“Piccoli Insetti” — Little Bugs Song in Italian for Kids

In “Piccoli Insetti” (Little Bugs), kids sing key Italian words like ape, formica, farfalla and ragno, going back and forth between English and Italian, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a early-learner (A1) song from Unit 4: Animals, 1:53 long, made for ages 2–8.

🇮🇹 Italian
Level: A1
Unit 4 · Gli Animali
⏱ 1:53
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“Piccoli Insetti” lyrics with English translation

Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. Italian is shown in teal.

Song lyrics with translation. Italian lines are shown in teal.
Sung	Meaning
Bee! — Ape!
The bee is small. — L’ape è piccola.
Ant! — Formica!
The ant walks. — La formica cammina.
Ape, ape, fly with me!
Formica, formica, vieni qui!	Ant, ant, come here!
Little bugs, little bugs, hello, hello!	Piccoli insetti, piccoli insetti, ciao, ciao!
Ciao, ciao, piccoli insetti, pronti? Go!	Hi, hi, little bugs, ready? Go!
Bee — ape! Ant — formica!
Say it once, say it twice, che bella musica!
Butterfly! — Farfalla!
The butterfly is yellow. — La farfalla è gialla.
Spider! — Ragno!
The spider is here. — Il ragno è qui.
Ladybug! — Coccinella!
Fly! — Mosca!
The fly goes away. — La mosca vola via.
Little bugs, little bugs, hello, hello!	Piccoli insetti, piccoli insetti, ciao, ciao!
Ciao, ciao, piccoli insetti, pronti? Go!	Hi, hi, little bugs, ready? Go!
Butterfly — farfalla! Spider — ragno!
Ladybug — coccinella! Fly — mosca!
Who is red? — La coccinella!
Who spins a web? — Il ragno!
Who has wings? — La farfalla!
Say them all, piano piano!
Ape, formica, farfalla, ragno,	Bee, ant, butterfly, spider,
Coccinella, mosca — ancora, dai!	Ladybug, fly — again, come on!
Little bugs, little bugs, hello, hello!	Piccoli insetti, piccoli insetti, ciao, ciao!
Ciao, ciao, piccoli insetti, pronti? Go!	Hi, hi, little bugs, ready? Go!
Bee — ape! Ant — formica!
Say it once, say it twice, che bella musica!
Little bugs, little bugs, now we know!	Piccoli insetti, piccoli insetti, ora lo sappiamo!
Piccoli insetti, ciao ciao, and off we go!

Key Italian words in this song

The 6 words and phrases this song is built around.

Italian	English
ape	bee
formica	ant
farfalla	butterfly
ragno	spider
coccinella	ladybug
mosca	fly

How to use this song with your child

1
Count the “ape”s
“ape” means “bee” and comes up on 6 lines. Keep count on your fingers together; older kids can try to predict when it's coming next.
2
Split the parts
Once the song is familiar, you sing the English lines and your child sings the Italian ones, then swap. It turns listening into speaking.
3
Make it a routine
At 1:53, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Hand your child the toy animal the song is singing about, and swap when the next one comes up.