This is a game I play with kids to practice the verbs ver, querer and tener in the first person and also review a bunch of vocabulary. I like it because I say almost nothing and the kids are using Spanish that makes perfect sense and exactly describes what they are doing. Overview of the Spanish game to practice verbs and vocabulary: – Students are divided into teams of about 5. – A set of [...]
Writing notes in Spanish is a simple way to give kids a little extra language and tell them that you love them. I found that once my kids could read, notes were an easy and personal way to include more written language in a busy day. They do not have to be anything complicated. Over time the exposure to written Spanish adds up. Also, I loved writing to my kids! We are a note-writing family. [...]
I have been having a great time with the Whistlefritz CD, Cha, Cha, Cha -Spanish Learning Songs. This award-winning collection of songs for children has a combination of original works and traditional music in Spanish. Visit the website to learn more about the Whistlefritz Spanish CDs and Spanish DVDs for kids. The CD Cha, Cha, Cha is designed for children learning Spanish, but this is music that native speakers will enjoy just as much. The [...]
This free online game is the perfect first game for children starting to learn Spanish. Kids do not have to know any Spanish to play, and the Spanish audio makes it a wonderful introduction to the language. Playing Las llaves del tesoro (Keys to the Treasure) children hear introductions, colors and other common vocabulary in a context that makes the language completely clear. They absorb the sounds of Spanish and soon understand the basic phrases [...]
I am participating in http://latinaish.com/ ‘s Spanish Friday. Join us! An English translation is included in parenthesis. ¡Yupí! ¡Se acabó el Día de Acción de Gracias! No me mal interpreten – pasé un día muy bonito ayer con mi familia y mis amigos y voy a seguir disfrutando de estos días con ellos. Pero ahora puedo cambiar de enfoque y empezar a pensar en ir al Perú a ver a mi hija mayor. Voy con [...]
Magic Spanish for Kids is an award-winning audio CD about a magical trip to Mexico. Two friends, Bobby and María, take this journey with a series of conversations and songs designed to introduce children to basic Spanish. This CD by Beth Manners’ Fun French and Spanish is designed for children ages 2-6, but would also be appropriate for older children beginning to learn Spanish. In this story, María does not speak much English and Bobby [...]
A music teacher for the Spanish immersion program in Glendale, California sent me this video to share on Spanish Playground. This is a song that Sara’s kinder students wrote last year. As she says, there are not that many Thanksgiving songs, and fewer still in Spanish! Read more about Sara and her songs in Spanish for kids. Her CD of Spanish songs for kids is also available on cdbaby. The words to the song follow [...]
The new Whistlefritz DVD is now available! La Fiesta de Fritzi is on the Whistlefritz website with their other great Spanish CDs and Spanish DVDs for kids. With this new DVD, kids will learn toys, colors and lots of everyday vocabulary as they get ready for Fritz’s birthday party. I’ll be writing about La Fiesta de Fritzi soon, but Whistlefritz has been kind enough to offer Spanish Playground readers a 25% discount now. Just use the [...]
This is a Spanish children’s song giving thanks. Children give thanks for their hands and all the things they can do with them. It is a religious song and often sung as a part of children’s presentations at school in Spanish-speaking countries. If it is consistent with your beliefs and appropriate to your teaching situation, it may be a song you would like to teach children learning Spanish. This is a good song for children [...]
Children explore a city in this online game from the Venezuelan government. There are audio explanations of parts of the city and the text appears on the screen as children hear the words. The audio is very clear. The explanations are short, basic and use general words. Kids will be able to guess a lot of the vocabulary from context. This game is excellent listening practice. Children will not understand every word of the explanations, [...]
I am participating in http://latinaish.com/ ‘s Spanish Friday. Join us! A translation follows the Spanish. Ya van varias semanas que no escribo un post para Spanish Friday. Cuando me comprometí a participar, tenía la intención de hacerlo todas las semanas. Ayer, escuchando las noticias del movimiento A Ocupar Wall Street, empecé a pensar en que hay que cumplir con lo que nos proponemos, aún cuando las cosas no salen exactamente como habíamos planeado. Ayer fueron [...]
These printable Spanish memory cards and lotería game are from El jardín online, a site from Argentina. There is a set for professions and another set for farm animals. These cards are in black and white. Kids can color them, which is a great Spanish language activity, and then use them to play memory or other card games. Also, both sets of cards are in Word format, so that you can change the vocabulary if [...]