By Carolina Velazquez
Want to bring more music, movement, and bilingual learning into your library’s early literacy offerings? I certainly did! I wanted to implement a new program that not only created a welcoming bilingual environment but also reached families who might not attend traditional storytimes.
Music has a special way of bringing people together, so I thought a sing-along program would be a wonderful way to introduce children to Spanish through music while building early language skills in a fun, interactive way. My hope was to create a welcoming, low-pressure program where every family, regardless of their familiarity with Spanish, could feel comfortable singing, moving, learning, and connecting with others in the community.
Last year, I launched Canta con Amigos (Sing with Friends), an interactive sing-along program designed to engage young children and their caregivers through songs, movement, and bilingual learning. During each session, participants receive a songbook and join in singing lively songs en español while moving along to the rhythm together. Little ones also receive musical instruments to shake, tap, and play along, making the experience hands-on and fun for everyone.
The songbook is a mixture of Spanish songs I grew up with and classic nursery songs. When selecting songs, I also reference Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s “windows and mirrors” principle to ensure that a variety of Latin and Spanish-speaking cultures are represented. Before we sing our adiós songs, I open it up to attendees and ask if there’s a song anyone would love to sing together.
The use of the songbook helps maintain a predictable program structure and attendees are encouraged to keep it for at-home practice. Here is the general format of the song book:
- Welcome (about 1-2 songs)
- Movement/Warm-Up (2 songs)
- Rhythm & Sound Play (about 2-3 songs)
- High-Energy Sing-Alongs (3 songs)
- Calm-Down (2 songs)
- Goodbye (about 1-2 songs)
Seeing families sing, move, and learn together is a great reminder that early literacy programs have the potential to be more than just reading books. What began as an idea to expand our early literacy offerings has become a space for building joyful connections and celebrating language through music!
If you’re looking for a way to introduce bilingual programming at your library, a sing-along program can be a low-pressure, approachable place to start. It’s all about the willingness to learn alongside your community and to create an environment where everyone feels invited to participate.
