Teach children "les partis du corps" with fun French music. Develop body parts vocabulary while discovering culture.

Use the power of music and rhythm to teach your budding French-speakers the parts of the body. Traditional songs and comptines reinforce vocabulary and complement the games and activities of this thematic vocabulary unit.

Vocabulary

Before selecting the French songs and rhymes to use, decide on the body parts vocabulary you will teach. Begin with a group of 6-8 words, and then add on additional words each day.

• Les partis du corps - body parts
• La tête - head
• L'oeil - eye
• Les yeux - eyes
• Le nez - nose
• La bouche - mouth
• L'oreille (f) - ear
• Les cheveux (m) - hair
• Le cou - neck
• L'épaule (f) - shoulders
• Le bras - arm
• La main - hand
• Le doigt - finger
• Le pouce - thumb
• La poitrine - chest
• L'estomac (m) - stomach
• Le ventre - tummy
• Le dos - back
• La jambe - leg
• Le genou - knee
• Le pied - foot

Songs

Alouette is a well-known French-Canadian voyageur song about a little bird that gets plucked, part by part: Alouette, gentille alouette / Alouette, je te plumerai / Je te plumerai la tête / Je te plumerai la tête / Et la tête - et la tête / Alouette - alouette / O, o, o, o, o. Continue adding on verses about le bec (beak), le cou (neck), les ailes (wings), le dos (back), les pattes (feet, for an animal), and la queue (tail). Kids can make their own body parts suggestions, too.

Savez-vous planter les choux?¸a traditional song from France, is about all of the different ways to plant cabbages--with hands, feet, etc. Refrain: Savez-vous planter les choux, à la mode, à la mode / Savez-vous planter les choux, à la mode de chez nous. Verse: On les plante avec les mains, à la mode, à la mode / On les plante avec les mains, à la mode de chez nous! Try passing a toy cabbage back and forth among the kids while singing the refrain. Whoever ends up holding it at the end of the refrain gets to choose the body part for the next verse. Children will enjoy acting out planting with their hands, head, feet, and more.

Jean petit qui danse is another traditional French body parts song that will get the kids up on their feet: Jean petit qui danse / Jean petit qui danse / De son doigt il danse / De son doigt il danse / De son doigt, doigt, doigt / Ainsi danse Jean petit. The verses continue by adding on la main, le bras, l'épaule, or any other body part kids can suggest.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes is an effective song for building vocabulary. Try singing it faster, and faster each time. Here's the French version of this American classic: Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds, genoux et pieds / Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds, genoux, et pieds / J'ai deux yeux, un nez, une bouche, et deux oreilles / Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds, genoux et pieds.

Kids love to dance the Hokey Pokey . . . or rather, Le Hoogie Boogie: On met la tête dedans / on met la tête dehors / on met la tête dedans / et je bouge, je bouge, je bouge / Je fais le hoogie-bougie / Je me tourne et je me tourne / Voilà, c'est comme ça!

Rhymes, Comptines, Finger Plays

Monsieur Pouce (Mr. Thumb). Hold up your thumbs and have them go in and out of their houses, knock, talk, and then kiss in this cute rhyme: Monsieur Pouce est dans sa maison / Madame Pouce est dans sa maison / Toc, toc, toc / Qui est là? / C'est moi! / Chut . . . je dors / Mais . . . toc, toc, toc / Qui est là? / C'est moi! / Oh . . . je sors!

Voici ma main (Here is my hand). Hold up your hand and the appropriate number of fingers with each line: Voici ma main / Elle a cinq doigts / En voici deux, en voici trois.

Le Visage (The Face). Point to each part of the face as you say this comptine: Beau front / beaux yeux / Nez de cancan / Bouche d'argent / Menton fleuri / Guili-guili. Repeat.

Add a cultural, rhythmic, and musical accompaniment to the teaching of French body parts!

Sources:

Momes website: Premiers Pas Sur Internet

Songs for Teaching website: Using Music to Promote Learning

Les plus belles comptines des Petits Lascars (Didier Jeunesse, 2001) by Michèle Garabédian and Magdeleine Lerasle