“Hände waschen” — Wash Your Hands Song in German for Kids
In “Hände waschen” (Wash Your Hands), kids sing key German words like wasch dir die Hände, das Wasser, die Seife and der Schaum, going back and forth between English and German, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a early-learner (A1) song from Unit 25: Healthy Habits, 2:15 long, made for ages 2–8.
- 🇩🇪 German
- Level: A1
- Unit 25 · Gesund und Munter
- ⏱ 2:15
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“Hände waschen” lyrics with English translation
Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. German is shown in teal.
| Sung | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Before we eat, what should we do? | Was machen wir vor dem Essen? |
| Wasch dir die Hände — that’s what we do! | |
| Turn on the water, nice and slow. | Dreh das Wasser auf, schön langsam. |
| Das Wasser läuft — now let it flow. | |
| Wet your hands, both front and back. | Mach die Hände nass, vorne und hinten. |
| Hände nass — we’re on the track! | |
| Now some soap, a little squeeze. | Jetzt etwas Seife, ein kleiner Druck. |
| Die Seife, please! Rub hands with ease. | |
| What’s that foam? It’s soft and white! | Was ist das für Schaum? Er ist weich und weiß! |
| Der Schaum! Bubbles, what a sight! | |
| Wash your hands! | Wasch dir die Hände! |
| Wasch dir die Hände! | Wash your hands! |
| Soap and water! | Seife und Wasser! |
| Seife und Wasser! | Soap and water! |
| Rub, rub, rub! | Rubbeln, rubbeln! |
| Rubbeln, rubbeln! | Rub, rub, rub! |
| Clean hands, clean hands — ready to go! | Saubere Hände, saubere Hände — los geht’s! |
| Saubere Hände! | Clean hands! |
| Now we know! | Jetzt wissen wir’s! |
| Scrub your palms, now rub away. | Schrubb die Handflächen, jetzt reib los. |
| Rubbeln, rubbeln — hip hooray! | |
| What are these? Wiggle them around! | Was ist das? Wackel mit ihnen! |
| Die Finger! Scrub between them, all around. | |
| Don’t forget the backs and thumbs. | Vergiss nicht die Handrücken und Daumen. |
| Daumen auch — here everyone comes! | |
| After playing outside, what then? | Nach dem Spielen draußen, was dann? |
| Hände waschen, then again! | |
| Rinse the soap away, let water run. | Spül die Seife ab, lass das Wasser laufen. |
| Abspülen — now we’re almost done! | |
| Wash your hands! | Wasch dir die Hände! |
| Wasch dir die Hände! | Wash your hands! |
| Soap and water! | Seife und Wasser! |
| Seife und Wasser! | Soap and water! |
| Rub, rub, rub! | Rubbeln, rubbeln! |
| Rubbeln, rubbeln! | Rub, rub, rub! |
| Clean hands, clean hands — ready to go! | Saubere Hände, saubere Hände — los geht’s! |
| Saubere Hände! | Clean hands! |
| Now we know! | Jetzt wissen wir’s! |
| Twenty seconds — count with me! | Zwanzig Sekunden — zähl mit mir! |
| Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, | One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, |
| neun, zehn, elf, zwölf — keep rubbing right! | |
| Dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn, sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, | Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, |
| Neunzehn, zwanzig — scrub done right! | |
| What do we use to dry our hands? | Womit trocknen wir die Hände ab? |
| Das Handtuch! Towel in your hands. | |
| Dry, dry, dry! | Trocken, trocken, trocken! |
| Abtrocknen — nice and dry! | |
| Wash your hands! | Wasch dir die Hände! |
| Wasch dir die Hände! | Wash your hands! |
| Soap and water! | Seife und Wasser! |
| Seife und Wasser! | Soap and water! |
| Rub, rub, rub! | Rubbeln, rubbeln! |
| Rubbeln, rubbeln! | Rub, rub, rub! |
| Clean hands, clean hands — ready to go! | Saubere Hände, saubere Hände — los geht’s! |
| Saubere Hände! | Clean hands! |
| Now we know! | Jetzt wissen wir’s! |
| Vor dem Essen, after play, | |
| Clean hands help us every day! | Saubere Hände helfen uns jeden Tag! |
Key German words in this song
The 11 words and phrases this song is built around.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| wasch dir die Hände | wash your hands |
| das Wasser | water |
| die Seife | soap |
| der Schaum | foam |
| rubbeln | scrub |
| die Finger | fingers |
| abspülen | rinse |
| das Handtuch | towel |
| abtrocknen | dry |
| saubere Hände | clean hands |
| vor dem Essen | before eating |
How to use this song with your child
- 1
Listen for “wasch dir die Hände”
“wasch dir die Hände” (wash your hands) is sung on 4 lines of this song. Ask your child to clap or raise a hand every time they hear it; by the end they will be saying it with the song.
- 2
Split the parts
Once the song is familiar, you sing the English lines and your child sings the German ones, then swap. It turns listening into speaking.
- 3
Make it a routine
At 2:15, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Play doctor with a teddy: listen to its heart and say the German words from the song.
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