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Music connects us to culture in an almost magical way. We are transported to specific times of life or travels, just by overhearing that certain song on the radio.
As parents raising global citizens, it makes sense that we want to fill our homes with songs from around the world. World music is a wonderful way to provide exposure to different sounds, rhythms, and voices. Music also helps kids learn a new language by helping the brain connect and memorize words in conjunction with rhythm and sounds.
In our home, we’re a “Spanglish” family trying to keep both languages strong. I speak both Spanish and English but I am not a native Spanish-speaker. I remember holding my first child as a baby and wanting to sing to him in Spanish, but the words were often hard for me to express. I wanted him to grow up knowing the little rhymes and folk songs his cousins in Peru knew– but I didn’t know them myself!
That began my journey into collecting songs in Spanish for kids, and I eventually gathered a whole library of music lists on YouTube so I could learn along too.
When parents ask me how to start teaching Spanish to their kids, I point them to music first. It’s an easy way to learn a language and get a feel for pronunciation. I want to teach my kids many different languages, so I reached out to my favorite Multicultural Kid Blogs family to see their world music lists. Thanks to them, we have a fantastic collection of global music!
World Music for Kids
I’ve sorted the links by language or country so you can find the music you need. First, I’ll share lists by language, and then I have a few that are country-specific.
Chinese Songs
Chinese Songs and Nursery Rhymes from Miss Panda Chinese
Sing, Rap, Speak Chinese from Miss Panda Chinese
8 Chinese Kiddie Songs from Bringing Up the Parks
Introduce Chinese to Children Through Songs from Miss Panda Chinese
Spanish Songs
Spanish Songs to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from MKB
Nursery Rhymes in Spanish from Spanish Mama
Traditional Nursery Rhymes in Spanish from Hispanic Mama
Spanish Songs for Young Children from Pura Vida Moms
Songs in Spanish for Upper Elementary Kids from Spanish Mama
French Songs
A Spotify List of French Songs from Talk in French
French Songs for Kids from Spanish Mama
Hungarian Songs
Hungarian Folk Music from Kid World Citizen
English Songs
Nursery Rhymes for Kids in English from Bilingual Kidspot
Traditional Songs from Learn English Kids
Arabic Songs
Songs and Rhymes in Arabic from MamaLisa
German Songs
German Children’s Songs from Spanish Mama
German Songs from Mama Lisa
Portuguese Songs
3 Albums of Portuguese Music from the Piri-Piri Lexicon
Japanese Songs
Easy Songs from Japanese Joy
Songs and Rhymes in Japanese from MamaLisa
Songs from Ghana
Highlife: the Signature Music of Ghana from Kid World Citizen
Global Song Collections
Multicultural Dance Hits for Brain Breaks from Kid World Citizen
Multicultural Music on YouTube from Daria
Kids Radio Stations from Around the World from Trilingual Mama
Favorite Apps, Instruments, and Songs from Around the World from Hispanic Mama
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Latest posts by Elisabeth Alvarado (see all)
- Hispanic Heritage Month Decorations: Beyond Tacos and Sombreros - September 28, 2018
- World Music for Kids: A Multilingual Round-Up of Song Lists - July 23, 2018
- 10 Fun Facts About Peru - September 1, 2017