Dutch · 5-year-olds

Dutch for 5-year-olds

By five, many children are starting school, beginning to read and asking for "real" challenges. In Dutch that means moving past single words to lists, questions and short sentences: the days of the week, "where is it?", "what do you want to be?". The later units of the songs are built for this stage.

Is it a good fit? Five-year-olds are in the middle of the 2–8 range; the later units (days, months, positions, jobs) are pitched at this age and up.

Use the lyrics for early reading

Every song shows the Dutch words with the English underneath. Children who are starting to read often enjoy spotting a word they know in the lyrics, and seeing how it's spelled in Dutch.

Lists and routines

Days of the week and months are lists, and lists stick best with a tune. Saying today's day in Dutch each morning is an easy five-year-old habit that takes ten seconds.

Give them a goal

Five-year-olds like milestones. Finishing a unit, singing a whole song by heart, or teaching a grandparent five words are all clear goals they can be proud of.

Dutch words to start with

Words from the songs below that fit this moment. Tap one for pronunciation help and practice ideas.

English	Dutch	Sounds like ≈
the days of the week	maandag, dinsdag, woensdag…	MAHN-dakh, DINS-dakh, VOONS-dakh…
the months of the year	januari, februari, maart…	yah-noo-AH-ree, fay-broo-AH-ree, MAHRT…
the seasons	de lente, de zomer, de herfst…	LEN-tuh, ZOH-mur, HERFST…
numbers 1 to 10	één, twee, drie…	AYN, TVAY, DREE…
how are you?	hoe gaat het?	hoo KHAHT ut
car, bus, train and plane	de auto, de bus, de trein…	OW-toh, BUS, TRAYN…

Good to know about Dutch: Dutch nouns are de-words or het-words. Two shortcuts: every plural takes de, and every little -je word (hondje, vogeltje) takes het.

Dutch songs for 5-year-olds

Hand-picked from the Dutch library. Songs marked Free are part of the free first unit; the rest are Premium.

Quick tips

Say the day of the week in Dutch at breakfast, every day.
Play "where is it?" with toys under, on and behind things, using the position words.
Ask what they want to be when they grow up and look up the job word together.
Let them read the Dutch line of a song aloud before pressing play.

Questions parents ask

Is five too late to start Dutch?

Not at all. Five-year-olds still pick up new sounds easily, and they can do things younger children can't: read along, remember longer songs and use whole phrases. Start with the free greetings unit and move through the units in order.

Will it help with Dutch at school?

It gives your child familiar words and a feel for the sounds of Dutch, which can make first lessons less strange. It isn't a school curriculum and we don't claim specific results.

Sing it in Dutch, free

The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.

Start free — no card