“Kaeru no Uta” or “Frog’s Song” is a Japanese song about a little frog and the sound he makes. I introduced this song to preschoolers when they were learning a bit about Japan and I was impressed by how much they took to this song. Students loved it and even the youngest children join in by making the frog sounds at the end. The song is super simple and so is the Japanese. Don’t shy away from this song because it’s in a foreign language. From my experience, children generally enjoy and get excited about singing in a foreign language. I’m no expert in Japanese, but I’m good with foreign languages and the pronunciation in the video is pretty close. Use it as a guide, and you’ll be just fine.

I’ve also introduced this song to elementary students. What’s fun about singing it with older kids is that it can also be sung as a round, with different groups starting at different times.

All in all, it’s an easy song, it can be learned quickly, and kids love it.

Here are the lyrics:

Kaeru no uta ga,

Kikoete kuru yo,

Gwa, gwa, gwa, gwa

Gero gero gero gero,

Gwa gwa gwa.

And here’s a translation:

The frog’s song,

Come hear it,

Croak, croak, croak, croak,

ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit,

Croak, croak, croak.

Frog in the meadow is a super simple and short song that can be learned in a flash. The kids I taught learned it quickly and got a kick out of it. Since it’s so short and simple, it’s a good song to get kids singing independently.

After I recorded this video, I attended a music education workshop with John Feierabend. He recommended that children choose body parts to “stir” with while singing the song. I think this is a great idea. It would add some more movement and make it fun for the kids- just picture kids stirring their foot or their elbow as they try singing this song 🙂

Here are the words to this one:

Frog in the meadow can’t get him out,

Take a little stick and stir him about.

Try it with your kids and let me know how it went!

This is a traditional lullaby that is easy to sing.

Here are the lyrics:

Sleep, baby sleep,

thy father tends the sheep.

Mother shakes the dreamland tree,

and down fall pleasant dreams for thee.

Sleep, baby sleep.

San Severino is a traditional action song sung in Spanish about the various jobs and careers people have. The two jobs I included in the video are “la tortillera”, the person who makes “tortillas”, and “la lavendera”, the person who washes clothes. The reason I included these is because they are traditional verses that go with the song and because they are traditional jobs one might have latin america.

You could really add any careers or jobs to the list. When one of my Kindergarten classes sang this, I had them each tell me what jobs they wanted to do when they grew up and we included those verses in a performance at their Kindergarten Graduation.

Here are a few that we came up with:

“el policía” the police officer

“el bombero” the fireman

“el cocinero” the chef

“la bailarina” the ballerina/dancer

“el doctor” or “el medico” the doctor

“el artista” the artist

“la maestra” the teacher

“el dentista” the dentist

We had fun making up the verses and accompanying movements together.

Choose a few verses that resonate with you and try this song with your class or your own kids and let me know how it went in the comments section.

Here’s another action song that’s great for the little ones. It’s fun, short, and easy to learn.

Here are the lyrics:

Bling blang, hammer with my hammer,

Zingo zango, cutting with my saw.

Kids really love this one! It’s a simple action song about a little puppy named Rags.

Here are the lyrics:

My little puppy’s name is Rags.

He eats so much that his tummy sags.

His ears flip-flop and his tail wig-wags,

and when he walks, he zigs and zags!

Flip-flop, wig-wag, zig zag!

Flip-flop, wig-wag, zig zag!

My little puppy’s name is Rags.

He eats so much that his tummy sags.

He doesn’t have any pedigree,

but I love him and he loves me!

Flip-flop, wig-wag, zig zag!

Flip-flop, wig-wag, zig zag!

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)

https://youtu.be/Z-c_4F6SkGA

This is a simple echo song that kids love to sing. One of the things that makes it so simple, is that the phrases are so short. Almost any kid will enthusiastically echo these phrases without thinking twice. The words are kind of bizarre, as they’re just a series of unfortunate events, but this is a huge kid pleaser and it can get children singing instantly. Try singing this song with your kids and let me know how it was received in the comments section. Happy singing!

This is a simple, repetitive counting song that easy to sing. Kids will be able to learn this one quickly and sing it by themselves.

Down by the Bay is a fun and popular echo song. Besides learning to match pitch with simple phrases, it can be used to help children learn to rhyme. For this video, my guest wanted to choose the rhymes and sing them on her own. There are endless possibilities on how to use this song. It’s a definite kid favorite. Sing it and kids will thank you (and perhaps never stop singing it).

This is a rhyme and about chopping vegetables and making vegetable soup. It encourages students to keep a steady beat through beat motions.

A traditional rhyme about apples.

Los elefantes is a traditional children’s song in Spanish about elephants balancing on a spider web.

Here is a rough translation:

Un elefante se balanceaba               An elephant was balancing

sobre la tela de una araña.               on the web of a spider

Como veía que resistía,                    Since he saw that it held up,

Fue a llamar a otro elefante.           He went to call another elephant.

This is a popular children’s song about five green and speckled frogs. It counts down from five, and has some great opportunities for pitch exploration. Yum yum!

This is a fun rhyme for the little ones and it’s just in time for the fall. It’s great to encourage pitch exploration and inflection in the voice. Kids love it and they always look forward to the last line- “well I don’t know!”

Bill Grogan’s Goat is a humorous echo song. Echo songs are great for young children, because they get to sing by themselves, and don’t have trouble singing the short phrases. Children learn best when they get to sing by themselves, but they sometimes have trouble singing the entire thing. This is a great stepping stone in matching pitch and rhythm. My kids love echo songs so much, they make up their own and have me echo.