Mandarin Songs for Kids & Toddlers
I was working in London Yuhua Chinese School (unfortunately, it closed down a long time ago) that taught children of different cultural backgrounds up to age 4. Some were toddlers too!
How did we set up our classes? What did we teach kids? Our founder Ms. Huang Ru-yu was a piano teacher for children and a mother to a 2nd generation immigrant son. She found that the best way to familiarise kids with concepts and a language was through combining songs, dancing and toys.
Below are some of the songs that we used in class. Many songs have foreign (i.e. non-Chinese) origin. If I have mistaken any, please write to me so that I can correct my list.
Happy singing with kids!
Translated from other languages:
- Search term: 王老先生有塊地 (Old McDonald Had a Farm)
- Search term: 小星星 Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars
- Search term: 我是隻小小鳥 Wenn ich ein Vöglein wär
- Search term: 兩隻老虎 Frère Jacques
Learn about body parts through the use of tigers
- Search term: 大象 ぞうさん — Zou San
- Search term: 頭兒肩膀膝腳趾 Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes
- Search term: 火車快飛 London Bridge Is Falling Down
Learn about a trip in a train
Original Mandarin:
- Search term: 造飛機 (literally: airplane)
- Search term: 我的朋友在哪里 (literally: Where are my friends)
Learn to count from 1 to 7
- Search term: 郊遊 (literally: excursion)
Learn vocabulary about nature
- Search term: 三輪車跑得快 (literally: tricycle runs fast)
- Search term: 小花貓 (literally: little colourful cat)
- Search term: 魚兒水中游 (literally: fish swims in water)
- Search term: 醜小鴨 (literally: ugly duckling)
- Search term: 媽媽的眼睛 (literally: mom’s eyes)
- Search term: 世上只有媽媽好 (literally: moms are the best in the world)
- Search term: 小白兔白又白 (literally: little white rabbit is very white)
- Search term: 猴子吃香蕉 (literally: monkeys eat bananas)
Learn to ask for a count
- Search term: 巴士車的輪子轉啊轉 (literally: the wheels of a bus turn and turn)
Learn common phrases for social interactions on a bus
