Songs, rhymes and games for the car and bath time

You can do a lot without a lesson. The app's suggestion is to attach the heritage language to moments that already happen: a song in the car, a rhyme at bath time, a counting game on the stairs. King and Mackey advise families that do not speak the language natively to weave it into routines already happening. No source read for this site tests songs, rhymes or games at these moments, so the specific ideas below are the app's suggestions and are marked that way.

Why routines

King and Mackey, in The Bilingual Edge, advise a family where neither parent speaks the language natively not to worry about native-level accuracy, and to weave the language into routines already happening. If one parent is fluent, your family fits a different profile, so treat this as related advice and not a test of your case.

On the kind of activity, their conclusion for babies and toddlers is that joint adult-child activities do much more to promote language learning than baby videos of any sort. The app counts singing together as a joint activity. The book's conclusion is not a test of songs in particular.

They also report that shy or sensitive children tend to do better with predictable, low-pressure exposure, such as reading on the sofa or songs in the car, than with open-ended social exposure. This is their report of other research, which we have not read.

In the car

A car trip is a routine that already happens, and it suits a song. The app's suggestions, by age:

• Ages 0 to 2: short, repetitive songs built on simple actions such as clapping or rocking. The app's note is that repetition matters more than variety at this age. For Spanish its list includes Los pollitos dicen, Cinco lobitos and Pin pon. For Portuguese it includes Dorme Nenê, Ciranda Cirandinha and Borboletinha.
• Ages 3 to 5: songs with a simple story or a counting element. The app's note is that this is the age at which children start to sing along and not only to listen. Spanish examples: El patio de mi casa, Arroz con leche and La vaca lechera. Portuguese examples: Atirei o Pau no Gato, O Sapo Não Lava o Pé and A Barata Diz Que Tem.
• Ages 6 to 9: songs with more verses and wordplay, which the app calls a bridge into reading the words as well as hearing them. Spanish examples: Los elefantes se balanceaban, Debajo de un botón and Estrellita dónde estás. Portuguese examples: Se Essa Rua Fosse Minha, Peixe Vivo and Marcha Soldado.
• Sing the same song on every trip for a while. A recording can lead the tune, and singing along yourself, even out of tune, keeps it a joint activity.

For a game, use a counting-out rhyme, the kind children use to decide who goes first. The app lists De tin marín for Spanish and Uni duni tê for Portuguese, both for ages 6 to 9. In the car, the winner can choose the next song.

At bath time

Bath time is one of the three moments on the Practice moments page, with breakfast and shoes at the door. The page gives three short phrases for it, which mean "Shall we take a bath?", "Let's wash your hair." and "You're so clean!", in the heritage language and with a rough sound guide.

1. Say the three bath phrases in the same order each time, then sing one song from your child's age band.
2. Count in the language: toy ducks, cups of water, toes. The app's own plan tip suggests counting the stairs as a routine, and the same idea fits the bath.
3. Keep a rhyme for the towel. The app lists Aserrín aserrán, a knee-bouncing rhyme, for Spanish at ages 0 to 2, and the circle games A la rueda rueda (Spanish) and Escravos de Jó (Portuguese) for ages 3 to 5.
4. If you do not know a tune, search the title or ask a fluent relative. The People page can write a message asking a relative to sing a song with your child.

If the language is not Spanish or Portuguese

The app has songs by age for the seven languages it has curated content for: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Russian and English. For any other language, the plan describes the idea in general terms: a song, rhyme or lullaby in the language. The app does not name songs it has not checked, and it does not quote lyrics.

What is still unknown

• Whether songs, rhymes and games at routine moments give more than the same minutes used another way. No source read for this site tests this. UNVERIFIED.
• Whether a recording works like live singing in a car. King and Mackey's conclusion is about video for babies and toddlers.
• Whether the app's age notes hold: that repetition matters more than variety under age 2, and that songs with a story or counting suit ages 3 to 5. They are the app's content notes, not cited findings.

In short: pick one song for the car and three phrases for the bath, repeat them, and add a rhyme when you have a minute. The sources support using routines and joint activities. They do not test these particular songs or games.