ESL Songs for Children

Songs for ESL/EFL Class (Elementary & Junior High School Children)

Teaching English through music is great, especially with young students. Here are some songs I have used and recommend for teaching English to elementary and junior high school students.

GradeSong
Grade 1Hello song
Grade 1ABC song
Grade 1Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes
Grade 1I Can Sing a Rainbow
Grade 1Incy Wincy Spider
Grade 1/2The Wheels on the BusYoutube
Grade 1/2Five Little Monkeys
Grade 1/2If You're Happy and You Know It
Grade 1/2Mickey Mouse Club MarchYoutube
Grade 1/2/3The Hokey PokeyYoutube
Grade 1/2/3B-I-N-G-O
Grade 2/3Old MacDonald
Grade 2/3Going to the ZooYoutube
Grade 3/4The Lion Sleeps Tonight (by The Tokens)Youtube
Grade 4/5/6Sing a Song (by The Carpenters)Youtube
Grade 4/5/6Hello Goodbye (by The Beatles)Youtube
Grade 5/6You Are my Sunshine
Grade 5/6/7Here Comes the Sun (by The Beatles)Youtube
Grade 5/6/7All Together Now (by The Beatles)Youtube
Grade 6/7/8Friday I'm in Love (by The Cure)Youtube
Grade 7/8On the Road Again (by Willie Nelson)Youtube
Grade 8/9We Are the Champions (by Queen)Youtube
Grade 8/9California Dreamin' (by The Mamas & The Papas)Youtube
Grade 8/9Lemon Tree (by Fools Garden)Youtube
Grade 9Love Potion #9 (by The Coasters)Youtube
Grade 9If I Had a Million Dollars (by Barenaked Ladies)Youtube
Grade 9Love Story (by Taylor Swift)Youtube

I'm sure there are many more good ESL songs for children and teenagers. This certainly isn't an exhaustive list. What English songs do you use in class? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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12 comments on “ESL Songs for Children

  1. a.pakeerathan. (Posted on 7-4-2015 at 16:47) Reply

    tunes for eng songs in gr4,gr5 needed to teach – in primary classes that are in the text books.

    1. shoshana shinnar poshshosh@gmail.com (Posted on 11-23-2021 at 09:16) Reply

      Are there other songs that are appropriate for 5th graders in English for my students.

  2. a.pakeerathan. (Posted on 7-4-2015 at 16:55) Reply

    the songs which are printed in gr4 like flowers,birds…..

    1. mb Post author (Posted on 7-5-2015 at 00:21) Reply

      I am not sure I can help you. I don’t know any songs about flowers or birds. You can try some children’s songs such as ‘BINGO’, ‘Old MacDonald’, and ‘London Bridges’, maybe.

  3. a.pakeerathan. (Posted on 7-4-2015 at 16:57) Reply

    the one i search for is not found

  4. Ingeburg de Calderon (Posted on 2-1-2016 at 19:13) Reply

    I sing with Mexican students in Puerto Vallarta. They are 12 to 14 years old. I like to choose songs that have words in it which are used in every day conversation.
    Thank you for your concern.

    1. mb Post author (Posted on 2-1-2016 at 20:19) Reply

      How about ‘Friday I’m in Love’ by the Cure. Kids that age also love ‘We are the champions’, but it doesn’t really contain everyday language.

  5. deepika (Posted on 12-4-2016 at 03:28) Reply

    lovely songs

  6. Cari Snell (Posted on 7-14-2020 at 22:24) Reply

    What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (present tense, colours, everyday objects)
    We’re Going to be Friends By Jack Johnson (school and friendship), octopuses Garden by the Beatles (prepositions), Pollywog in a Bog by Bare Naked Ladies (life cycle of a frog), Lean on Me and so many more!

  7. Nezif kedir from Ethoipia (Posted on 12-16-2021 at 11:19) Reply

    why It does not downlod?

  8. Nezif kedir (Posted on 12-16-2021 at 11:21) Reply

    No response for my Question ?

    1. MB (Posted on 12-16-2021 at 13:34) Reply

      Musicians and companies own the copyright to these songs, so generally speaking, they don’t provide it for free to download. You can watch most of them on YouTube, however. See the links above.

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