Happy Birthday Song in Spanish: Lyrics & More for Kids!

In this post: Learn how to sing “Happy Birthday” in Spanish—plus other traditional songs and books about el cumpleaños for kids!

Want to teach your kids how to say and sing happy birthday in Spanish? Birthdays can be the perfect opportunity to introduce festive vocabulary and cultural traditions!

Here you’ll find easy Spanish birthday song lyrics, including Cumpleaños feliz and Las Mañanitas, along with fun vocabulary and book ideas.

In our Level 2 curriculum we include a unit about growing up together ‘Creciendo juntos’. It includes a beautiful story about a girl’s 15th birthday party ‘una quinceañera’, as well as the classic piñata chant! 

Related post: How to Add a Foreign Language to Your Homeschooling

How Do You Say “Happy Birthday” in Spanish?

There are many ways to tell someone happy birthday and wish them well.

Firstly, there’s the one most of us are already familiar with: feliz cumpleaños (happy birthday)

An informal or colloquial form of that phrase is feliz cumple. 

Here are a few other useful phrases: 

Finally, you can simply say ‘felicidades’ (congratulations). While this isn’t used in English, it’s a common way to wish someone a happy birthday in Spanish.

Bonus Teaching Opportunity!

If you’ve already taught your kids how to express their emotions and feelings in Spanish, this is a great time to also practice that skill. Ask them how they feel on their birthday, what emotions they experience at a birthday party or even how they would feel if someone forgot about their birthday.

How to Sing the Happy Birthday Song in Spanish

Ready to learn how to sing “Happy Birthday” in Spanish? There are two different ways!

These are sung to the melody of the happy birthday song in English, so they’re easy for kids to learn. 

Here’s one version of feliz cumpleaños song lyrics you can try:

This is another version:

Las Mañanitas (Traditional Mexican Birthday Song)

There’s also a popular song sung on birthdays called ‘Las Mañanitas’ which is said to have originated in Mexico.

Traditionally, family members would hire mariachis to serenade their loved ones with this song in the early hours of their birthday. Nowadays, it is also sung before someone cuts their birthday cake. 

We love the version by Canticos which is fun and filled with cute animations. Listen to the Spanish and English versions here and sing along using the lyrics below:

La piñata Song

It’s very common in Hispanic culture to celebrate a birthday by breaking a piñata!

Enjoy this beautifully illustrated song included in our Level 2 curriculum. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more free Spanish songs for kids!

Spanish Birthday Vocabulary for Kids

Here are some common words and phrases that will come in handy when talking about birthdays. Consider using them to make bilingual labels to add as decorations at your next birthday celebration.

For a fun arts and crafts project, try making your own piñata at home. Fill it with your kids’ favorite candy and trinkets and watch them go!

Spanish Books about Birthdays

With the following books, you’ll have more than enough opportunities to learn new words and phrases as well as practice reading in Spanish. Here are some great options for kids:

Las mañanitas by Susie Jaramillo

This book by Canticos is based on the traditional Mexican birthday song “Las Mañanitas.” It’s a great bilingual read with interactive lift-the-flap features. Ages 0–6.

Un Señor Oso Para Mi Cumpleaños by Ingrid Sawubona

Fuel your kids’ imagination with this creative story. A boy encounters a bear at the park and takes it home with him. He then has to find a way to tell his parents that the bear wants to live with them forever. Grab your copy to find out what happens in the end. Ages 4–8.

Feliz Cumpleaños A Mí by David and Tessie DeVore

This Christian-based book gives even more insight into the cultural aspects of celebrating birthdays in Hispanic cultures and the importance of family. Dive into this joyful story which recounts the amazing time everyone had celebrating David’s birthday. Ages 4–8.

¡Feliz cumpleaños Martín! by Dana Ryan

Follow the adventures of two friends Pepe and Martín as Pepe reveals all the surprises that are planned to celebrate Martín’s birthday. If you love surprises then this one’s for you. 

¡Cumpleaños feliz! Combel by Nicola Slater

This book is short yet impactful and will have your kids eagerly looking forward to their next birthday. Sing the happy birthday song along with four friends as they celebrate a very special day.

Give Your Child the Gift of Bilingualism

At Llamitas Spanish® we love teaching children Spanish through lessons rooted in Hispanic culture.

When teaching your kids Spanish at home, it’s easy to overlook cultural lessons. But these are an enriching experience that you definitely won’t want your kids to miss out on. 

In our Level 2 curriculum we include a unit about growing up together ‘Creciendo juntos’. It includes a beautiful story about a girl’s 15th birthday party, una quinceañera, as well as the classic piñata chant! 

With our series of completely open-and-go curriculum levels you can confidently teach your kids Spanish at home. We include native speaker audio, pronunciation guides, and bilingual scripts, so there’s no guess work!

Why not give your kids the gift of being bilingual? Head over to our shop and enroll now!

Kimberly Inglis

Kimberly is a freelance writer from Trinidad and Tobago who was always fascinated by language and holds a B.A in Spanish with a minor in Linguistics. She considers herself to be a multipotentialite due to her many interests and a few of her favorite things include coffee, pasta and scented candles.

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