Natural Science English Songs for Primary School Students
Listening to and singing songs in class is a great way to teach natural science English vocabulary to primary school students. In fact, I think songs are fantastic for teaching English in general, because they help keep students engaged and they offer helpful devices for memorizing English words, phrases, and pronunciation.
While teaching English at a bilingual primary school in Spain, I taught first, second, and third grade students in academic and extracurricular classes including natural sciences, social sciences, music, and physical education. For each of these classes, but especially for natural and social sciences, I’ve compiled lots of English songs that I’ve found on YouTube.
Below is a list of the English songs I’ve used to teach natural science vocabulary and concepts to first, second, and third grade primary school students in Spain. You’ll find the songs organized by topics, which I list alphabetically. I try to use lots of keywords, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for, try searching the page for a keyword.
I hope you have fun listening to music and singing English songs related to the natural sciences with your students!
Animals
Animal Classification
Animal Classification: The Vertebrates Song - A fun song that classifies vertebrate animals in English. A great song for primary school students of all ages.
Sing Along Song: Carnivores, Herbivores, Omnivores - A fun English sing along song about herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. Helps students repeat and practice English vocabulary out loud.
Domesticated vs. Wild Animals
I Have a Pet - An easy song that incorporates names of pets and common English sentences.
Wild Animals for Kids - Here’s a great video for teaching and practicing the names of wild animals. I recommend pausing the video each time it shows the silhouette of a new animal. When the video is paused, you can ask your students if they know the name of the animal in English. In this way, this video can be turned into a guessing game. You can even put students into teams and/or have them play for points!
Body Parts
External
The Skeleton Dance - a silly parts of the body song and dance, great for Halloween, too
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes - my students already knew this song, but it’s great for practice with the English parts of the body
If You’re Happy and You Know It - fun song to quiz students on English body parts
Internal
Schoolhouse Rock Body Machine - this song is a bit tricky, but you can ask students to raise their hands when they hear an English vocabulary word related to the digestive system
Schoolhouse Rock Do the Circulation - this song is a bit tricky, but you can ask students to raise their hands when they hear an English vocabulary word related to the circulatory system
The Senses
The 5 Senses Song - a great song with helpful graphics to reinforce the five senses in English
The Earth
Caring for the Earth
We Care for the Earth - An English song to teach students about how to take care of the Earth and its environments.
Habitats
Habitats - STEAM Song - A simple song with helpful graphics for teaching young primary school students about different habitats and environments in English.
Habitats Song (Hopscotch) - This song is a bit more complicated than the one above, but it’s great for teaching students about different environments and their characteristics. If you’re teaching these concepts in English to older primary school students, you might find this song to be useful.
The Geosphere
Four Layers of the Earth - This fairly simple song is great for getting students to speak—or rather sing—aloud the English vocabulary words related to the Earth’s structure.
Plants
Needs of a Plant
The Needs of a Plant - A repeat-after-me-style song to teach elementary school students about the things plants need to survive, in English, of course.
Parts of a Plant
Roots, Stem, Leaves, Flower - A song with a catchy chorus and hand movements to teach students the parts of a plant in English.
Parts of a Plant - A great sing-along with a nice tune and simple lyrics to teach students the parts of a plant.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis - A song and dance to teach primary school students how photosynthesis works in English.
Weather and Climate
How’s the Weather?
How’s the Weather? - If you’re looking for an easy song to review basic English weather vocabulary, you might like this one.
The Weather Song - Here’s one more super simple song about English weather concepts!
The Seasons
Learn the Seasons - This fun music video teaches about the seasons and weather in English through a parody of Bruno Mars’s Uptown Funk.
The Water Cycle
Water Cycle Hip Hop Dance - In my experience, one of the best ways to get students to engage with the material they’re learning is to stand up and move. Here’s an excellent example: a hip hop dance that teaches the phases of the water cycle in English.
