A guide for parents and caregivers
How your little one learns with Dony and the Dinos
Dony and the Dinos is a music series for kids ages 0 to 4, made by a dad in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. Here's how every song is designed and how to make the most of it without extra screen time.
Two layers in every song
A one-year-old and a four-year-old are very different, so every song has two layers that add up without getting in each other's way.
- Ages 0 to 3: rhythm, sounds and movement. Your little one moves, babbles the “grawr” and recognizes each dino by its color and sound.
- Age 4: jokes, facts and anticipation. They know the lyrics, shout the surprise before it arrives and correct you if you get the dance moves wrong.
The four-year-old layer never makes the song harder for the little ones: their reward comes from knowing something, like that Peter isn't a dinosaur or that Gonzy lived in Coahuila.
What we care about in every song
- One melody, one change. Two identical lines and a surprise on the third.
- The sound carries the song. Even before they can say the words, they can say “bzzz”, “splash” or “púapúa”.
- Gross-motor dance moves. Arms, stomps and jumps. Counting on fingers is a bonus for four-year-olds.
- Short on purpose. Most songs last 2 to 3 minutes.
- A calm ending. Every song brings the energy down at the end. We rotate the ending: nighttime, wind, water, or rain with a rainbow.
- Nothing scary. The dinos only “eat” each other as a joke, and they always come out dancing.
English and Spanish, without mixing them up
Every song has one clear base language. In some, like What Color Is the Dino?, the other language appears only as a response word after a pause: “And in Spanish?” — “ROJO!”. That way your little one retrieves the word from memory instead of just hearing it.
Screen time: what pediatricians say
The World Health Organization recommends no sedentary screen time for children under 2, and no more than one hour a day between ages 2 and 4. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests something similar and recommends watching quality content together.
That's why we designed the songs to work as audio only too: play them in the car, at bath time or for dancing in the living room, no screen needed.
Parents' questions
From what age can my child watch Dony and the Dinos?
The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend avoiding screens before 18 to 24 months, except video calls. Before that age, the songs work best as audio to dance and sing together. From 2 to 4, they recommend at most one hour a day of quality content, ideally watched together.
How do we get the most out of the videos?
Watch together, do the dance moves, pause before the surprise so your little one can guess, and repeat each dino's sound. Learning sticks better when an adult plays along.
Why do the songs repeat so much?
Because that's how under-threes learn: with exact patterns. Each verse repeats the same melody and changes just one thing. Four-year-olds love anticipating what comes next.
Are the dinosaur facts real?
Yes. We make sure every “fun fact for parents” is verifiable: for example, that Velociraptor had feathers, that the pterodactyl wasn't a dinosaur, or that Tlatolophus means “word crest”.
Is it Made for Kids on YouTube?
Yes. The channel is set as Made for Kids, so YouTube limits personalized ads and comments.
Is there a Spanish version?
Yes. Every song has a Spanish version, and some use the other language as a response word to learn vocabulary without mixing languages line by line.
New songs and printables in your inbox
Once a month: the new song, a free printable and a fun fact for parents. That's it.
