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Lesson plan: «Los pollitos dicen»

Children sing «Los pollitos dicen» with its actions, imitate farm-animal sounds and talk about how we care for someone who is hungry or cold.

Ages
Ages 2–4
Time
25 minutes
Areas
Language and communication · Music and creative expression · The natural and social world

Opening

  1. Pull the toy chick out of a bag and ask: «¿Quién es? ¿Cómo hace?» (“Who is it? What does it say?”). Welcome every answer.
  2. Ask what they do when they are hungry and when they are cold. Draw two or three answers on the board.
  3. Watch the video once, together, to hear the whole song. Then turn the screen off.

Main activity

  1. Sing the first verse slowly, without the video. On «pío, pío, pío», open and close your fingers like a little beak.
  2. Add the actions: tummy on «hambre» (“hungry”), hug and shiver on «frío» (“cold”), peck the floor on «busca el maíz y el trigo» (“looks for corn and wheat”) and open your arms on «les presta abrigo» (“keeps them warm”).
  3. Sing «Los pollitos dicen…» and pause so the group fills in «pío, pío, pío». Pause again before «hambre», «frío» and «calentitos» (“nice and warm”).
  4. Play hen and chicks: one child opens the blanket like wings and, on «bajo sus dos alas» (“under her two wings”), the chicks huddle underneath. Change the hen every round.
  5. Change the animal: «Los gatitos dicen miau, miau, miau» (kittens), «los patitos dicen cuac, cuac, cuac» (ducklings). Let the group choose the next animal and its sound.

Closing

  1. Sing the last verse very softly, as if the chicks were already asleep, hands under your cheek.
  2. Talk about it: “What did the hen do for her chicks? Who looks after us when we are cold or hungry?”
  3. Color a page from the song’s coloring book and ask each child to tell what is happening in their picture.

Materials

  • A toy chick or hen (or a picture of one)
  • A blanket or large scarf for the wings
  • Crayons

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What to observe

  • Fills in «pío, pío, pío» or another word during the pause.
  • Does the actions at the right moment in the song.
  • Imitates animal sounds and suggests a new one.
  • Waits for a turn to be the hen and looks after the chicks.

Adaptations

  • With 1- and 2-year-olds, sing it on your lap and do the actions on their body: the little beak on their hand, a hug on «frío».
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, use the song’s pictogram sheet and point to each picture as you sing it.
  • For children who need to move less, every action works sitting down, and an adult can hold the blanket.
  • If the group speaks other languages, ask how chicks “talk” at home and sing it that way too.

For families

Ask families to sing the song at bedtime and to ask what the chicks do when they are cold.

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • Teach the key words with gestures (TPR): «pollitos» (little chicks), «gallina» (hen), «hambre» (hungry), «frío» (cold), «alas» (wings).
  • Model one line at a time and let students echo it: the repeated «pío, pío, pío» gives everyone an early success.
  • Ask yes/no questions in Spanish with the picture: «¿Tienen frío los pollitos?» — «Sí» / «No».

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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