Learning English Vocabulary Through Song

One of the fun ways to learn the common vocabulary of any language is through the use of music to help a student remember the words easily. This is also true of the English language. Children are some of the most receptive to this style of studying, yet adults are also happy to have some fun while studying. Let’s look at some of the fun ways to use songs to remember English language vocabulary words.

One of the most basic songs a person can use for remembering vocabulary is simply repeating some words in a row. The words can be associated with a kind of dance to help a student remember certain vocabulary. It is good to maintain a simple rhythm while saying or singing the song. Here is a basic example: “Up, down, left, right.” When saying “Up”, look up. When saying “Down”, look down. This is an easy way to associate a motion with a direction and a word. Start by reading the chosen words a few times, until you are comfortable practicing without reading the words. It is a really fun and easy way to remember certain vocabulary words.


Another example is remembering the parts of a human body. A possible song of this kind could go like this: “Eyes, ears, nose, mouth.” Each word is again given one beat in the song. When saying the word “Eyes”, a person would point to the person’s eyes. When saying “Ears”, a person would point to the person’s ears. It may be smart to practice such songs in private or in the company of friends or family, rather than in an office.

A more advanced way to remember more advanced vocabulary is by writing a short song with short sentences containing the vocabulary words. It is even better English practice if you can possibly add some rhymes. This can also make the song easier to remember and fun to sing. One conceptual song could be remembering some of names of US states. Such a song could be as basic as: “New York is a state on the East coast. California is a state on the West. Illinois is a state in the middle. Surfers say Hawaii is the best.” It may sound silly at first, but such songs can really help people remember vocabulary words when practiced. It certainly helps to have a lyrical tone to go with the song, but it should be okay anyway.

Should you be a musician of some kind then you can make the songs even more amazing. Practicing the piano or another instrument while singing an English vocabulary song is a good way to enjoy English study. You may even find that you can write an easy English vocabulary song to the music of a popular song you already play. This can make it really quick and easy to write English study songs quickly.

Once you have made some songs you enjoy, record them and share them online with English language students.