Are you looking for lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs for your elementary music classroom? This elementary music unit will help your elementary music students learn the lyrics to the Spanish Christmas song Mi Burrito Sabanero. They will also the hand motions that make the songs fun and easy to remember. Watch a preview of the whole unit in the videos below. Get these music activities kids will love through our free elementary music membership!
Free elementary music curriculum
This free elementary music curriculum unit is perfect for elementary music teachers or classroom teachers looking to integrate music activities kids will love. As a member of our community, you get lesson plans for elementary music, videos for elementary music class songs, and everything you need to make teaching music fun and easy! Join our free elementary music membership today!
Meet the teaching artist: Jairo Puello “JP”
Born in the Dominican Republic, Jairo Puello has been singing and song-writing since he was a kid. At ten years of age, Jairo learned that he could sell newspapers a lot faster if he sang the news. By fifteen he was the invited singer at summer church camps. At nineteen he released his first acapella quartet recording to help cover college expenses in Puerto Rico. By twenty-one, he released his first duo album with his sister Any Puello. Not long after, he released three more solo albums: Me Quedo Contigo, Atado a Ti, and Sobre la Roca. He also produced a bilingual children’s album called Jubilee.
Jairo has performed on tours in more than 20 countries, was nominated for Los Premios Cassandra (the equivalent to the Grammys in the Dominican Republic) with his Atado a Ti album. Jairo has performed for a few people on a pew in a small country church and for more than ten thousand fans in a baseball stadium. He is currently teaching Spanish at a charter school in South Carolina and continues to sing on the worship team at church and assists in musical productions as time allows.
How to teach lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs
How to teach lyrics to Spanish Christmas songsIf you don’t speak Spanish, you might be a little hesitant to integrate Spanish music into your classroom. But we’ll give you all of the tools you need to make your teaching experience fun, easy, and meaningful!
1. Teach lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs in context.
Language learning isn’t so different from other subjects. Have you ever tried teaching algebra before teaching addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division? Have you ever tried teaching English research papers without teaching the basics of an intro, paragraphs 1-3, and conclusion format? The truth is, no matter what subject we’re teaching, context is everything. The same is true for language.
So we’ve made it easy for you. Yes, you’ve got the music videos, but that’s just the start. The context is in the Google Slides–you can access it through our elementary music membership. Our lesson plan and Google Slides give you tools to create a context for the lyrics of both songs. We hit on keywords and phrases and provide you with lyrics in Spanish and English so that you can use both language options and use them in a way that is optimal for native speakers.
Additionally, the Mi Burrito Sabanero: The Story video introduces students to the key concept in the story of the song. Kids also learn the meaning of key words in the lyrics. They also learn about the musical instrument: the cuatro. We also explain how “ico” or “ito” are used in Spanish to indicate “small” or “little” in Spanish.
2. Teach lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs with translation.
Words can be just as powerful images for language learning as images. I learned Spanish as a second language at age 23. It was before the smartphone was released. Yes, we had Internet, but we didn’t have Duolingo, Google Translate, or any other popular apps for language acquisition. I learned Spanish as a second language on 3×5 cards running while jogging around a race track. But because I’m a visual learner, I depended on pairing audio with text on 3×5 cards in order to lock new vocabulary in my brain.
So younger learners are a little more flexible, but providing them with translation isn’t a bad thing. And providing them with the natural translation of a message versus the literal translation of it really sets learners up for success when it comes to real-world application. The lyrics in English are available in the lesson plan. They can easily be sung with the Spanish song video.
2. Teach lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs with hand motions.
Do you remember the last time you tried to memorize the lyrics to a song–any song? No matter what language you speak, hand motions and body movements help us cement lyrics and music in our brains. So one thing you’re going to love about these Spanish music videos is that we’ve given your students hand motions to follow along.
3. Teach lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs using closed captions.
By clicking CC or Closed Captions on our videos, you provide your students with text to follow along. It’s like a Karaoke video but even better because the video shows you the hand motions, and the closed captions show your students the lyrics. So it’s the best of both worlds!
Lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs: Mi Burrito Sabanero
So when it comes to translating lyrics, there are two different approaches. Method #1 is a literal translation where the translator pays no attention to the rhythm, beat, or music of the original song. Method #2 focuses on recreating the heart and essence of the original song into a new song (as much of a hit song as the original) where the exact translation surrenders to best songwriting techniques. Artists who implement this technique don’t disregard the meaning in the original text, but rather capture the essence of the original meaning while not sacrificing the art of the music or lyrics in the new language used. If you compare my translation with others, you’ll quickly realize that I always use Method #2.
Mi Burrito Sabanero Lyrics in Spanish
Verse 1
//Con mi burrito sabanero, voy camino de Belén.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
Verse 2
//El lucerito mañanero ilumina mi sendero.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
Verse 3
//Con mi cuatrico, voy cantando, mi burrito va trotando.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
Chorus
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki ta
Apúrate, mi burrito, que ya vamos a llegar.
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki tu
Apúrate, mi burrito, vamos a ver a Jesús.
Verse 1
//Con mi burrito sabanero, voy camino de Belén.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
Verse 2
//El lucerito mañanero ilumina mi sendero.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
Verse 3
//Con mi cuatrico, voy cantando, mi burrito va trotando.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
Chorus
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki ta
Apúrate, mi burrito, que ya vamos a llegar.
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki tu
Apúrate, mi burrito, vamos a ver a Jesús.
Verse 1
//Con mi burrito sabanero, voy camino de Belén.//
//Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.//
////Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén.////
My Savanna Donkey Lyrics (translation by Joanna Puello)
Verse 1
//With my small savanna donkey, I am going to Bethlehem.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
Verse 2
//And with my cuatro, I go singing, and my donkey, he goes trotting.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
Verse 3
//The little star that rises early, Lights my way and guides my path.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
Chorus
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki ta
Hurry up my little donkey,
Because soon we will arrive.
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki ta
Hurry up my little donkey,
To see baby Jesus soon.
Verse 1
//With my small savanna donkey, I am going to Bethlehem.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
Verse 2
//And with my cuatro, I go singing, and my donkey, he goes trotting.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
Verse 3
//The little star that rises early, Lights my way and guides my path.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
Chorus
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki ta
Hurry up my little donkey,
Because soon we will arrive.
Tuki tuki tuki tuki, tuki tuki tuki ta
Hurry up my little donkey,
To see baby Jesus soon.
Verse 1
//With my small savanna donkey, I am going to Bethlehem.//
//Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.//
////Look at me, look at me, on my way to Bethlehem.////
Teach your elementary students the lyrics to Spanish Christmas songs for free
Elementary music teachers or classroom teachers looking to integrate music activities kids love can join our elementary music membership for free! As a member of our community, you get lesson plans for elementary music, videos for elementary music class songs, and everything you need to make teaching music fun and easy! Sign up today!
Mi Burrito Sabanero Song: learn about the cuatro musical instrument
The simple description of the cuatro is that it’s a four-stringed guitar popular in Puerto Rico and Venezuela. (It’s called the cuatro because cuatro means four in Spanish.) But there’s a rich history behind this charming mini-guitar. The cuatro is actually part of a family of Latin American stringed instruments. It can be traced all the way back to 15th century instruments: the Spanish vihuela and the Portuguese cavaquinho.
Some cuatros have viola-like shapes, and most look like a classical guitar. In Puerto Rico and Venezuela, the cuatro is played at parties and traditional gatherings. It’s used for both secular and religious music. Modern cuatros come a variety of sizes and shapes, and number of strings. Cuatros can either have single-, double- or triple-coursed strings. They can be as small as a large mandolin or as big as a full-sized guitar and are subfamilies of the lute family.
Check out more of our Music Break with JP music units
Find out more about free contact you can access through our free elementary music membership!
Music activities for Hispanic Heritage Month
