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Lesson plan: «Pin Pon es un muñeco»

Children sing «Pin Pon es un muñeco» (“Pin Pon Is a Doll”) miming washing their face and combing their hair, talk about their own everyday routines and use the song during classroom routines.

Ages
Ages 2–5
Time
25 minutes
Areas
Movement and the body · Getting along and feelings · Language and communication

Opening

  1. Pull Pin Pon out of a bag and introduce him: «Este es Pin Pon. ¿De qué está hecho? ¿Qué hará cada mañana?» (“This is Pin Pon. What is he made of? What might he do every morning?”). Welcome every answer.
  2. Ask what each child does in the morning before coming to school: washing their face, combing their hair, getting dressed… Act it out together.
  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 «se lava la carita» (“he washes his little face”), pretend to wash your face with soap and water, and pause before «jabón» (“soap”) so the group fills in the word.
  2. On «siempre se peina» (“always combs his hair”), comb your hair slowly with your hand. On «no llora ni hace así» (“he doesn’t cry or go like this”), pretend to cry, rubbing your eyes, then shake your head no.
  3. On «dame la mano con un fuerte apretón» (“give me your hand with a strong squeeze”), shake hands with the person next to you, firmly but gently. Anyone who prefers another greeting can give a high five or wave from where they are.
  4. Taking turns, a few children wash Pin Pon’s little face with the towel and comb his hair with his comb, gently so it doesn’t pull, while the group sings.
  5. Play «Pin Pon dice» (“Pin Pon says”): name another routine, like «Pin Pon se lava los dientes» (he brushes his teeth) or «Pin Pon se pone los zapatos» (he puts on his shoes), and the group acts it out. Let the group suggest the next one.

Closing

  1. End with the real routine: go and wash hands before eating or going out to play, singing «Pin Pon se lava las manitas» (“Pin Pon washes his little hands”).
  2. Talk about it: “What does Pin Pon do every day? What about you? What can we do if the comb pulls?” Remind them that when something hurts, it’s fine to say so and ask for help.
  3. Have children draw Pin Pon doing one of his routines and ask each child to tell what he is doing.

Materials

  • A doll or a puppet to be Pin Pon (it can be a drawing glued onto cardboard)
  • A comb and a small towel, just for Pin Pon
  • Paper and crayons

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What to observe

  • Fills in «jabón» or another word during the pause.
  • Mimes washing their face and combing their hair at the right moment.
  • Names or acts out one of their own routines, like brushing their teeth or putting on their shoes.
  • Greets the child next to them with a handshake or another greeting they both accept.

Adaptations

  • With 1-year-olds, sing it while you really wash their face or comb their hair, and do the actions on their body.
  • For children who don’t speak yet or who use AAC, use the song’s pictogram sheet and point to the water, the soap and the comb as you sing them.
  • For children who need to move less, the whole song works sitting down, and the greeting can be a raised hand.
  • If the group speaks other languages, ask how to say «agua» (water), «jabón» (soap) or «amigo» (friend) at home and sing it that way too.

For families

Ask families to sing the song while their child washes their face or combs their hair, so the routine becomes a game.

If you teach Spanish as a new language

  • Teach the key words with gestures (TPR): «carita» (little face), «agua» (water), «jabón» (soap), «peine» (comb), «mano» (hand), «amigo» (friend).
  • Model one line at a time and let students echo it: the last line, «Pin Pon, Pin Pon, Pin Pon», gives everyone an easy early success.
  • Mime a routine and ask either/or questions in Spanish: «¿Se lava o se peina?» (“Is he washing or combing his hair?”) — «¡Se peina!».

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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