Music is a fun and effective way for people of all ages to learn a language! Songs are especially important when teaching young children minority languages. Music has the power to lift a person’s mood and help with remembering new words. It’s also portable – you can listen to music anywhere! When my eldest child began to learn Chinese at age 2, she was initially resistant until I found catchy Chinese children’s music for her. I Can Sing in Mandarin! was one of the first Chinese albums that my daughter enjoyed. Now, she is 5 years old, and my son is 2. Both of my children love to sing and dance to these songs!
About the I Can Sing in Mandarin! album
The songs in the I Can Sing in Mandarin! album are about daily kid life such as counting, colors, animals, clothes, food, family, body parts, and vehicles. My only complaint is song number 11 “My Favorite Food” which suggests that bread, milk, hamburgers, and cake are healthy. I have talked with my kids are about how these are actually not healthy foods, and that many tasty foods are not healthy. In any case, the songs are catchy, and my kids love to dance to these Chinese children’s songs. In addition, they enjoy listening to the music during meals and car rides. What a fun way to learn common Chinese words!
You can purchase the CD on Amazon (available here) or download the album on iTunes (available here). I have searched high and low for the lyrics to these songs, but I have not been able to contact the producer of the album. Kids Learn Mandarin does not seem to have a website, so I have typed the lyrics to each song.
Soundtrack titles
- I Can Count In Mandarin
- Colors Outside My Window
- Little Animals
- One Red Apple
- My Family
- Head, Shoulders, Tummy, Hands
- Let’s Get Dressed for School
- Boats, Cars, & Planes
- Let’s Play!
- I have a Little House
- My Favorite Food
- Smile to the Sun
How I translated the I Can Sing in Mandarin! album
As a non-fluent speaker, the lyrics were a bit fast for me to follow. Therefore, I used the Anytune app to slow down each song, and my daughter’s Chinese tutor double-checked the lyrics. Then I used the Apple Pages app to translate the simplified Chinese lyrics to traditional Chinese.
I Can Sing in Mandarin! Download lyrics here!
Chinese song lyrics can be downloaded from the following links:
- I Can Sing in Mandarin – Simplified Chinese Lyrics
- I Can Sing in Mandarin – Traditional Chinese Lyrics
Please let me know if have any difficulty downloading the lyrics and if you have any concerns about the transcription! You can email me at betty@chalkacademy.com. The files have been updated on 10/12/2018 due to an error in uploading the correct version of the lyrics. Many apologies to those who have downloaded prior to this date. I previously had a version uploaded with translations from Purple Culture, but then I found many mistakes with their program. I will upload a pinyin version when I have found a better pinyin conversion program and have had time for proofreading. Please check that you have the current version before sharing with your kids!
Happy singing and dancing, friends!
For more Chinese children’s music recommendations, click here!
Recommended articles about how to teach kids Chinese
If you need tips on how to teach your child Chinese, these posts are for you!
- Teach Your Child a Second Language at Home with 5 Key Steps
- How To Get Your Child To Speak the Minority Language
- Raising Multilingual Children as a Non-Fluent Parent
- 10 Ways to Get Your Child to Read Throughout the Day
- 6 Fun Ways to Assess Reading Comprehension With Kids!
Bilingual English and Chinese Facebook Parent Group
As always, please leave a comment with any questions, and I’ll try my best to answer them! Or better yet, please join our Facebook group! Montessori-inspired Kids Learning Chinese and English is a community of parents worldwide who are excited to share bilingual book recommendations, Montessori tips, and learning materials!
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