 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Librosa Celebration of Childhood and Bilingual Literacy
TRADITIONAL SONGS, RHYMES, FINGERPLAYS,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Links to More Songs, Rhymes, Fingerplays, and Games
This song is also a game. Children hold hands and walk in a circle around a boy who stands in the middle. He chooses a girl to be the señorita and she takes his place in the middle of the circle. She chooses a boy, etc. A version of this song may be found in Arroz con Leche, Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America selected and illustrated by Lulu Delacre.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Arroz con leche me quiero casar |
Rice with milk, I'd like to get married, |
| con una señorita de la capital, |
to a young girl from the capital, |
| que sepa coser, |
who knows how to sew |
| que sepa contar, |
who knows how to sing, |
| que sepa abrir la puerta |
who knows how to open the door |
| para ir a jugar. |
so we can go out and play. |
| Yo soy la viudita, del barrio del rey, |
I am a widow, from the king's quarters, |
| Me quiero casar y no encuentro con quien: |
I'd like to marry, I know not with whom: |
| con éste, sí, con éste, no; |
with this one, it's yes; with this one, it's no. |
| contigo, mi vida, me casaré yo. |
with you, my dear, I'll marry you soon. |
This lullaby is from Central America.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Una camisita |
With a little shirt |
| te voy a poner |
I will dress you |
| el día de tu santo |
on your birthday |
| al amanecer. |
when the sun comes up. |
|
|
|
| Señora Santa Ana |
Mrs. Saint Anne |
| Señor San Joaquín |
Mr. Saint Joaquin |
| escondan al niño |
hide the boy |
| por el tacuazín. |
from the weasel |
|
|
|
| Señora Santa Ana |
Mrs. Saint Anne |
| porqué llora el niño |
why is the boy crying |
| por una manzana |
for an apple |
| que se le ha perdido |
that he has lost |
|
|
|
| No llores niñito |
Don't cry little boy |
| que aquí tengo dos |
because I have two apples |
| una para la Virgen |
one for the Virgin |
| y otra para vos |
and one for you |
Children in Mexico often drink chocolate with breakfast. They stir it with a special utensil called a molinillo which is held between the palms and rotated back and forth. During the chorus of this rhyme, children rub their palms together and pretend to "stir" the chocolate with a molinillo. Children repeat the verse, faster and faster each time. A version of this song may be found in Niñez, Spanish Songs, Games and Stories of Childhood by Virginia Nylander Ebinger.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Bate, bate, chocolate, |
Stir, stir, chocolate, |
| tu nariz de cacahuate. |
your nose is a peanut. |
| Uno, dos, tres, CHO! |
One, two, three, CHO! |
| Uno, dos, tres, CO! |
One, two, three, CO! |
| Uno, dos, tres, LA! |
One, two, three, LA! |
| Uno, dos, tres, TE! |
One, two, three, TE! |
| Chocolate, chocolate! |
Chocolate, chocolate! |
| Bate, bate, chocolate! |
Stir, stir, the chocolate! |
| Bate, bate, bate, bate, |
Stir, stir, stir, stir, |
| Bate, bate, CHOCOLATE! |
Stir, stir, CHOCOLATE! |
"De colores" came to the Americas from central Spain in the sixteenth century and is now sung all over the Spanish-speaking world on special occasions and celebrations. It is also the anthem of the United Farmworkers of America, a union founded by Cesar Chavez, most of whose members are Spanish-speaking. People hold hands and sway while singing this beautiful song. It may be found in De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by Jose-Luis Orozco.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| De colores, |
Painted in colors, |
| de colores se visten los campos |
the fields are dressed in colors |
| en la primavera. |
in the spring. |
| De colores, |
Painted in colors, |
| de colores son los pajaritos |
painted in colors are the little birds |
| que vienen de afuera. |
which come from the outside. |
| De colores, |
Painted with colors, |
| de colores es el arcoiris que |
painted with colors is the rainbow that |
| vemos lucir. |
we see shining brilliantly above. |
|
|
|
| Coro: |
Chorus: |
| Y por eso los grandes amores |
And that is why great loves |
| de muchos colores |
of many colors |
| me gustan a mi. |
are what I like. |
|
|
|
| Canta el gallo |
The rooster sings |
| canta el gallo con el kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri. |
the rooster sings with a kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri, kiri. |
| La gallina. |
The hen |
| la gallina con el cara, cara, cara, cara, |
The hen sings with a cara, cara, cara, cara, |
| Los pollitos, |
The little chicks |
| los pollitos con el pio, pio, pio, pio, pi. |
The little chicks with a pio, pio, pio, pio, pi. |
|
|
|
| Coro. |
Chorus. |
This lullaby originated in Spain and is sung throughout Latin America. For generations, mothers have used it to transmit love, warmth, and peace to their children as they fall asleep. It is in De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by Jose-Luis Orozco.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Duérmete, mi niño, |
Go to sleep, my boy, |
| duérmete solito, |
sleep by yourself, |
| que cuando despiertes |
for when you awaken |
| te daré atolito. |
I will give you cream corn soup. |
|
|
|
| Duérmete, mi niña, |
Go to sleep, my girl, |
| duérmete, mi sol, |
go to sleep my sun, |
| duérmete pedazo |
go to sleep, |
| de mi corazon. |
piece of my heart. |
In this song, "balanceaba" is sometimes sung in place of "columpiaba." Children add one elephant to the spider web in each verse for long as they wish to continue singing. A version of "Los elefantes" may be found in in De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by Jose-Luis Orozco.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Un elefante se columpiaba |
One elephant swung |
| Sobre la tela de una araña. |
On the web of a spider. |
| Y como veiron que resistía |
And when he saw that it held him, |
| Fueron a llamar otro elefante. |
He called another elephant. |
|
|
|
| Dos elefantes se columpiaba |
Two elephants swung |
| Sobre la tela de una araña. |
On the web of a spider. |
| Y como veiron que resistía |
And when they the saw that it held them, |
| Fueron a llamar otro elefante. |
They called another elephant. |
|
|
|
| Tres elefantes... |
Three elephants... |
| Cuatro elefantes... |
Four elephants.. |
| Cinco elefantes... |
Five elephants... |
This is a repeating rhyme. An adult tells the rhyme to a young child and asks "Should I tell it to you again?" The child says "Yes," and the adult repeats it until the child says no.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Había una vez un gato |
Once upon a time there was a cat |
| con los pies de trapo |
who had feet made out of cloth |
| y los ojos al revés. |
and the eyes upside-down. |
| Quieres que te lo cuente otra vez? |
Should I tell it to you again? |
Mañanitas are traditional Mexican songs that people sing early in the morning on birthdays and other special days. Often people are awakened with this song on their birthdays. Young men also serenade their girlfriends with this beautiful song. Sometimes mariachi bands are hired to serenade the celebrant. This song may be found De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by Jose-Luis Orozco.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Estas son las mañanitas |
These are the morning songs |
| que cantaba el Rey David. |
that King David used to sing. |
| Hoy por ser día de tu santo |
Because today is your birthday |
| te las cantamos a ti. |
We are singing them to you. |
|
|
|
| Coro: |
Chorus: |
| Despierta, mi bien, despierta, |
Awaken, my dear, awaken, |
| mira que ya amaneció |
and see that the day has dawned, |
| ya los pajarillos cantan, |
now the little birds are singing, |
| la luna ya se metió. |
And the moon has set.. |
This rhyme may be found in Los Pollitos Dicen, The Baby Chicks Sing by Nancy Abraham Hall and Jill Syverson-Stork.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Los pollitos dicen "pío, pío, pío", |
Baby chicks say "pio, pio, pio," |
| cuando tienen hambre, |
when they are hungry. |
| cuando tienen frío. |
when they are cold. |
|
|
|
| La gallina busca |
The hen looks |
| el maíz y el trigo, |
for wheat and corn, |
| les da su comida, |
she gives them their food, |
| y les presta abrigo. |
And she keeps them warm. |
|
|
|
| Bajo sus dos alas |
Under her two wings |
| acurrucaditos |
tucked in and snuggled tight |
| hasta el otro día |
until the next day |
| duermen los pollitos. |
they sleep all through the night.. |
"Cucú" is the sound of a frog. This song describes what a little frog sees from a pond. Additional verses may be added at any time to describe what is happening in the room in which the children are singing.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Cucú, cucú cantaba la rana |
Cucú, cucú sang the frog |
| Cucú, cucú debajo del agua, |
Cucú, cucú under the water |
| Cucú, cucú pasó un caballero |
Cucú, cucú a man walked by |
| Cucú, cucú con capa y sombrero |
Cucú, cucú with coat and hat |
| Cucú, cucú paso una señora |
Cucú, cucú a woman walked by |
| Cucú, cucú con traje de cola, |
Cucú, cucú with a long dress |
| Cucú, cucú pasó un marinero, |
Cucú, cucú a sailor walked by |
| Cucú, cucú vendiendo romero, |
Cucú, cucú selling rosemary |
| Cucú, cucú le pidió un ramito, |
Cucú, cucú the little frog asks for a sprig |
| Cucú, cucú no le quiso dar, |
Cucú, cucú but he doesn't give her any |
| Cucú, cucú y se echó a llorar. |
Cucú, cucú so she starts to cry. |
This rhyme is said to have magical healing power. Parents gently rub or tap their fingers over a cut, bruise, or other injury in a circular motion, repeating the rhyme, and the injured child quickly feels better. "Sana" means heal. This song is in De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children by Jose-Luis Orozco.
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
| Sana, sana, |
Heal, heal, |
| colita de rana, |
little tail of the frog, |
| Si no sanas hoy, |
If you don't heal today, |
| sanarás mañana. |
you'll heal tomorrow. |
Children hold hands and walk or skip in a circle around one child, the frog, who stands in the middle. The children sing the song once and then ask the child in the middle how she feels: "¿Cómo amaneció la ranita?" The child in the middle decides if she is ¡bien! (well) or ¡engusanada! (dead and full of maggots.) If she is well, she stays in the middle for another round. If she is dead, all of the children run away screaming and laughing, until she catches one of them who then becomes the frog. Torojil is a medicinal herb, and this song is as popular in some Central American countries as "Ring Around the Rosie" is in the United States.
| Vamos a la vuelta |
Let's go around and around |
| del toro torojil |
of the bull torojil |
| a ver a la rana |
to see the little frog |
| comiendo perejil |
who's eating parsley |
|
|
|
| La rana no está aquí |
The frog is not here |
| estará en su vergel |
she's probably in her garden |
| cortando una rosa |
cutting a rose |
| sembrando un clavel. |
planting a carnation. |
| ¿Cómo amaneció la ranita? |
how is the frog this morning? |
| [the frog responds either]: ¡bien! or ¡engusanada! |
[the frog responds either]: better! or full of maggots! |
Back to El Día de los Niños Table of Contents
Resources for Selecting Bilingual and Spanish Children's Books
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
