Teach Kids Chinese: Sing Together
Songs are stories. They are a lot of fun for kids. Listen to songs in Mandarin and you are listening to the words and tones without any efforts. Listen and sing!
Old McDonald Had A Farm is a song that kids love. Sing it and see it. See the animals that are in the song. Listen to the sounds that animals make in the song. Now, listen to it performed in Chinese instruments, starts at 2:05 and join the audience and sing E-I-E-I-O yī yā yī yā yō 咿呀 咿呀 喲!
Singing is a joy. It is early literacy for children before they start reading. Singing is playful even for babies. I wholeheartedly enjoy watching my students sing every time. It doesn’t how old they are. Singing is a bridge to communicate words and emotions. And, I also believe it is a way to get familiar with the sound of Mandarin Chinese. So, start listening and start singing along.
Here are my favorite Chinese song albums that you can start with your child.
Chinese Children’s Classics
This is my top choice because of the high-quality production and crystal clear singing. Toni Wang, the producer, and performer is a musician and a mother who is raising bilingual children. The 15 songs in her collection are carefully selected with simple and repetitive lyrics.
Chinese Lullabies
This album by
Little Dragon Tales: Chinese Children’s Songs
You will enjoy this fun album by The Shanghai Restoration Project. All the songs are sung by children and the music arrangement is playful.
Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes: Share and Sing in Two Languages
There are songs in Chinese and English. You will hear a mother and child duet. The mother’s vocal is the lead and the young child follows her. Keep in mind the young child in the album is learning as well so the pronunciation and tune are not as perfect as the lead vocal.
Let’s Learn Mandarin Chinese With Miss Panda!
This is a collection of classic and original Chinese children’s songs and rhymes. Each track starts with a story in English and leads young listeners and parents to the featured Chinese expressions and sentences. It is a Chinese English bilingual album designed for children and families with no or limited Mandarin Chinese background. There are over 100 commonly used everyday Chinese words and expressions in the album. This There is also a Companion Learning Guide.
Do you Spotify? Here is a playlist that you and your child can start with.
Sing Together Songs To Start With Playlist on Spotify
Start listening to songs with your child! When you are ready joining in and sing along! With all the resources listed here, what are you going to try first? Pick one and start listening today!
The Miss Panda Chinese Guided Program is a learning community for parents and kids led by Amanda Miss Panda. If you are interested in this program you can sign up here to receive your invitation.
Photo by Emma Frances Logan
Teach Kids Chinese: Sing Together