11 Websites for Children to Learn English by Singing

WorshipWhen teaching very young learners in Germany, I would have them listen to and sing English songs during each class. I created playlists for the children and would let the parents know where to get the CDs or download the mp3s so the children could listen to the songs at home. I noticed the children singing the songs while coloring if I played the English songs in the background. This showed me that the children were memorizing the lyrics and indeed learning the vocabulary. Get your young learners to practice English by teaching them English songs and chants. The websites below provide you with the words, hand gestures, and tips for helping your young language learners practice English by singing. For more ideas and resources, check out our webinar recording, Learning and Teaching English with Songs.

To learn more about integrating technology to support English language learners, attend our free Friday webinars.

Recommended Websites and Apps

  • Bus Songs– Find the lyrics, listen to the audio, and watch the Youtube video of famous children’s songs.
  • The Teacher’s Guide Children’s Songs– Download the lyrics as pdfs, watch the videos, and listen to the midis.
  • Kididdles– Find the lyrics and download the midis of various children’s songs.
  • Free Kids Music– Download a pdf of lyrics and chords for traditional children’s songs. Also, listen to the audio.
  • Teaching English Games– Find games, videos, tips and hand movement for songs created for young language learners.
  • Freddiesville– Find a list of songs for young language learners with the audio and learning objectives.
  • Cullen’s ABCs– Free video lessons for children to learn English through fingerplays, chants and songs.
  • ESL-Lounge– Find a list of songs with the grammar each song teaches.
  • Children’s Music Archive– Find lyrics, sing-along suggestions, coloring sheets and activities for some of the children’s songs in this extensive database. Click on the letter to browse through the database. Icons next to the title will let you know if a pdf, iTunes link, or activities are available for the song.
  • ManyThings– Your young language learners can sing along to English songs with a video, podcast, or teleprompter.
  • FunSongs– These songs were especially made for young language learners and have accompanying gestures. Find free videos with the lyrics and movements on the Youtube channel. The app is $0.99 and the site requires a subscription.

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Live TESOL webinars are presented every Friday at 4 PM EST or New York time with Shelly Terrell. TESOL Lectures are open to the public, so feel free to invite a friend. To enter a TESOL Webinar, click here https://americantesol.adobeconnect.com/terrell/. Next, click Enter as a Guest, type your name, and click Enter Room.

Photo credit: Flickr photo by John Christian Fjellestad https://flickr.com/photos/jkfjellestad/15805538259 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license