My children can rattle off rhymes they chanted jumping rope when they were small. I have to say, they are not the only ones! I can recite rhymes I jumped to as a child, too. With jump rope rhymes, movement and language work together to reach our minds and memory on the deepest level so that we remember the chants long after we stop jumping rope with our amiguitos.
We all know how important it is to be physically active with our niños, and we want that activity to be fun. Jumping rope will have your kids laughing and their hearts racing at the same time. As they jump, these rhymes will work their way into those cabecitas so that years from now your nietos will be chanting the same words.
Jump rope rhymes and songs are traditional, and they are loaded with culture – values, history, geography and even comida. The cultural aspect is wonderful, but times do change and some rhymes convey messages that I do not want to teach. I know the kids will remember them ¡para simper!
Here are a few traditional jump rope rhymes. These are short and good for beginner jumpers and children learning Spanish. You can find many more by searching canciones para saltar a la cuerda (a la comba, a la soga).
What rhymes or songs did you jump rope to as a child? Please share!
Osito, osito
Osito, osito, ¿puedes saltar?
Ayúdame, ayúdame a contar
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…
Manzanita del Perú
-When kids start to count, they turn faster and faster (picante). Whoever jumps to the highest number wins.
Manzanita del Perú
¿Cuántos años tienes tú?
Todavia no lo sé,
Pero pronto lo sabré
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…
La aceituna
Aceituna,
Media luna,
Pan caliente,
Diecinueve y veinte.
Te invito
-This is a dialog between the jumper and one of the children turning. When the jumper asks ¿a qué hora?, the child turning says a time. The jumper tries to jump to that number.
—Te invito.
—¿A qué?
— A un café.
— ¿A qué hora?
— A las tres.
— Una, dos y tres.
Ana, Ana
-The child does the actions as she jumps. She runs out at ¡ya!
Ana, Ana abre la ventana.
Ana, Ana enciende la luz.
Ana, Ana se toca los zapatos.
Ana, Ana corta la soga ¡ya!
A la una anda la mula
– Some children learn the last eight lines as a separate rhyme.
A la una, anda la mula.
A las dos, tira la coz.
A las tres, tira otra vez.
A las cuatro, pega un salto
A las cinco, pega un brinco
A las seis, salta como véis
A las siete, salta pronto y vete.
A las ocho, jerez y bizcocho.
A las nueve, nadie se mueve.
A las diez, salta otra vez.
A la una,
A la otra,
A la yegua,
A la potra,
Al potrín,
Al potrón,
El que pierda,
Al rincón.
El lobo feroz y Caperucita
Una, dos, el lobo feroz,
Caperucita con su abuelita,
Fueron a la plaza
Y compraron calabaza.
Fueron a Madrid
Y trajeron perejil.
Click here to download a printable version of the jump rope rhymes.
Special thanks to Spanish Playground for providing this activity. Visit their site for more fun games and activities for kids in Spanish.
Photo credit: Raitank
This is great! As a non-native speaker, when it comes to these kinds of things I just have no idea. Thank you!
what are some really good not to mention well known online resources for the purpose of sites??
Es el momento apto para hacer uno planes para el futuro y es el momento para ser feliz.
He erudito este post y si pudiera me gustaría aconsejaros en algunos
problemas fascinantes o consejos. Parecido vez usted puede
escribir los siguientes artículos relacionados con estos temas.
Deseo estudiar aún más cosas en el futuro!
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thganks for supplying these details.
This is great! As a non-native speaker, when it comes to these kinds of things I just have no idea. Thank you!