Wind the Bobbin Up is a simple action song that’s super popular with the little ones.

My Poor Hand is Shaking is a catchy, traditional action song that can be used to encourage beat motions.

My Poor hand is shaking, I can’t make it stop.

My Poor hand is shaking, I can’t make it stop.

Oh help me mama, I can’t make it stop!

My Poor hand is shaking, I can’t make it stop.

STOP!

This is a traditional children’s song about a sailor that went to sea. It’s common to add a few verses after the first, even though they don’t make sense, because they can be a lot of fun for kids. Here, we extend the song with some chopping, stomping and beat motions to help kids develop a sense of beat.

“The Water is Wide”, also known as “O Waly, Waly”, is a beautiful folk song of Scottish origin. There are many versions of it and various ways to sing it. Here, we keep things simple for the little ones and sing it as an echo song.

Que llueva is a traditional Spanish children’s song. I was surprised by how quickly kids fell in love with this one. It did take them a little longer to learn because of the Spanish, but kids love this song and frequently request it.

Here are the lyrics:

Que llueva, que llueva, el quetzal está en la cueva.

Que llueva, que llueva, el quetzal está en la cueva.

Los pajaritos cantan, las nubes se levantan.

Que sí, que no, que caiga un chaparrón.

Que sí, que no, que caiga un chaparrón.

And here’s my translation:

Let it rain, let it rain, the quetzal is in the cave,

Let it rain, let it rain, the quetzal is in the cave,

The little birds are singing, and the clouds are lifting.

It may rain rain, it may not, let it pour a lot!

It may rain rain, it may not, let it pour a lot!

Note that “el quetzal” can be replaced by other animals in order to easily add more verses. Simply swap out “el quetzal” with another animal, and the rest of the song remains the same.

Here are some options:

el cóndor (the condor)

la serpiente (the snake)

la tortuga (the turtle)

el venado (the deer)