Songs can help you learn the alphabet.
Music is a device for learning new things because it is fun and motivating and aids memorization. Music stimulates many areas of the brain, and it can lift your mood. Songs also tend to have rhyme and repetition, which improves memory. You can learn simple English and Spanish vocabulary and phrases by participating in singing and other musical activities with songs.
Why Use Music?
There are many songs in both the English and Spanish languages that involve vocabulary for colors, numbers, animals, parts of the body, food, family and other commonly used words and phrases. Singing songs in these languages helps you memorize and learn grammatical structures and vocabulary. Music is interesting for most people, and it is often more fun than sitting in a lecture or reading from a textbook. The beat of a song can boost your energy, and a melody can keep your attention. Not all music is appealing to every person, but most people can find a style or song they like.
Spanish
Begin learning Spanish by memorizing the Spanish alphabet. The song "Alfabeto Espanol" or "El Alfabeto" will help with this goal. Learn numbers with songs such as "Diez Ninos," "Los Numeros" and "Dos Elefantes." There are several other songs that deal with a variety of subjects, so choose a subject and listen and memorize a few songs for each one. The more songs you use to help reinforce what you have learned, the more likely you are to remember the vocabulary and grammar.
English
The English alphabet comes in many songs, such as the traditional "Alphabet Song," sung to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and more modern tunes such as the "ABC Rap." Use counting songs like "Five Little Monkeys" or "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" to teach counting and sequencing of numbers. "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is one way to learn the names of body parts and get involved in a movement activity. As you would with songs in Spanish, choose a few songs in a given subject area to work with to help support your learning.
Considerations
Besides learning by singing songs, you can get involved in activities using the songs. Do listening comprehension with a new song and see what words and phrases you can pick out. Write out the lyrics to a song with some words missing and fill in the blanks. Cut a sheet of paper into strips with a line of the song written on each strip; organize the strips into their correct order. Some songs such as the "Hokey Pokey" lend themselves to doing dances or movement activities with the song.
