I have a little gift for you…
My kids singing (and screaming) “The 12 Days of Christmas for Raising Bilingual Kids”!
It starts a little slow (Lulu was monkeying around), but they get better (and louder) as the song goes on. We hope you like it! And if you do, please let us know, and share the link with others! You’d make Lulu (10) and Roy (7) very happy! (Your positive feedback will also encourage me to start using more audio recordings. This post marks the first time I’ve used audio!)
Lyrics by Adam Beck of Bilingual Monkeys (https://bilingualmonkeys.com)
Click here to download a PDF of these lyrics!
On the first day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
a picture dictionary.
On the second day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the third day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
seven shelves of stories,
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
eight little playmates,
seven shelves of stories,
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
nine children’s albums,
eight little playmates,
seven shelves of stories,
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
ten TV programs,
nine children’s albums,
eight little playmates,
seven shelves of stories,
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
eleven games and apps,
ten TV programs,
nine children’s albums,
eight little playmates,
seven shelves of stories,
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my parents gave to me:
twelve private lessons,
eleven games and apps,
ten TV programs,
nine children’s albums,
eight little playmates,
seven shelves of stories,
six stacks of workbooks,
five DVDs!
four homestay guests,
three pen-pals,
two trips abroad,
and a picture dictionary.
And a picture dictionary!
More posts to help get you in the holiday spirit…
Bilingual Child Explodes in Code-Switching Rant on Christmas Eve
What happens when Santa tells a little girl that she won’t be getting a Wii video game console for Christmas?
A Bilingual Child’s Christmas List
Look at the fun things my son put on his Christmas list when he was 6 years old!
This Wish to Believe in Santa Claus
A funny story about my brother, with an old photo of me dressed up like an Indian!
Ridiculous Riddles for Christmas
Can you guess the answers to my silly Christmas riddles?
22 Responses
That was funny!
Excellent idea, Adam. I always enjoy hearing audios, even if this particular one was a bit painful on the ears.
I hope your kids enjoyed it – I can tell you did!
Mayken, I’m glad you liked it…though, yes, that big finish was about 400 decibels too big!
I love it! And I feel sure this will be part of your family history now… “Remember when Dad made us sing that 12 days of Christmas song?” 😀
I think you’re right, Alisa! And I hope they won’t cringe at the memory!
I loved this! The lyrics are great and the singers try really hard!!!! Lovely!! Thanks from Italy
Alessandra, thank you! My kids are happy to hear you liked their performance!
Lol.
I have to say I was pretty surprised (and impressed) yesterday when my 4 yo daughter told me we should sing and play a song we’ve often done in Swedish, but she wanted to do it in Finnish and English so she just went ahead and translated the lyrics while singing. She made perfectly correct sentences and made them fit the melody as well. Maybe all this “doing things in various languages” actually does pay off?!
Maybe she’ll continue with your song…should be easy enough to motivate as it is about things she could get! 😀
Vilma, good for you and your daughter! It’s certainly a good sign when children enjoy singing in multiple languages!
Hi Adam,
The kids were having so much fun singing the song and I can tell just from their beautiful and happy voices. This is fantastic!
Happy Holidays to Your Lovely Family!! -Amanda
Amanda, thank you! Happy holidays back to you and your family!
Add me to the adoring public. Your kids are great, and that last day in particular was pretty awesome.
Tatyana, yes, that last day was a little wild!
That was fabulous!! Your kids are awesome, Adam. Congrats!
Dani, thanks for your kind comment!
That was really fun!! We loved it! Thank you… Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you, Kiara! Happy Holidays!
So much fun! 🙂 Love what you did to the song! Tell your kids that they rock! 😉
Galina, thanks! My kids were happy to hear your positive feedback!
Well done! Getting kids to perform is tricky. Tell them they did brilliantly. 🙂 Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.
Sarah, thank you—I’ll pass on your applause! Happy holidays to you and Lingotastic!
I can’t stop laughing!!! Brilliant… Adam… Sometimes I wish you were my dad!!! Happy 2015 and good luck for this fantastic website!
Marina, I’m glad you enjoyed our little song! I’m ready to adopt you anytime—my daughter has always wanted a sister!
All the best to you, too, in 2015 and beyond!