Category: English Songs for Kids

Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes Song in Kids English Class

The Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes song is a basic song I use a lot when teaching children English (ESL, EFL). It is simple, active, and teaches useful vocabulary.

How to Teach

I start with the students by touching my head and saying, “head.” To add a little fun you can then shake your head with your hands and say, “wiggle, wiggle” kids love this. Repeat the same for all body parts: head, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

If you know the song, sing it once a cappella (without background music) then press play on the CD or video and sing with your students!

Free Head, Shoulders MP3 Download

You can download a free MP3 of the Head, Shoulders song, and watch a video with the actions by clicking here. Make this song a regular in your classes!

Santa is Coming Christmas Action Song for Young Learners EFL ESL

Learning English through actions is a great and tested way to get the most out of your classes. The Santa is Coming Christmas song is full of useful actions and phrases for your young learner class. Lyrics and more below the video:

Lyrics:

Merry, Merry Christmas
Merry, Merry Christmas

Decorate the Christmas tree.
Put out milk.
Put out cookies.

Santa is coming, Santa is coming here

Put on your pajamas.
Brush your teeth.
Go to bed early.

Santa is coming, Santa is coming here

Wake up.
Go to the living room.
Find your present.
Open your present.

Santa is coming, Santa is coming here
Merry, Merry Christmas
Merry, Merry Christmas

The great thing about using actions is that children learn at different paces. Some students might get the actions right away, and others might get the words first. You do not have to pressure your students to sing the song. Encourage them, and teach the actions to start. You can also make up your own actions to fit your class.

I hope this song brings a lot of fun and learning to your Christmas classes!

Shake It Out Song and Rain, Rain Go Away with Dream English and The Learning Station

Learning from others is a continuous journey as a teacher, I think. That is why I was thrilled to get the chance to make some videos with The Learning Station! The Learning Station are award winning leaders in the children’s education music industry.

Shake It Out is a song I wrote to get students up and moving. And teachers, too! It teaches body parts and actions. Be sure to sing and dance along. Don joins me in the dance, and I think we can all agree that he can shake it with the best of them!

Singing In The Rain is a fun and silly song, perfect for a rainy day! Don taught me this song, and it was so much fun to sing and dance to. Have a look at the video, and give it a try in your classes.

A big thank you to Don and Laurie for hosting Dream English and inviting us to make some videos together. And most importantly learn from some great people who are making amazing children’s educational content. Check out The Learning Station here!

New Halloween Walk Song and Video for Children’s English Class

Children learn English (ESL, EFL) through input, and adding actions to that input makes it even easier for the students to learn. The new Halloween Walk song combines Halloween vocabulary and fun actions to get your students learning effortlessly. More below the video:

How to Teach the Song

If you have time in your class, show the video one time to your students so that they become familiar with the song and actions. Next, teach them the lyrics, and do the actions. You can have your students repeat after you, but if they are not ready yet, just simply have them do the actions and listen. Here are the lyrics:

Let’s go for a Halloween walk. (x2)
I’m not scared, no, no. (x2)
Stop! What’s that sound? A black cat?
Shh! Be very, very quiet! Safe!
(repeat with pirate and witch)

After practicing the lyrics together with your students, play the video one more time and have your students sing and do the actions the best they can! Remember, if they are young learners do not pressure them to sing if they are not ready. All students learn at their own pace. You should, however, encourage them by saying, “Let’s try singing a little bit louder. Here we go!”

I hope you find this song useful and fun for your classes. Check out more Halloween songs at www.dreamenglish.com/halloween Happy Halloween!

Top 10 Dream English Songs for Teaching English to Children

When I started Dream English there were not many songs available that were great for teaching young learners English (ESL, EFL). Now there are hundreds! I thought it would be helpful to talk about the songs I use most teaching children ages 3-8 English.

Top 10 Dream English Songs for Teaching Children English

  1. Hello Song – A great song to start the class. Say hello, make a circle, and walk this way! Watch video here!
  2. What’s Your Name? – Asking students, “What’s your name?” is something that I do in every class! It’s simple interaction, and kids always enjoy saying their names. Watch video here!
  3. Let’s Count 1 to 10 – A favorite numbers and actions song. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, jump! Watch video here!
  4. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes – This traditional song is perfect for teaching body parts. The speed up part makes it super fun for students! Watch video here!
  5. ABC Rock Song – A bit of a twist on the ABC song with a fun A to Z chant in the middle. Watch video here!
  6. Colors Action Song – Let’s sing colors, and do actions with each color. A great movement and color song! Watch video here!
  7. Weather Song – The sun comes up, up, up! Another fun action song, teaches weather and some prepositions. Watch video here!
  8. Days of the Week Song – Monday, Tuesday, la, la, la! Be sure to do all of the actions in this pop song about the Days of the Week! Watch video here!
  9. What Can you do? Action Song – Jump, I can jump! Let’s do some fun actions while we sing along to this simple song! Watch video here!
  10. Shapes Song – A circle, a triangle, a square, a heart. I’ve always liked the simplicity of this song, and the actions that go along make it a great motor skills song. Watch video here!
  11. Wake Up Song / Daily Routines – One of the first, and still most popular Dream English songs. Let’s wake up, brush our teeth, and more in this fun daily routines song. Watch video here!
  12. Goodbye Song – Another early Dream English song, that is still a favorite. Let’s clap our hands, spin around, do more actions and say Goodbye to the class! Watch video here!

So that is the list of the songs I use most to teach English. Some of these I wrote years ago, and some more recent. Check out the videos for all of the songs , and you can find most of these songs on our Free Download Page, or on Spotify and iTunes. Happy Singing!