If you’re teaching a lesson on the body in your EFL classes, you’re going to need some songs. The EFL ESL Body Parts songs for children I’ve chosen here are a variety of different types of songs. Some have actions or a dance to go with them, some are more suitable for older kids and some for younger kids. There are even a couple of songs about animal body parts. Most of them are flexible. They could be adapted to different types of classes and even used for classes that are not specifically about body parts. These are my 10 favorites but I’m sure you’ve got other tried and tested ideas too. If so leave them in the comments and I’ll try those too. So, let’s go! Wiggle your nose, shake your legs, here are my 10 favorite EFL ESL Body Parts songs for kids.
Body Parts Song for Kids – This is Me! by ELF Learning
This is a very sweet chant and song listing the parts of the body and that “this is me!”. It’s a good song to start with in a lesson about the body as it covers most of the words that children will need to learn. It would also be useful if you were doing a lesson on possessives as the children will learn to describe their body, “this is my arm”. You could then turn this around and ask them to find parts of the body on their classmates using his or her.
Shake It Out Body Parts Song by Dream English Kids
A song for little kids to dance and do actions to. This would be a good song for a warm up at the beginning of class as there is a lot of movement. It doesn’t cover lots of the parts of the body, just legs, arms, head and the whole body. This is probably enough for the little kids the song is aimed at to get started on though so shouldn’t be a problem. It’s easy to sing without the musical accompaniment so you could always adapt it to add more parts of the body if you wanted to.
Body Song by English Singsing
Bop bop bop, body body bop bop bop, it’s a bit of a tongue twister but it will get children singing and dancing. There are plenty of actions and lots of body parts vocabulary so it’s a good all rounder song for all ages.
Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Super Simple Songs
The classic body parts song, here it is done very simply by Super Simple Songs with a very cute video. This song is so versatile, you can adapt it to loads of different lessons. This year alone, I have used it for wolves (head, tummy, teeth and paws), fish (head, gills, fins and tails), trees (leaves, branches, trunks and roots) and insects (head, thorax, abdomen). Be creative and you can probably use this song in many, many different subject areas. As the kids all know the music, they will get it straight away.
Rap 32 Parts of the Body by Fluency MC
For older kids who don’t always want to sing, this is a fun rap practicing some slightly more difficult body vocabulary like wrist, elbows and ankles. It changes speed and volume as the rap is repeated to make it more complicated and get the kids repeating the vocabulary. You could do this in class too to make it more challenging. Alternatively, you could get one of the children in the class to give the instructions for the others to follow. Don’t forget to get them to do the actions as they go through each body part. This is a really energetic rap and will get all the class moving and joining in.
Body Parts by Brendan Parker
This is a catchy song that would be extra special if you can play the guitar to accompany it in class. Even if you don’t play an instrument, this is a good song to practice the parts of the body and what you can use them for. So for example, I use my hands to pick things up, I use my legs to run around. Challenge your class to find uses for all the different body vocabulary that you’re learning. Then make up another verse to the song. It is also useful for counting the different body parts. The singer plays a fun game at the end which little kids would like playing. It’s another versatile song which would work on different levels with all ages.
Whose Tail? Plus Whose Mouth?, Whose Feet?, Whose eyes? and Whose Ears? by Maple Leaf Learning
This is not one song but a whole series of animal body part songs by Maple Leaf Learning. They challenge the students in your class to identify the animal which each body part belongs to. They are great fun and kids always love them. You can use them in lots of different types of lessons: body parts, farm animals, wild animals, etc. You could also make up your own game by making flashcards for other animals and their bodies. Then, as you sing the song, the kids have to identify them. Go as wild as you want and you’ll have an amazing lesson.
Dancing Bones by Juny and Tony – Songs and Stories by Kizcastle
Dance with the skeletons and learn the names of the parts of the body and their bones. This is a fun song and a bit different from the normal body song. You could use it for a Halloween body parts lesson to combine two themes in one. It would be great to make skeleton puppets after singing it and then practice the different bones and make them dance to the song.
One Little Finger by Super Simple Songs
Another classic song for very small children to learn body parts, this is easy to learn. It has lots of actions to help them remember the names of the parts of the body. It’s a good song for singing in front of parents or other classes because it is easy to remember and sing. Everyone can join in with the actions very easily.
Action Song by The Singing Walrus
Although this song isn’t specifically about teaching body parts, it’s great for kids who love singing and dancing. It does use parts of the body for some of the actions so I’ve included it here. You could adapt it and think up other actions to do with different body parts to add to the song. Alternatively, play a game where the kids have to invent an action to do with each part of their body or choose the correct body part to do each action.
What EFL ESL body parts songs for children do you teach when you are teaching this topic to your classes? Have I missed out any really good ones? Please let me know and make any other suggestions in the comments below. You can find some other of my favorite songs that I use in my classes here and here. To stay up to date with new posts, you can follow the GoogooEnglish Facebook page. Alternatively, sign up for email updates below.