off.

Main activity

  1. Sing slowly, without the video, and touch each part of the body when the song names it: your head on «le duele la cabeza» (“his head hurts”), your throat on «le duele la garganta» (“his throat hurts”), and so on, down to the eyes.
  2. Before each verse, ask: «¿Y ahora qué le duele?» (“And what hurts now?”). Let the group point to it on their own bodies before singing it.
  3. Since each verse repeats the earlier remedies, from the newest back to the first, lay the cards in a row and point to them one by one as you sing them. With older children, turn the cards face down and sing the list from memory.
  4. Play doctor in pairs: one child is the donkey and their partner gives each pretend remedy, while someone, taking turns, puts the cap, the scarf or the glasses on the toy donkey. It’s all make-believe: real medicine is only ever given by an adult.
  5. On «ya no le duele nada» (“nothing hurts anymore”), the donkeys take off their remedies and, on «¡mi burro sano está!» (“my donkey is healthy!”), everyone jumps. Switch roles and play again.

Closing

  1. To finish, take the cap, the scarf and the glasses off the toy donkey and pick up the cards one by one while the group names each remedy.
  2. Talk about it: “What hurt the donkey? Who looked after him? Who do we tell when something hurts?”
  3. Color a page from the song’s coloring book and ask each child to tell what is happening to the donkey in their picture.

Materials

  • A toy donkey (or any stuffed animal playing the donkey)
  • A cap, a scarf and toy glasses without lenses, for the toy donkey
  • Picture cards, one for each remedy in the song
  • Crayons

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What to observe

  • Touches the part of the body the song names.
  • Points to or says what hurts the donkey before each verse.
  • Names some of the remedies when the song repeats them.
  • Looks after the donkey gently and switches roles when it’s their turn.

Adaptations

  • With 2-year-olds, sing just the first verses, touch the head, the throat and the feet, and put the cap and the scarf on the toy donkey.
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, use the remedy cards and a drawing of the body: they can point to what hurts the donkey or choose the remedy.
  • For children who need to move less, everything works sitting down: touching the parts of the body, putting the remedies on the toy donkey and clapping instead of jumping at the end.
  • If the group speaks other languages, ask how to say «cabeza» (“head”), «orejas» (“ears”) and «ojos» (“eyes”) at home and touch each part saying it in both languages.

For families

Ask families to sing the song and, before each verse, to ask what hurts now so their child can point to it on their own body.

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • Teach the body words with gestures (TPR), touching each one: «cabeza» (head), «garganta» (throat), «corazón» (heart), «rodillas» (knees), «orejas» (ears), «ojos» (eyes).
  • Model one line at a time and let students echo it: each verse adds one remedy and repeats the rest, so students can join in on the parts they remember.
  • Ask «¿Qué le duele?» (“What hurts?”); students point and answer «¡La cabeza!» or «¡Los ojos!». Point out «le duele» for one thing and «le duelen» for more than one.

ACTFL World-Readiness Standards: Communication (interpretive and interpersonal), Cultures (a traditional game is a cultural practice; the song, a cultural product) and Comparisons (Spanish sounds and words next to your students’ languages).

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