The nursery rhymes in german They are an excellent tool for teaching the language in a fun and playful way, especially to children. Through these songs, they not only learn vocabulary and grammar intuitively, but also become familiar with German culture, which is a significant advantage for their linguistic development.
Among the most traditional and popular songs among children taught in German schools, two well-known examples stand out: Bake bake cake y Hansel and GretelBoth not only serve to expand German vocabulary, but also help improve pronunciation in a fun and easy way, ideal for the first levels of learning.
Bake bake cake
Bake bake cake is a popular song about baking a cake. The lyrics mention all the ingredients needed to make a delicious cake, allowing children to learn vocabulary related to food and cooking in an easy and entertaining way.
The lyrics of the song are as follows:
Backe, backe Kuchen,
Der Backer hat gerufen!
Wer will gute Kuchen backen,
Der muss haben sieben Sachen:
Eier and Schmalz,
Butter and Salz,
Milch und Mehl,
Safran macht den Kuchen gehl!
Throw yourself into the front again!
The translation of this letter into Spanish would be:
Bake, bake cake,
The baker asked for it!
Whoever wants to bake a good cake,
must have seven things:
Eggs and lard,
Butter and salt,
Milk and flour,
Saffron makes the cake golden!
Put it in the oven.
Useful vocabulary of the song:
- Back → Baking
- der Kuchen → Cake/pie
- das mehl → Flour
- the Schmalz → Lard
- die Butter → Butter
- das Salz → Salt
- Die Eier → Eggs
- seven sachets → Seven things
- die Milch → Milk
- der Bäcker → Baker
- the Safran → Saffron
- shove into the Ofen kingdom → Put in the oven
This song is ideal for familiarizing children with basic cooking terms, increasing their ability to follow instructions and learning vocabulary related to common ingredients.
Hansel and Gretel
The other song we should mention is Hansel and Gretel, inspired by the popular fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It is a sung version that tells the events experienced by the two brothers after getting lost in the forest and meeting the witch.
The full lyrics are as follows:
Hänsel und Gretel verliefen sich im Wald.
It is war so finster und auch so bitter kalt.
Sie kamen an ein Häuschen aus Pfefferkuchen fein.
Wer mag der Herr wohl von diesem Häuschen sein.
Hu, hu, da schaut eine alte Hexe raus!
Sie lockt die Kinder ins Pfefferkuchenhaus.
Sie stellte sich gar freundlich, or Hänsel, welche Not!
Sie ihn will braten wie im Ofen braun Brot.
Doch als die Hexe zum Ofen schaut hinein,
war sie gestures von Hans und Gretelein.
Die Hexe musste braten, die Kinder geh'n nach Haus.
Nun ist das Märchen von Hans und Gretel aus.
In Spanish, the lyrics say:
Hansel and Gretel got lost in the forest.
It was so dark and also very cold.
They came to a little house made of fine gingerbread.
Who will be the owner of this little house?
Hu, hu, an old hag pokes her head out.
Call the children to the gingerbread house.
He was very kind, oh Hansel, how dangerous!
She wanted to roast it in the oven until it was brown like bread.
But when the witch looked into the oven,
was pushed by Hansel and Gretel.
The witch had to roast, the children went home.
And so ends the tale of Hansel and Gretel.
Key vocabulary of the song:
- please contact us → Getting lost
- der Wald → Forest
- finster → Dark
- bitter kalt → Very cold
- the houses → Little house
- Pfefferkuchen → Gingerbread
- the hex → Witch
- Welche Not! → How dangerous!
- braten → Cooking
- says Ofen → Oven
- the gestoß → Pushed
- das märchen → Fairy tale
Other German children's songs that help you learn vocabulary
In addition to these two songs, there are many other songs in German that children can learn and enjoy. These songs not only entertain but also facilitate the acquisition of new words and common expressions in German.
Green is all my clothes
This song is perfect for children to learn colors in German. Teaching colors through songs allows little ones to retain the information better and to apply this vocabulary more effectively in their daily lives.
Hop, hop Repeater
This is an interactive song that is traditionally sung while children are balanced on one's knees, pretending they are riding horses. It is similar to the popular Spanish song "El caballito" and is a great fun way to learn vocabulary related to the action of riding a horse and elements associated with animals.
Fox you stole the goose
The song tells the story of a fox who has stolen a goose. It is a good example of how songs can teach simple narratives with vocabulary related to animals and their environment. In addition to being entertaining, this song instills values of responsibility.
Hum hum hum
This is an ideal song for babies due to its simple and repetitive structure. Through this melody, children can learn the sound that bees make and relate it to the work of collecting pollen. Nature-related songs help children become familiar with the world around them.
These songs, all from the traditional German repertoire, not only provide healthy and educational entertainment, but also reinforce knowledge of the language in an attractive and accessible way. In this way, the little ones are immersed in a new language and culture without even realizing it.
Involving children in these types of activities will allow them to acquire new words, phrases and structures of the German language while enjoying a fun activity. By repeating the songs, they become familiar with the sounds and grammar in a natural way, which promotes effective and long-term learning.