In this post: Learn the names of body parts in Spanish! Plus, get some ideas on books, songs, and activities to try together with your toddler or preschooler to reinforce Spanish vocabulary learning.
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Table of contents:
- Vocabulary: Over 30 words for body parts in Spanish
- Books: 3 books we use to learn body parts
- Songs: 4 favorite songs in Spanish about body parts
- Activities: 2 fun activities that reinforce body parts
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Spanish Body Parts Vocabulary List
Spanish is spoken in many different countries, and there is often more than one word for the same object. Many body part names are universally understood, though some vary by region or context. This list includes the more common terms with some notes on when and where you might hear variations. It is by no means exhaustive as there are many different colloquial terms!
| Body | el cuerpo | m |
| Hair (1) | el pelo el cabello |
m m |
| Eye | el ojo | m |
| Ear | la oreja | f |
| Nose | la nariz | f |
| Mouth | la bocz | f |
| Tooth / Teeth | el diente / los dientes | m |
| Tongue | la lengua | f |
| Face | la cara | f |
| Forehead | la frente | f |
| Eyebrow (2) | la ceja | f |
| Eyelash | la pestaña | f |
| Cheek | el cachete la mejilla |
m f |
| Chin | la barbilla el mentón |
f m |
| Neck | el cuello | m |
| Shoulder | el hombro | m |
| Arm | el brazo | m |
| Elbow | el codo | m |
| Wrist | la muñeca | f |
| Hand | la mano | f |
| Finger | el dedo | m |
| Chest | el pecho | m |
| Stomach (3) | la barriga la panza |
f f |
| Back | la espalda | f |
| Hip | la cadera | f |
| Buttocks (4) | las nalgas | f |
| Leg | la pierna | f |
| Knee | la rodilla | f |
| Ankle | el tibillo | m |
| Foot / Feet | el pie / los pies | m |
| Toe | el dedo del pie | m |
- 1 el pelo means “hair” generically and can be used for any type of hair (including animal) while cabello is specifically used for hair on the (human) head
- 2 el ceño is sometimes used in reference to both eyebrows, or “brow” as it would be in English
- 3 la barriga and la panza both refer to the belly, the outer part of the stomach; the organ that’s part of the digestive system is called “el estómago”
- 4 There are MANY different, more common informal terms! In Spain you will likely hear “el culo”, however this is the equivalent of the more vulgar English term in the majority of Central and South America, so beware!
Books: 3 Spanish Books About Body Parts
One of my favorite books for my preschooler to reinforce body parts in Spanish is “I Love My Body”. Whether I choose Spanish only mode to immerse her in the language or bilingual mode so that she can better comprehend and appreciate the “hidden” positive messages about bodies (my favorite part), my daughter can read and listen and learn Spanish body parts with just a tap of the magical wand. And since everything is tappable, there’s always something new for us to discover each time we read it!
Mi Primer Libro del Cuerpo by Angela Wilkes
This bilingual board book from DK includes so much more than body parts in Spanish! Most everything you can think of that’s related to bodies - our facial expressions and emotions, the clothes we wear, and what we can do with our bodies - is included and illustrated with real photos of babies and children.
Descansa y relájate by Whitney Stewart
Sometimes quiet focus time can be really helpful to dig into vocabulary. This is an English-Spanish bilingual book about mindfulness designed for young children. Together with your toddler, you can walk through simple meditation practices for restful sleep while you tense and relax different body parts … all while practicing naming body parts in Spanish!
Songs: 4 Favorite Spanish Tunes about the Body
Cabeza, hombros, rodillas, pies - Super Simple Español
This is a translated version of the classic “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. With the familiar tune and simple movements, it’s a great first song to teach your little one some of the main body parts in Spanish.
A fun song from the Latin-grammy winning 123 Andrés, this is another wonderful song to introduce body parts and early rhyming skills with the added giggles of tickles! Our family extends this song with additional people’s names that rhyme with various body parts in Spanish. We have come up with some pretty silly names!
Las partes del cuerpo - Rockalingua
Moving a step up in complexity, this song is a steady clip listing many body parts, directing the listener to touch each body part as it is named in Spanish. It’s still a little fast for my preschooler to keep up completely, but since it’s repeated, I like to just have her listen to the first round and then point to each body part as it’s named the second time through.
Baila con tu cuerpo - Basho & Friends
This song is faster paced and invites children to get up and dance as they move different body parts! There is a lot of repetition of the body part names in Spanish as each is mentioned, with the added benefit of also practicing directional vocabulary based on how they should move their bodies. When I would play this song for my students that were beginner Spanish learners, I would have them watch the video so that they could see each body part that was named in the song to help them better follow along.
Activities: 2 Fun Ways to Reinforce Spanish Body Parts
Free Printable - Write body parts in both Spanish and English
Work on writing in both English and Spanish with Habbi Habbi’s printable. Label each body part, and if you have our book, you can use it to help remind you of the correct words! We did this worksheet alongside the book and enjoyed using the affirmational phrases about bodies to come up with our own reasons we love each of our own body parts labeled in the printable.
Simon says / Simón dice
This classic game is a great way to reinforce body part names in Spanish as well as common vocabulary related to directionality, movement, and more. For beginning language learners, you can start with just the body part in Spanish (e.g. Simon says, shake la cabeza), while more advanced speakers can participate completely in Spanish. I like to sometimes step it up by including multiple body parts (e.g. Simon says, tap la nariz with el dedo).
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Check out more bilingual resources from Habbi Habbi
We have lots more (fun stuff!) here at Habbi Habbi. You can explore our free resources such as bilingual printables, resource blog, and audiobooks. Of course, we also have our much loved magical Reading Wand, bilingual books, puzzles & flashcards. Our tools are currently available in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, Korean, and Hindi.
About our lovely guest contributor: Kelly
Kelly Helbach is an English-Spanish bilingual parent raising an English-Spanish-Mandarin trilingual child with her English-Mandarin bilingual spouse. She has a passion for education and literacy and language development, with a Master’s Degree in Reading Development and experience as both an English-only and Spanish-English dual language Kindergarten teacher. Nowadays, she stays home with her daughter and enjoys playing video games when there’s a bit of spare time.
