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You are here: Home / Favorite Books / Chinese Nursery Rhymes Sound Books | Mandarin Music for Kids (VIDEO)

Chinese Nursery Rhymes Sound Books | Mandarin Music for Kids (VIDEO)

By Betty
July 7, 2020

7 Jul
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Bao Bao Learns Chinese Nursery Rhymes Music Sound Book for kids - Cute Mandarin songs for children
Chinese nursery rhymes sound books for kids in Mandarin

We have over a dozen sound books in Chinese and Korean, and our favorites are Chinese Nursery Rhymes Sound Books from Bao Bao Learns Chinese. These books feature popular Mandarin Chinese children’s songs that are perfect for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners!

Chinese nursery rhymes sound books | Mandarin music for kids

This post may have some affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission which supports my blog and free printables at no additional cost to you. Please see the disclosure policy for details.

Chinese Music Book of Nursery Rhymes – Why we love this sound book

Like all children, my 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son LOVE music!  They love to sing and dance, and they have learned so many Mandarin Chinese words through popular Asian and translated Western nursery rhymes.

Bao Bao Learns Chinese was created by Peipei Zhou, a Chinese-American mom who noticed the shortage of Mandarin resources for children in the United States.

Pei Pei Zhou sings each Chinese nursery rhyme in these music sound books.  Her lovely vocals are accompanied by gentle guitar and piano.

Mandarin Chinese Nursery Rhymes Sound Book - music for children
Top: Red Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book; Bottom: NEW Blue Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book

Related: Teach Your Child a Second Language at Home with 5 Key Steps

I can’t tell you how relieved I am about this refreshing change from the digitized and childish sounds of many of our Chinese and Korean sound books (eg, Pinkfong)!

My son even wondered where the singer was, because “她唱得像个真人 / 她唱得像個真人 (Tā chàng dé xiàng gè zhēnrén / She sings like a real person, mommy)!”

And my daughter was really excited when she heard the guitar in the background of most songs since that is my husband’s main instrument. Some of the songs, such as 世上只有妈妈好, have piano, my daughter’s instrument!

Chinese Nursery Rhymes Musical Sound Book for Children
My son listening to the Red Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book when he was 2 years old

12 popular Chinese nursery rhymes

Each music sound book comes with 3 popular Chinese songs and 3 Western nursery rhymes.

Titles and duration of songs in the red book

  1. 小蜘蛛 (Xiǎo zhīzhū / Itsy Bitsy Spider): 55 seconds 
  2. 两只老虎 (Liǎng zhī lǎohǔ/ Two Tigers): 39 seconds 
  3. 找朋友 (Zhǎo péngyǒu / Find A Friend): 55 seconds 
  4. 划小船 (Huà xiǎochuán / Row Row Row Your Boat): 36 seconds 
  5. 世上只有妈妈好 (Shìshàng zhǐyǒu māmā hǎo / Mama Is The Best In This World: 1 minute & 31 seconds 
  6. 小星星 (Xiǎo xīng xīng / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star): 1 minute & 33 seconds
Chinese music book of classic nursery rhymes
Red Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book
Buy Red Chinese Nursery Rhymes Music Book

Titles and duration of songs in the blue book

  1. 我是一个小茶壶 (I’m A Little Tea Pot): 41 seconds
  2. 小兔子乖乖 (Good Baby Rabbit): 40 seconds
  3. 如果感到幸福你就拍拍手 (If You Are Happy And You Know It): 44 seconds
  4. 新年好 (Happy New Year): 45 seconds
  5. 我的好妈妈 (My Dear Mama): 1 minute 8 seconds
  6. 你是我阳光 You Are My Sunshine: 1 minute 7 seconds
Chinese Nursery Rhymes Sound Books | Mandarin Music for Kids
NEW Blue Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book
Buy Blue Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book

Lyrics with Chinese, Pinyin, and English!

I love that these Chinese nursery rhymes books have been designed for all families, regardless of their fluency!

The Simplified Chinese text is larger than the accompanying Hanyu Pinyin which helps illiterate parents sound out the pronunciation of the Chinese characters.

English translations are placed to the left of each phrase.

Most lyrics are typed in white or black font to contrast the bold images.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Chinese
Listening to 小星星 Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Technical features

As with typical board books, each page is thick, durable, and resilient from toddler hands.

The front of the book has a panel on the right with 6 song buttons which toggle the music on and off.

On the back cover, you’ll find a switch that controls the power and volume (Off/Low/High).

Two AAA batteries are included in the child-safe battery compartment in the back cover.

Last year when my son was only 2 years old, he was able to push all buttons independently! He loves that he’s able to listen to the Chinese music all by himself!

Related: Stream of Praise Music Board Books for Kids

Row Row Row Your Boat in Chinese

Chinese nursery rhymes video demonstration

This video shows how 小蜘蛛 and 世上只有妈妈好 sounds, how to play and stop a song, and how to adjust the volume.

Mandarin Chinese video pronunciation guide for beginners

To help beginner learners master the lyrics, the Bao Bao Learns Chinese website has video pronunciation guides on their website!

Clearly, they have thought about what a new learner needs to maximize the benefits from these Chinese music books!

When I first began to learn Chinese with my daughter a few years, ago, this is exactly the type of resource I wish I had!

Here’s an example of a video narration of Itsy Bitsy Spider in Chinese:

What I wish was different about these sound books

  1. Although the 两只老虎 / Two Tigers song is very popular in China, with one tiger missing eyes and another missing its tail, the traditional lyric “真奇怪 (Zhēn qíguài / That’s strange) ” is insensitive to animals and persons with disabilities. Instead of this phrase, we replace with “没关系 (Méiguānxì / It’s okay), and it was a good teaching moment for my kids.
  2. I wish that the illustrations showed children instead of animals. Although pandas are considered the national treasure of China, I feel like they are overused in introductory Chinese resources. While my toddler son enjoyed the illustrations, they did not hold my daughter’s attention too long. Instead, I wish that there were illustrations of kids playing and acting related to the song lyrics which I think would attract a wider age range of children.
  3. The song buttons are also not as intuitive as other sound books that we have. Typical sound books shows a portion of the illustration that goes with the song, but the illustrations in this book are a bit homogeneous. The different shapes are also not necessary, but my toddler was still able to figure this out.

Summary

I think this Chinese Music Book of Nursery Rhymes is a wonderful resource for children to play and enjoy Chinese music independently and with their families.

New Mandarin learners will be grateful for the support of Pinyin and English translations plus clear video pronunciation guides!

I hope to see more Chinese music books like this become available for our children’s generation.

I recommend this Chinese nursery rhymes book for all families who want their children to learn Mandarin!

Where to buy Bao Bao Learns Chinese Nursery Rhymes Sound Book

Buy Red Chinese Nursery Rhymes Music Book on Amazon
Buy Blue Chinese Nursery Rhymes Book on Amazon

What are your kids favorite Chinese nursery rhymes?

What are your kids favorite Chinese songs?

Have you noticed that music helps your kids learn new Chinese words?

Please share with me in the comments below! I’d love to learn more about your experience!

Tips for teaching kids Chinese

When parents and caregivers are consistently providing them input, children will learn to speak the minority language.

Initially, the process may seem intimidating, but you can nurture them with music and fun Chinese activities.

In addition, Chinese books are important for building vocabulary and cultivating a love of learning Chinese!

Here are more articles that can help jump start your family’s Chinese learning journey:

  • Raising Multilingual Children as a Non-Fluent Parent: 7 Lessons Learned
  • Teach Your Child a Second Language at Home with 5 Key Steps
  • How To Get Your Child To Speak the Minority Language
  • 5 Basic Tips for Memorizing Chinese Characters
  • How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker

Happy Learning, Friends!

23 Comments

About Betty

I'm a Chinese-American mom who is having fun teaching my children Mandarin Chinese while re-learning the language myself. I love coming up with creative, hands-on, and educational activities, and I hope these ideas help your children have fun learning Chinese!

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Comments

  1. Anna says

    August 10, 2019 at 8:15 pm

    Hi! I’m teaching my children Chinese because their father’s family is from Taiwan. He and I both also think Chinese will be an important language in the future.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      August 11, 2019 at 10:54 am

      My baby’s favorite song is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
      I want my child to learn Mandarin so she carries on her heritage and can talk to her grandparents.

      Reply
  2. Diana says

    August 10, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    My oldest son loves 頭頂長出大西瓜 in Cantonese!
    I want my kids to learn Chinese so they can communicate with their grandpa, learn the language of their roots, and connect with more people using language.

    Reply
  3. Wendy chen says

    August 10, 2019 at 9:16 pm

    My child’s favorite nursery song is Mei Mei bei she yang wa wa…..she gets a kick out of the fact that the birds are laughing ha ha…🤣😂. I want my child to learn Mandarin and be literate because I love reading and I beleive if she can read and be literate a whole other world will open up for her!

    Reply
  4. Kim-Hoa says

    August 10, 2019 at 9:24 pm

    My kids like 兩隻老虎🐯.
    I hope my kids learn to love and appreciate their culture. I want to give them the opportunity to be skillful at a second language. Thanks for providing us with everything, Betty. I am so thankful to have come across your page ❤️

    Reply
  5. Jayne says

    August 11, 2019 at 3:07 am

    My children love Christmas songs that they sing them year round! Chinese is a huge part of our lives. Even though our parents have migrated here, we value our heritage deeply. Easier said than applied though T.T

    Reply
  6. Judy says

    August 11, 2019 at 7:39 am

    I want to teach my son Chinese because I don’t want him to lose his mother tongue. His favorite song is wheels on the bus.

    Reply
  7. Carol Neo says

    August 11, 2019 at 8:44 am

    Neede to learn as Mother Tongue is important for interaction and developement. Hope to win for him. My son love lots as is cute too.

    Reply
  8. Angel lin says

    August 11, 2019 at 9:43 am

    My daughter loves 两只老虎 (Liǎng zhī lǎohǔ/ Two Tigers)… the lyrics is so weird but she loves it!! Can’t wait to win one!

    Reply
  9. Renee says

    August 11, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    My older son loves old McDonald had a farm while my younger son loves ba ba black sheep. We love to sing in our family but wish they could sing more songs in Chinese. I think Chinese is important to expand their knowledge, not only to understand their heritage but to know that there are different cultures in the world.

    Reply
  10. Adeline Tan hx says

    August 11, 2019 at 5:14 pm

    My kids favourite song is Ni Wa Wa. Need to cultivate my kids for to learn and write Chinese in funfilled methods so that they will love Chinese. Being Chinese, it is important to know our languages.

    Reply
  11. Andrea says

    August 11, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    My son’s favorite song is the days of the week song by Singing Walrus! He always starts to smile and dance when that song comes on. I want him to learn Chinese because He is part Chinese, Filipino and Korean. I would love him to be able to communicate with his grandparents and understand the beauty of all his nationalities.

    Reply
  12. Mary W says

    August 11, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    My children loves to sing 童话(Fairy Tale) by 王光良. Learning Mandrin not only to know about their culture, but also be able to live in Asia. Maybe more career opportunities. Thank you for your posts!

    Reply
  13. Jenny says

    December 4, 2019 at 9:35 am

    Great review! This would be great for my littlest one! Will the author be making a second volume?

    Reply
  14. Marta says

    December 4, 2019 at 9:47 am

    Beautiful book, and are there any books with bopomofo available? I know it has music but I think it will help her with tones. Thanks

    Reply
  15. Judy Seto says

    December 4, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    What other books would you guys plan for next? I was born in America and my Chinese reading and writing wise is not proficient. Therefore, I rely on books that have pinyin like this. It would be wonderful for my child to be able to receive this book. Thank you so much for the giveaway.

    Reply
  16. Kesara says

    December 4, 2019 at 9:39 pm

    Hello Betty, I think this book would be helpful for my daughter’s stage of learning! Do you have other books planned?

    Reply
  17. Judy Ng says

    December 5, 2019 at 7:27 am

    My son is currently 11 months old and we read to him daily but I want him to learn more Chinese so he can speak with his grandparents. What are other ways of learning Chinese at this age? Thank you!

    Reply
  18. LL says

    December 11, 2020 at 10:04 pm

    My son’s current favorite song is from 婷婷唱古文, they sing those poem in songs. It is definitely beneficial for my son

    Reply
  19. Tiffany says

    December 12, 2020 at 8:05 am

    My 8.5 month son likes the Family Finger Song (I translated it into Chinese). His face glows every time I sing it! He also loves 1-2-3 song in Chinese! I cant wait to expose him more to the Chinese language (even though I am not as fluent as I used to) by borrowing your techniques! 🙂

    Reply
  20. Erika O says

    December 12, 2020 at 8:16 am

    My LO loves to sing and he does seems to memorize it if it’s in a song! He loves to sing happy birthday, 2 tigers and where’s my friend in Chinese! Would love to have these books for him to learn more and have better pronouncing Chinese words. And make me learn as well 😁👍🏻❤️🙏🏻 Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  21. Michelle Engerer says

    December 12, 2020 at 9:08 am

    My kids like 我有一只小毛驴。We just started listening to chinese songs so I can’t tell yet but I would think so because that’s what happened to English songs.

    Reply
  22. Deborah says

    December 12, 2020 at 9:51 am

    My daughters love the A Little Mandarin album with clear words and catchy songs, they have learnt a lot more Chinese words from it. Their favorite song is twinkle twinkle little star it was easy to get them to listen and sing the Chinese version because they love the English version so much.

    Reply

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Dr. Betty Choi CHALK Academy - 2

Hi! I’m Betty, a Chinese-American mom, believer, pediatrician, and writer.  I’m having fun learning Chinese with my children, and I love sharing multilingual resources and teaching tips!  I hope these ideas can help your family or school! Read More…

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any content without express and written permission from CHALK Academy is strictly prohibited.  Excerpts, pdfs, images, and videos may be used only with permission, provided that full and clear credit is given to CHALK Academy / Betty Choi with appropriate and specific direction to original content.

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