I am going to be in Peru for the next few weeks and will not be posting as often on Spanish Playground. This seems like a good time to share some tips for finding for authentic language materials online. These suggestions are for Google searches, but you can apply them to other search engines as well. I know that many of you have more strategies for finding what you need – be sure to sure [...]
This online game is a good way to practice Spanish color words. It is from Spanishspanish and players hear and see a sequence and then repeat it by clicking on the correct colors. The sequence gets longer if the player does it correctly. The photo that players click on is of toenails painted different colors. It is cute, something different, and makes little Spanish learners smile. The audio is very clear and the timing in [...]
The last ebook I made, La primavera llegó, was a big hit with my students, so I thought I would share these two stories in Spanish, too. Like the last book, these were made using the beautiful art on Storybird. In this post about Storybird in 2011, I talked about some ways to use the website with Spanish language learners. You can share the stories you write by emailing or embedding them. However, stories in [...]
Cantoalegre is an amazing resource. This fabulous organization from Colombia offers free downloads of their Spanish songs for kids. They explain their generosity saying Porque la música es de todos, te traemos canciones para descargar gratis. Because music belongs to everyone, we bring you songs to download free. Cantoalegre is a non-profit cultural organization in Colombia dedicated to the creation, study and performance of children’s music. The group performs, produces CDs, and has founded numerous [...]
These two online games are from Educapeques. They are designed to teach basic concepts and prepositions to native Spanish speakers and are also excellent online games for teaching Spanish vocabulary and agreement to language learners. Children see a set of four simple drawings and hear clear audio instructions telling them to click on one of the images. The objects in the drawings are familiar, so the instructions kids hear will have words like mesa, vasos, [...]
This printable activity consists of a short Spanish reading, photos and questions. The topic is el Día del Peatón, an excellent subject for Earth Day or any day. El Día de la Tierra, Earth Day, is April 22nd this year. The city of Cochabamba, Bolivia has observed el Día del Peatón, or Pedestrian Day, for 13 years. Three times a year the city is closed to all motor vehicles and people take to the streets [...]
I made this ebook in Spanish using Storybird. In this post about Storybird in 2011, I discussed different ways of using the website with Spanish language learners. You can share the stories you write by emailing or embedding them. Do be aware that any stories you write in Spanish will not be a part of the public library on the Storybird website. The public stories are moderated and there are only enough moderators for English. [...]
This activity is based on a photo of recycling containers in Concepción, Paraguay. It teaches important vocabulary and also helps children understand that concern for the environment is global. Recycling containers may look different in different parts of the world, but children can see they serve the purpose. There is a short description and a simple activity following the photo. The activity is also available to download as a PDF and print. The link is [...]
The snow is almost gone here in Wisconsin, and many of us are talking and singing about the change of seasons with our kids. Los pollitos is a traditional song that fits in well if you are talking about spring, hens, eggs and chicks. Los Pollitos Vocabulary I like to sing this song in class because it has lots of useful vocabulary. It describes how a hen takes care of her chicks, and children learn [...]
April is National Poetry Month. Poems are a wonderful way for children to hear and speak Spanish and enjoy the rhythm and sounds of the language. Spanish language learners can read and listen to poems and with support they can also write their own. Here are a few ways to share poetry in Spanish with children during National Poetry Month. 17 Ideas for Sharing Spanish Poems with Kids 1. Watch videos of animated poems or [...]
These Spanish online stories were created by a group of teachers in Montville, Connecticut. Each story is followed by a set of vocabulary and comprehension activities. There are three simple stories that kids can read online: Pepa y su cesta, El viejo y su paraguas and El pájaro y el pan. They all have illustrations to help students understand what they are reading. On each page, several words in the text are in red and [...]
Discovery Kids has created a Spanish color game called El juego de los colores. The game has wonderful, clear audio and is a perfect way for Spanish language learners to practice color vocabulary and also absorb native-speaker pronunciation. In addition to color words and verbs, players hear the words pintura, pincel and mezclar used repeatedly. The game consists of mixing two colors to form a new color and using that color to paint a picture. [...]