Many games and activities are effective tools for teaching the question words in Spanish. One of the first question words that children learn is dónde (Where). The question “where” is basic to peek-a-boo with babies, hide and seek, memory, searching for hidden objects in pictures, and countless other games we play with children. Asking questions with dónde, the verb for “to be” is usually estar: ¿Dónde estás? (Where are you?) ¿Dónde están los libros? (Where [...]
Veo, veo is I spy in Spanish. This online game is for designed to teach native Spanish speakers the letter sounds and is modeled on Veo, veo, a game that almost all Spanish-speaking children learn to play when they are small. For Spanish language learners, learning the letter sounds in Spanish is essential to good pronunciation and is also the first step in learning to read. In this game, you choose the word that has [...]
Photographs are one of the best ways to provide a context for Spanish language tasks. With the visual support provided by the photo, children can understand Spanish words and structures that they might not otherwise recognize. Also, text supported by pictures can reinforce vocabulary and verb forms that children already know. The following link will open a series of five photographs. I have provided a short, simple sentence to describe each photo, and a question [...]
This song uses the verb tener, and other useful verbs, in the first person. This verb form, the yo form, is one of the first children learn and it lets them talk about what they do. Through actions, the song also teaches a common meaning of así – “this way”, or “like this” – as the children show how big the house is, how the smoke comes out of the chimney, how they knock on [...]
This song, Si tú tienes muchas ganas de aplaudir (If you feel a lot like clapping) is the Spanish version of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” It reinforces the meaning of the common Spanish phrase tener ganas de + infinitive (to feel like doing something). It also uses actions to teach the meaning of several different Spanish verbs. You can include any verb and an appropriate action that makes the meaning clear. There [...]
In addition to using tener to talk about what we have, we often use tener to express the way we feel. These are phrases that we use everyday. Use them with your child to model the verb tener in its different forms. Comment on how you feel before you ask your child a question in Spanish. This provides a context for the question, and also models how the question will be answered.For example, you can [...]
This song teaches the Spanish verb forms tengo (I have) and tienes (you have) as children sing about the parts of the face. Point to yourself when you use tengo (I have) and to your child when you use tienes (you have) to clarify the change in subject. The Spanish words and an English translation follow the video. Thank you to Pablo of Yo canto y bailo esta canción for permission to embed the video! [...]
Tener (to have) is one of the most common verbs in Spanish. You can model the use of tengo (I have) and tienes (you have) with many activities and daily interactions. Card game: The game “war” in which two players turn over cards and the player with the higher card keeps both is an excellent way to use the verb tener. The context makes the meaning of the verb clear, and there is lots of [...]
Your child will practice listening skills in Spanish and will also learn Spanish food vocabulary with this game. In this online game, she selects a fruit or a vegetable, according to the Spanish instructions she hears. When your child clicks on the correct item, a short text about the food appears, and that text is read aloud. With this activity, your child can practice listening for key words in Spanish. There are three food items [...]
This is a song for learning the days of the week in Spanish. Songs teach pronunciation and natural grammar structures. Also, it is fun to learn the Spanish days of the week in a song! The week on Spanish-language calendars starts on Monday, just as the list of days does in this song. Click here to listen to the song for the days of the week in Spanish. Here are the words in Spanish and [...]
Knowing the days of the week in Spanish allows children to understand and communicate important information. That is why the days of the week are some of the first vocabulary taught in beginning Spanish classes. You can teach your child the days of the week in Spanish and use that vocabulary to talk about family activities. Here is some useful information about the days of the week in Spanish: The days of the week are [...]