This online story is an unusual version of Los tres cerditos (The Three Little Pigs) meant for native Spanish speakers. It has a simple plot and the common vocabulary is well supported by the animation. Although the sentence structure is more complex than in some stories for beginning Spanish learners, children can easily understand what is happening. They also stay engaged with the story because there are interactive features. It is perfect for children who [...]
Botas nuevas, by Guido Van Genechten, is the Spanish edition of New Boots. It is the story of a child who gets new boots and discovers all the things he can do when he is wearing them. In addition to being a wonderful book for Spanish language learners, it is a story full of enthusiasm and joy that children identify with and love to hear. The story is simple. John gets new boots and plays [...]
This online game teaches children the parts of the face and head in Spanish. It can also teach other common vocabulary if you play the game as it is intended for native Spanish speakers. The activity consists of a picture of a head, and a sidebar with options for the parts of the face and hair. Each part is labeled in Spanish. As you scroll through the options for each feature, the picture changes. If [...]
There are two past tenses in Spanish, the preterite and the imperfect, and in order to use them correctly, Spanish language learners must hear and read lots and lots of narration in the past. Many older students learn to list rules, but the use of these verb tenses is conceptual, and true facility depends on repeated exposure over considerable time. One of the great advantages of being exposed to Spanish as a child is the [...]
This printable book in Spanish has common vocabulary and a simple, repeated sentence structure. The title is El muñeco de nieve (The Snowman) and the story consists of showing the objects used to build a snowman and then the finished snowman. All of the sentences have the same pattern. This is the sentence from the first page: Esta es la nariz para el muñeco de nieve. (This is the nose for the snowman.) On [...]
Language and culture are inseparable. The Catholic church has a strong presence in Spanish-speaking countries, and many traditions center around religious holidays. Through Christmas traditions and songs, children learning Spanish learn language, history, and the values and views that influence Spanish-speaking societies. If your family enjoys Christmas music, carols are an excellent way of exposing children to Spanish. Noche de paz is the carol known as Silent Night in English. The original carol is in [...]