Going to Preschool
A few months ago, my daughter started daycare, and it took about a month for her to adjust. They taught her this song, though it’s her least favorite, so she never actually sings it. The song doesn’t seem to be widely known; I hadn’t heard it growing up, and even the YouTube videos I found don’t have many views. Below, I’ve included the lyrics with pinyin, traditional and simplified Chinese characters, and an English translation.
It’s worth noting that 幼儿园 often translates to “kindergarten”, but here I’ll use “preschool” to be more inclusive.
Lyrics
| English | Pinyin | Traditional | Simplified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Going to Preschool | shàng yòu ér yuán | 上幼兒園 | 上幼儿园 |
| Dad and Mom go to work | bà ba mā ma qù shàng bān | 爸爸媽媽去上班 | 爸爸妈妈去上班 |
| And I go to preschool. | wǒ shàng yòu ér yuán | 我上幼兒園 | 我上幼儿园 |
| I don’t cry or fuss | wǒ bù kū yě bù nào | 我不哭也不鬧 | 我不哭也不闹 |
| And greet the teacher with “Good morning!” | jiào shēng lǎo shī zǎo! | 叫聲老師早！ | 叫声老师早！ |
Note that those who use traditional Chinese would normally use 幼稚園 (yòu zhì yuán) instead of 幼兒園 for “preschool”.