This post is in partnership with Nick Jr., however all opinions shared here are my own!
What was your favorite nursery rhyme when you were a kid? Mine were Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which I learned first in Spanish (Estrellita, ¿dónde estás?). My mom first sang them to me and then teachers at school ingrained them in my memory. And now that my baby girl is finally reacting to music, I am excited to to teach her these timeless classics! Now, I’m not all that musically inclined, and at times I wonder if I’m doing these nursery rhymes justice with my barely adequate singing skills and my lack of instrumental expertise. But not to worry! Luckily for baby Isabelita, Canticos exists. 
Canticos pairs classic nursery rhymes from all over the Hispanic musical lore with adorable animal characters to create educational music videos. I was pregnant with Isa when I first heard about Canticos and discovered their books at an event I attended. There they were, my favorite nursery rhymes both in English and Spanish! The first things that caught my eye were their beautiful designs and their colors. The books also incorporated small teachings, like the colors, numbers and the days of the week. All packaged in colorful animations populated by friendly cartoon animals. Canticos’ mission is to ignite and advance creative thinking through the power of play. The more I learned about them, the more I liked it and thought they’d be perfect for whenever Isa was born.
One of aspects I like the most about Canticos is that the English and Spanish versions are so well translated. To name one, “Pin Pon el Muñeco” gets an English language do-over that had me very pleasantly surprised. All these stories are represented in cute imagery and catchy rhymes, so it’s easy to see how kids would love them. Songs are a great tool for babies and kids to learn and reinforce their language skills through repetition, and they can be very beneficial if you’re trying out bilingual education from the early stages of your child’s life. And what better way to help this learning process than by having the songs on video?
Now their bilingual sing-along videos are available on the Nick Jr. website, the FREE Nick Jr. app and on Nick Jr’s YouTube channel.
Isabelita is still too young to be seeing cartoons on screens (yes, even if they’re educational) but we are used to singing songs throughout the day. She is an avid music fan, and just a few weeks ago she started showing how much she enjoys it: every time we play a song, sing to her or just tap a couple of keys on her four-note keyboard, she immediately smiles and starts bobbing her head and bouncing up and down. The second I started playing her the Canticos tunes her face lit up. She might not understand the words now, but the songs are catchy and melodic. I love the voices of the singers, both the kids’ and the adults’. They are jolly and energetic for the more active songs and very calm and soothing for the slower songs (perfect for our night routine!). Just listen to them!
I hope you get a chance to listen to them, show them to your children if they are used to seeing video, and take advantage of their quality entertainment that is also a powerful educational tool. It makes me happy that my kid is able to experience Canticos’ songs and that they’ll help her in celebrating her Hispanic roots. You can too, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Canticos’ bilingual nursery rhymes! Find more information on Canticos at NickJr.com/Canticos
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