English for babies: how to start at home with songs, routines and lots of love

English for babies can start right at home, and you don’t need classes or special materials to begin. At this age, learning English means listening: your voice, short songs and the same few words repeated at the same moments every day, like bath time, meals and bedtime.

A baby doesn’t sit down for lessons. A baby plays, watches your face and listens. When a few English words show up every day with a smile and a hug, they become part of your baby’s world, just like the words they hear in Spanish. In this guide you’ll find phrases for every part of the day, 30 first words, one-minute games and ideas for what comes next when your baby turns 2.

And the most important part: your home language stays your home language. If you speak Spanish at home, keep speaking it. English joins the family as a welcome guest, not as a replacement.

Can you teach English to a baby?

You can, just not the way you’d teach an older child. A baby doesn’t need explanations. A baby needs to hear simple words, many times, at moments that matter: while eating, during a bath, when you pick them up to look out the window.

Think about how your baby is learning the word for water in your home language. Nobody gives a lesson. Your baby hears it a hundred times: while drinking, while watching the water pour into the tub, when someone asks if they want some. English works the same way. The word “water” makes sense when it arrives with the cup.

That’s why, with a baby, the goal isn’t to get them to say English words. The goal is for English to sound familiar, warm and fun. Everything else comes with time.

What to expect at each stage

Every baby has their own pace, so treat these stages as ideas, not a checklist. What changes with age isn’t so much how much English you use, but how you play with it.

Notice that everything is short. A baby pays attention for a little while and then wants something else. That’s normal, and it’s exactly what you want: lots of small moments, not one long one.

You don’t need perfect English

Many parents tell us, “I’d love to, but my English isn’t good.” For a baby, your English is more than enough. The words a baby needs first are the simplest ones: hello, milk, ball, more, bath, night-night. You almost certainly know them already.

Your accent isn’t a problem either. Your baby will hear English from many voices over the years: teachers, friends, neighbors, storybooks. Yours is one voice among many, and it’s the one your baby loves most. What stays with your baby isn’t perfect pronunciation, but the fact that English arrived together with your smile.

For more ideas when English isn’t your strongest language, see our guide on how to teach your toddler English when you speak Spanish at home.

English in your daily routine: phrases for every moment

The easiest way to start is to pick one or two moments of the day and give them a little English. Always the same phrases, always at the same moment. For a baby, repetition is like a favorite song: it feels calm and safe.

When your baby wakes up

• “Good morning!” as you open the curtains.
• “Hello, baby!” with your face close to theirs.
• “Up, up, up!” as you lift them out of the crib.

Diaper changes

• “Feet, feet, feet,” touching their feet one at a time.
• “Clean diaper!” when you’re done.
• “All done!” with a little clap.

Mealtime

• “Milk” or “water,” as you show the bottle or the cup.
• “More?” before the next spoonful.
• “Yummy!” with a happy face.

Bath time

• “Bath time!” when you turn on the water.
• “Splash, splash!” while they play in the water.
• “Bubbles!” as you point at the foam.

Bedtime

• “Night-night,” every time you turn off the light.
• “I love you,” very softly.
• “Sleep tight,” with a kiss.

You don’t need all of them. Choose three to start, for example “good morning,” “bath time” and “night-night,” and use them every day for two weeks. Once they come out without thinking, add a few more. Our guide to the daily routine in English has more phrases for when your baby gets a little older.

Songs and rhymes for babies

Songs are the easiest door into English for babies. Music helps words stick, and babies love hearing the same song again and again. Singing helps you too: it often feels less awkward than talking.

Choose traditional nursery songs, the kind families have sung for generations. For example:

• “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”: slow and gentle, perfect for bedtime.
• “Row, row, row your boat”: sit your baby on your lap and rock gently, like a little boat.
• “Head, shoulders, knees and toes”: touch each body part as you sing.
• “If you’re happy and you know it”: full of claps, great once your baby starts clapping.

Sing it yourself, even if you only know half the words. Your voice matters more than a perfect recording, because it comes with your face, your hands and your hug. If you forget a part, hum it. Your baby won’t notice the difference, but they will notice you’re having fun. For more ideas, see our guide to English songs for toddlers.

30 first English words for babies

These are words your baby sees, touches or lives with every day. Next to each one you’ll find the Spanish word, for families who use both languages at home, and a moment when the English word fits naturally.

A quick note on “bath” and “mouth”: the “th” sound is made with the tip of the tongue between the teeth. That way “mouth” doesn’t turn into “mouse.” If this sound is new for you, say it slowly a few times on your own first.

Don’t try to use all 30 at once. Start with five that fit your baby’s day, like “milk,” “bath,” “ball,” “up” and “night-night.” As your baby grows, our list of first words in English and Spanish picks up where this one ends.

One-minute games in English

With a baby, a one-minute game is a whole game. These five need nothing more than your hands and a toy you already have.

1. Peekaboo. Cover your face with your hands or a small blanket and ask, “Where’s mommy?” Then uncover your face and say, “Peekaboo!” Few things make a baby laugh harder.
2. Up and down. Lift a stuffed animal slowly, saying “up, up, up,” then lower it, saying “down, down, down.” Then do it with your baby in your arms, gently.
3. Where’s the ball? Hide a ball under a towel, leaving a little bit showing, and ask, “Where’s the ball?” When your baby finds it, cheer: “Ball! Yay!”
4. Bye-bye, toys. When it’s time to put toys away, wave goodbye to each one: “Bye-bye, duck. Bye-bye, ball.” Cleaning up turns into a game.
5. Clap, clap. Clap slowly, saying “clap, clap, clap,” then fast, then very quietly. When your baby claps along, you’re already playing together in English.

Common mistakes (and what to do instead)

• Trying to do everything at once. Lots of new phrases every day would tire anyone. Three phrases repeated every day for weeks work better.
• Translating everything. If you keep saying “ball, pelota, ball, pelota,” English loses its own moment. Say the English word while you show the ball, and let the ball do the translating.
• Expecting your baby to repeat. Babies listen long before they talk. If your baby doesn’t say “milk,” that doesn’t mean they aren’t learning. Don’t ask them to repeat, just keep playing.
• Dropping your home language. If you speak Spanish at home, Spanish is the language of your family’s love. Keep singing, telling stories and talking in Spanish as much as you like. English joins in, it doesn’t take over.
• Playing when your baby is tired or hungry. A sleepy baby doesn’t want new games. Look for good-mood moments, like right after a nap.

Signs it’s working

With a baby, progress doesn’t show up on a test. It shows up in small, everyday moments. Watch for things like these:

• Your baby smiles or wiggles when “their” English song starts.
• They look at the ball when you say “ball,” or at the dog when you say “dog.”
• They lift their arms when they hear “up, up, up.”
• They wave when you say “bye-bye.”
• They try a similar sound, like “ba” for “ball” or “mo” for “more.”

Each of these moments is English working on the inside. Celebrate them, even the tiny ones. And remember that every baby has their own pace: if you’re ever worried about how your child hears or communicates, in any language, talk to your pediatrician.

When your baby turns 2

Around age 2, many children start to enjoy slightly longer games: finding a hidden toy, copying a sound, choosing between two things. It’s a good time to give English a little moment of its own, short and at the same time every day.

The routines you build now carry over: the morning “hello,” the bath time words, the bedtime song. You simply add a few more words and a little more back-and-forth. Our guide to English for 2-year-olds has ideas for that stage.

Screens, babies and where Tatako fits

Many parents think of videos or apps when they hear “English for babies.” With a baby, though, the English that helps most comes from a person close to them: someone who looks at them, answers their sounds and names what’s happening right now. If you have questions about screens and your baby, your pediatrician is the best person to ask, because they know your child and your family. Our post on whether toddlers can learn from TV looks at screens for older children.

That’s why Tatako’s lessons are for later, once touching and naming pictures is part of the fun, and always with a grown-up nearby. When that time comes, Tatako offers short spoken English lessons with nothing to read: 369 first words and phrases in 72 lessons, covering people, food, animals, colors, actions, little helper words and what the teacher says at preschool, in about five minutes a day.

Each lesson follows one simple rhythm. Your child hears each word three times, with a pause to say it out loud. Next come two pictures, and your little one touches the one they hear. Finally the picture comes back without the word, and your child gets to name it first. Afterward, a grown-up spends about two minutes marking how each word went (New, Repeat more, Understands or Can say), and the next lesson brings the shaky words back first. You choose the mix of old and new words.

A Spanish guide voice explains what to do, and you can turn it off once you don’t need it. Lessons run in the browser, and you sign in with Google. Learn more on the Tatako home page. Until then, everything in this guide works without a screen: your voice, your songs and your games are the best way to begin.

Questions parents ask

When can I start English with my baby?

From birth, if we’re talking about listening: songs, greetings and single words in your daily routine. There’s no age you need to wait for before singing to your baby in English. Lessons with picture games make more sense once touching and naming pictures is part of play.

How do I teach English to a one year old?

With routines and short games. Name what your baby is looking at or touching in English (“ball,” “milk,” “dog”), sing the same song every day and play peekaboo. Don’t ask them to repeat. At this age, listening is what matters.

Will English and Spanish confuse my baby?

Many children around the world grow up with two languages from birth. What helps is that both languages come with love and at clear moments, like English at bath time and Spanish at bedtime, or the other way around. If you’re ever worried about how your child is talking, ask your pediatrician.

How much English does a baby need each day?

There’s no need to measure it. A few short moments spread through the day, like the morning hello, bath time and the bedtime song, are a wonderful way to start.

Which English songs can I sing to my baby?

Traditional nursery songs work beautifully: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” “Row, row, row your boat” or “Head, shoulders, knees and toes.” They’re short, repetitive and easy to sing even if English isn’t your first language.

English for babies isn’t about getting ahead. It’s about adding a little music and play to the moments you already share. Three phrases, one song and lots of smiles make a lovely beginning. And when touching and naming pictures becomes part of the fun, start a Tatako lesson together.