CC Image courtesy of Municipalidad de Talcahuano

1. Describir la foto – Describe the photo
Estas personas están en una feria para celebrar el Día de San Valentín. Hay globos rojos y las mesas son rojas y blancas. También hay muchos corazones.
Una mujer vende dulces, galletas y otros regalos. Ella tiene una silla blanca, pero no está sentada. Ella está de pie. Un hombre y una mujer miran los regalos.

[These people are at a fair to celebrate Valentine’s Day. There are red balloons and the tables are red and white. There are also lots of hearts.
A woman is selling candy, cookies and other presents. She has a white chair, but she is not sitting down. She is standing up. A man and a woman are looking at the presents.]

2. Seleccionar la respuesta – Choose the answer
¿Los globos son rojos o blancos?
¿La persona que vende los regalos es un hombre o una mujer?
¿La silla es roja o blanca?
¿La mujer que vende regalos está sentada o está de pie?

3. Señalar con el dedo – Pointing and counting
¿Dónde están las mesas?
¿Dónde está la silla?
¿Dónde están los regalos?
¿Cuántas personas miran los regalos?
¿Dónde están los globos rojos?

4. Sí o no – Yes or No
¿La fería es para celebrar el Día de San Valentín?
¿Un hombre vende los regalos?
¿Hay globos blancos?
¿La mujer está sentada?
¿Hay muchos corazónes?

5. Decir un poco más – Say a little more (respuestas/answers)
¿Qué día se celebra en la feria? (Se celebra El día de San Valentín / Valentine’s day is being celebrated.)
¿De qué color son los globos? (Los globos son rojos. / The balloons are red.)
¿Cuántas personas miran los regalos? (Dos personas miran los regalos. / Two people are looking at the presents.)
¿Qué hacen el hombre y la mujer? (Miran los regalos. / They are looking at presents).

6. ¿Y tú? –  What about you?
¿Celebras el Día de San Valentín? ( Sí, celebro….No, no celebro…)
¿Les das tarjetas a tus amigos? (Sí, les doy, No, no les doy…)
¿Te gustan los dulces?
¿Te gustan los regalos?
¿Puedes ver unos corazones en la foto? ¿Dónde están?

7. Vocabulario – Vocabulary
las personas – people
la feria – fair
celebrar – celebrate
el Día de San Valentín – Valentine’s Day
hay – there are
los globos – balloons
rojos/rojas – red
las mesas – tables
blancas – white
también – also, too
muchos – many
los corazones – hearts
una mujer – a woman
vende – is selling
los dulces – candy
las galletas – cookies
otros – other
los regalos – presents, gifts
tiene – has
la silla – chair
pero – but
(no) está sentada –  is (not) sitting
está de pie – is standing
el hombre – man
miran – are looking at

Listen to this short Spanish audio description of a very common object. Can you guess what it is? This is one of a series of videos called Adivina la palabra de hoy (Guess Today’s Word). The Spanish audio in these short videos is excellent. The series is produced by the Fundación de la Lengua Española, a private non-profit from Spain that promotes the teaching of Spanish. In this video, two girls describe a common word for viewers to guess. At the end of the video, the word appears on the screen. The video is short, about one minute long.

Listening to this Spanish audio is an excellent language learning activity. The words in the descriptions tend to be used together or are associated with the word you are trying to guess. This is an effective way to expand vocabulary.

Of course, this Spanish audio also makes great listening practice. The sentences are short and the children speak directly to the camera. Children will not understand every word of the description, but that is fine. They are practicing listening for the main idea, that is, how the words that they do understand come together to communicate one concept.

For example, in this video many children will understand the clues amarillo, fruta, comen, monos and abrir. That is probably enough to guess the word. Listening for words that they understand is an important skill in language learning. Children need the opportunity to practice in order to develop the ability to distinguish the words they know in a stream of language.

Vocabulary for the Spanish audio

This is a list of the common Spanish words that the children use in the following video. The words in the list are in the order you hear them. You can listen for these words with your child and try to guess what is being described. The mystery word will be shown at the end of the video, but if you want to know before you listen, scroll down. A transcript, translation and the answer follow the video.

amarillo – yellow
fruta – fruit
comen – eat
los monos – monkeys
mediano – medium-sized
grande – big
pequeño – small
abrir – open
dentro – inside
blando – soft
negro – black
verde – green

Spanish audio transcript

Es amarillo. / It’s yellow.
Y es una fruta. / And it is a fruit.
Lo comen los monos. / Monkeys eat it.
Y es mediano. Puede ser mediano o grande o pequeño. / It is medium-sized. It can be medium-sized or big or small.
Se puede abrir. / You can open it.
Puede ser, por..por dentro.. puede, puede estar muy blando y puede ser negro. / It can..inside..it can, can be very soft and it can be black.
También puede estar verde, la cascara. / It can also be green, the peel.

The word being described is plátano – banana.

You may also be interested in these posts:

Spanish audio – Guess this word 1

Spanish audio – Guess this word 2

These two games with Spanish audio teach children pronunciation, animal vocabulary and letter sounds. They are from the site Leo lo que veo (I read what I see). The games were designed for native Spanish speakers, but work well with children learning Spanish. These games can be played by children of any age and any level.

Both games are structured as board games. Players roll a dice and move around the board. Each space has a shape that changes to show an animal and the word for that animal. When the player clicks the space there is Spanish audio that says the word. Players then find the other space with the same shape, click it to hear another animal, and identify the sound that is the same in both words.

Adapting the online games with Spanish audio to your child’s age and level

Children who do not read yet can move around the board listening to the Spanish audio to hear the words for the animals. They can also match the shapes and hear the Spanish audio for both animals. Reinforce the vocabulary by repeating the words in simple sentences: Es una rana. (It’s a frog.) Veo el caballo. (I see the horse.) El conejo es bonito. (The rabbit is pretty.). Kids can also practice numbers in Spanish as they roll the dice and move around the board.

Children who are beginning to read can use this game to practice hearing and reading these common syllables. They can use the words under the pictures and match the sounds to the letters. They will also practice correct pronunciation by repeating the Spanish audio they hear.

Instructions for the online games with Spanish audio

These are the rules of the games and a translation. Adapt the game for the level and age of your child. Just listening and associating the word with the picture of the animal will introduce her to new vocabulary and the sounds of the Spanish.

1.-Tira el dado y cuenta hasta la casilla. / Roll the dice and count the number of spaces.
2.- Haz clic en la figura y escucha el sonido. Repítelo y léelo tú. / Click on the shape and listen to the sound. Repeat it and read it yourself.
3.- Busca en el tablero la otra casilla con el mismo dibujo. / Look around the board for the other space that has the same shape.
4.- Haz clic en la figura y escucha el sonido. Repítelo y léelo tú. / Click on the shape and listen to the sound.
¿Cuál es la sílaba y el sonido que se repiten? Compara y lee. / Which syllable and sound are repeated?
5.- Vuelve a tirar el dado y sigue jugando. / Roll again and keep playing.

Links to online games with Spanish audio

Online game with Spanish audio – The syllables ca, bra, lo, mo, pa
Online game with Spanish audio – The syllables bu, jo, ra, ca, rro, ga

You may also be interested in this post: Spanish audio makes great online game for kids

CC Image courtesy of Jeremy Tarling

1. Describir la foto – Describe the photo
Hay dos personas en esta foto. Una mamá y su hija juegan en la nieve. Están en la acera. Hay nieve en la acera, en la calle y en los carros. La mamá tiene una bola de nieve en la mano. Se la va a tirar a su hija. La niña también tiene una bola de nieve en la mano. Las dos llevan abrigos y botas. El abrigo de la mamá es negro y sus botas son de muchos colores. El abrigo de la niña es rojo y sus botas también son rojas. La niña se está riendo. Ella se está divirtiendo.

[There are two people in this picture. A mom and her daughter are playing in the snow. They are on the sidewalk. There is snow on the sidewalk, on the street and on the cars. The mom has a snowball in her hand. She is going to throw it at her daughter. The little girl also has a snowball in her hand. Both of them are wearing coats and boots. The mom’s coat is black and her boots are many different colors. The little girl’s coat is red and her boots are red too. The little girl is laughing. She is having fun.]

2. Seleccionar la respuesta – Choose the answer
¿La mamá juega con su hijo o con su hija?
¿La mamá y su hija están en la acera o en la calle?
¿La mamá tiene una bola de nieve o dos bolas de nieve?
¿La niña tiene un abrigo negro o un abrigo rojo? ¿Sus botas son negras o rojas?

3. Señalar con el dedo – Pointing and counting
¿Cuántas personas hay en la foto?
¿Dónde está la mamá?
¿Dónde está la niña?
¿Dónde está la bola de nieve que tiene la mamá?
¿Dónde están las botas de la niña?
¿Dónde está la calle?
¿Cuántos carros hay en la foto?

4. Sí o no – Yes or No
¿Hay tres personas en la foto?
¿Hay nieve en la calle?
¿La mamá va a tirar la bola de nieve?
¿La niña tiene una bola de nieve?
¿Las botas de la mamá son rojas?
¿El abrigo de la mamá es negro?
¿La niña se está divirtiendo?

5. Decir un poco más – Say a little more (respuestas/answers)
¿Cuántas personas hay en la foto? (Hay dos. / There are two.)
¿Dónde están las personas? (Están en la acera. / They are on the sidewalk.)
¿Dónde están los carros? (Están en la calle. / They are in the street.)
¿Qué tiene la niña en la mano? (Tiene una bola de nieve. / She has a snowball.)
¿Quién va a tirar una bola de nieve? (La mamá va a tirar una bola de nieve. / The mom is going to throw a snowball.)
¿De qué color es el abrigo de la niña? (El abrigo de la niña es rojo. / The little girl’s coat is red.)
¿Quién se está riendo? (La niña se está riendo. / The little girl is laughing.)

6. ¿Y tú? –  What about you? (verb forms for answers)
¿Hay nieve donde vives? (Hay…)
¿Te gusta jugar en la nieve? (Me gusta… No me gusta…)
¿Tienes botas? ¿De qué color son? (Tengo… Son…)
¿Tienes un abrigo? ¿De qué color es? (Tengo… Es…)
¿Te diviertes jugando afuera? ¿Tiras bolas de nieve? ¿Corres? (Si, me divierto…No, no me divierto…Tiro…Corro…)
¿Con quién juegas? ¿Con tu mamá? ¿Con tu papá? ¿Con tus hermanos? ¿Con tus amigos? (Juego…)

7. Vocabulario – Vocabulary
hay – there are, there is
personas – people
la foto – photograph
una mamá – a mom
su hija – her daughter
juegan – are playing
la nieve – the snow
están – are
la acera – sidewalk
la calle – the street
los carros – the cars
tiene – has
una bola de nieve – a snowball
la mano – hand
Se la va a tirar a su hija. – She is going to throw it at her daughter.
la niña – the little girl
también – also
las dos – both of them
llevan – are wearing
botas – boots
abrigos – coats
negro – black
muchos – many
colores – colors
rojo – red
se está riendo – is laughing
Ella se está divirtiendo. – She is having fun.

You may also be interested in this activity – Kids learn Spanish with pictures – Happy Pigs

Grande y pequeño is a Spanish ebook for parents and teachers to read with young language learners. The repetition helps children absorb the sound and structure of the language. The text exactly describes the photos and teaches common nouns, the adjectives grande (big) and pequeño (small) and the verb hay (there is/there are). Scroll down for a parent/teacher guide and a translation. Just click for full screen and audio. The free PDF is available to download from issuu.

Guide for Parents and Educators

Grande y pequeño
- Uses vibrant photographs to make the meaning of Spanish words clear.

As you read
- Point to the pictures that correspond to what you are saying.
- Use gestures to reinforce the meaning of the words grande and pequeño.
- Once your child is familiar with the words grande and pequeño, ask ¿Dónde está el carro grande? ¿Dónde está el  carro pequeño? (Where is the big car? Where is the small car?)
- Use phrases like these:

¡Qué perro tan grande (pequeño)! / What a big (small) dog!
¡Ese árbol es muy pequeño (grande)! / That tree is very small (big)!
¿Cuántos caballos hay? / How many horses are there?
Vamos a contarlos. / Let’s count them.
Uno, dos – Hay dos caballos. / One, two –There are two
horses.

Language notes
- The word hay is a verb that means both there is and there are.
- The words grande and pequeño are adjectives. In Spanish, adjectives commonly follow the word they describe: un barco pequeño / a small boat.
- Adjectives agree with the object they describe in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

una vaca pequeña / a small cow (pequeña is feminine and singular to  agree with vaca)

- Adjectives that end in –e, like grande, do not show gender. These words do show number. They will always end in –e (singular) or –es (plural).

un caballo grande / a big horse
una vaca grande / a big cow
dos vacas grandes / two big cows

- The word mano is a feminine noun. It is an exception to the rule that feminine nouns end in –a: una mano pequeña / a small hand.

Translation

Grande y pequeño / Big and small

Hay un perro grande. Hay un perro pequeño.
Hay dos perros. / There is a big dog. There is a small dog. There are two dogs.

Hay un barco grande. Hay un barco pequeño.
Hay dos barcos. / There is a big boat. There is a small boat. There are two boats.

Hay un elefante grande. Hay un elefante pequeño.
Hay dos elefantes. / There is a big elephant. There is a small elephant. There are two elephants.

Hay una flor grande. Hay una flor pequeña.
Hay dos flores. / There is a big flower. There is a small flower. There are two flowers.

Hay un caballo grande. Hay un caballo pequeño.
Hay dos caballos. / There is a big horse. There is a small horse. There are two horses.

Hay un árbol grande. Hay un árbol pequeño.
Hay dos árboles. / There is a big tree. There is a small tree. There are two trees.

Hay un tigre grande. Hay un tigre pequeño.
Hay dos tigres. / There is a big tiger. There is a small tiger. There are two tigers.

Hay un carro grande. Hay un carro pequeño.
Hay dos carros. / There is a big car. There is a small car. There are two cars.

Hay una vaca grande. Hay una vaca pequeña.
Hay dos vacas. / There is a big cow. There is a small cow. There are two cows.

Hay una mano grande. Hay una mano pequeña.
Hay dos manos. / There is a big hand. There is a small hand. There are two hands.

Hay caballos, vacas, carros y barcos, / There are horses, cows, cars and boats,
elefantes, tigres, árboles y manos. / elephants, tigers, trees and hands.
Hay flores también y perros buenos. / There are flowers too and good dogs.

Todos son grandes y todos pequeños. / All of them are big and all of them small.

If you liked this post, you might be interested in:
Spanish ebook – ¿Uno? ¿Dos? ¿Tal vez tres?
Spanish ebook – Busca los colores

Babyradio is a new internet radio station from Spain (Cadiz) for children 0-6. It broadcasts Spanish songs, stories and games. Babyradio debuted in September, and they are still adding to their programming and their site.

This is a very engaging language resource for Spanish-speaking families. It might also be useful for teachers in immersion programs or other settings where their students have a high level of Spanish. There is a lot of repetition, so children will learn the songs and games. The language is too difficult for beginner learners, but teachers may get ideas for Spanish songs, stories and games.

Click here to listen to Spanish songs, games and stories from Babyradio.

Unfortunately, the difference in time between the Americas and Spain makes it hard to us take full advantage of Babyradio’s programming. Because they are seven hours ahead of us (or six, eight, or nine hours, depending on where you live), at 3:00 here in Wisconsin, they have started their buenas noches programming. This is music without words, adapted from grandes clásicos such as Bach and Pucinni. They also play this music during naptime, 15:00-17:00 hora de España, which unfortunately falls during our morning. As you can see, you have to plan a little bit to take advantage of the Spanish language. For me, after 10:00 am there are five hours of programing that are great for kids. You can also listen if you are up very late, or very early. This is not much help if your kids are in school, but if you have little ones at home, or can listen on the weekend, I think you will enjoy Babyradio.

Specifically, you will hear traditional Spanish songs like Debajo de un botón and El patio de mi casa. There are games, too. For example, in one game children guess the sound they hear (a horse, a doorbell, a telephone) and in another they try to copy a rhythm that they hear. There are also many stories. Some are classics like Los tres cerditos (The Three Pigs) and others are original. Some of the stories are told in verse, with lots of rhyme and rhythm. With all of these – songs, games, stories – there is lots of language play, something that I really enjoy about Babyradio!

There is an app for iPhone, so if you have one, you can listen to Babyradio there too. Unfortunately, the app does not adjust to the hour on the phone. I am hoping that will change with the next version!

You may also be interested in:
Butiá – Fabulous website for children’s music in Spanish

I want to thank Spanish Playground reader Kelli for sharing this great resource! These video Spanish lessons are offered free online on Instant Replay, part of the South Carolina Educational Portal that offers on-demand, curriculum-based streaming video from South Carolina ETV (Educational Television) and the S.C. Department of Education/ITV. These lessons are an introduction to Spanish for young learners. They were designed for elementary schools that do not have a language teacher. There are six series, each with 10 video lessons:

1. First Step Español
2. First Step Español Again
3. Next Step Español
4. Next Step Español Again
5. Another Step Español
6. Another Step Español Again

Each video lesson is about 15 minutes long. The “again” series are follow-up lessons that use the same themes as the original lessons. The focus of the videos is exposure to the spoken language, so almost all of the lesson is in Spanish.

Use this link to reach the list of series – Spanish video. Click on the series to reach the ten video lessons.

There are lesson plans available as pdfs for the First Step Español and Next Step Español series. These lessons were developed to be used by classroom teachers who have little or no knowledge of the language. The plans have vocabulary, cultural information, follow-up activities and supplemental activities.
You can access the lesson plans at these links:
First Step Español
Next Step Español

A link to the pdf is also available under the video, but in the very first lesson (Lesson 1 of First Step Español) the German lesson plan is attached by mistake. You can reach the lesson plan for that lesson using the link above.

You may also be interested in:
Free Spanish Videos to use with kids

This one-minute Spanish video is good listening and language practice for children. You can just watch together, or you can do activities like the ones that follow the video to help children understand more. You will find a transcript and a translation below the video.

This public service announcement was made in Uruguay. Spanish accents vary from region to region. Children are flexible listeners and exposing them to different accents helps them become comfortable with the variation that they will inevitably hear as they interact with Spanish speakers. They will not understand every word of this Spanish video, but you can structure an activity that helps them understand the main idea and also practice listening for specific words. See the activity suggestions below.

Transcript: (The verb form querés, in the first line, is used in parts of South America. It is equivalent to quieres.)
Ya sé Popi, querés (quieres) salir a pasear.
Tener una mascota es muy lindo. Ellas te dan afecto, compañía y son muy divertidas. Pero también son una gran responsabilidad. Popi depende de mí para comer, para bañarse, y hasta para salir a hacer pichí. ¿Saben una cosa? El tiene sus propios juguetes. Cuando llego de la escuela, él siempre me espera con su pelotita para jugar. ¿Verdad, Popi? ¡Popi!

Translation:
I know Popi, you want to go out.
Having a pet is really nice. They give you affection, company, and they are fun. But they are also a big responsibility. Popi depends on me to eat, take a bath, and even to go out to go potty. Do you know something? He has his own toys. When I get home from school he is always waiting with his ball to play. Right, Popi? Popi!

Activities. These are the steps I use with a video like this. The activities are just examples. Modify them to fit your child’s vocabulary.

1. Tell your child that the Spanish video is about having a pet and that the title is Tu responsabilidad. Together, predict what you might hear and see in the video. List some of the words you might hear.

2. Turn down the volume and watch the video with no sound. Pause to name the objects you see and talk about what is happening in simple sentences. You can use simple sentences like these.

Hay un perro. / There is a dog.
El perro tiene una correa. / The dog has a leash.
El perro quiere salir. / The dog wants to go out.
Hay una niña. / There is a girl.
El perro corre. / The dog is running.
La niña le da de comer al perro. / The girl is feeding the dog.
El perro come. / The dog is eating.
La niña sale con el perro. / The girl takes the dog out.
El perro juega con la muñeca. / The dog is playing with a doll.
El perro tiene una pelota. / The dog has ball.

These are some of the objects in the video and in the background of the video that you can point to and name. Use simple verbs like Veo (I see) or Hay (there is).

el perro – dog
la correa – leash
la puerta – door
la cocina – kitchen
la niña – girl
el plato para comida – food dish
comida para perros – dog food
la escoba – broom
el recogedor – dustpan
la esponja – sponge
el agua – water
el árbol – tree
la pelota – ball
la muñeca – doll

3. Turn up the volume. Watch and listen to the Spanish video all the way through together before doing any of the following activities.

4. Listen for specific words.
With children who read in Spanish, give them a list of words in the order they appear in the video. Choose words that are pronounced clearly. Read through the list together first. Then, watch the video. Kids check off the words they can hear. You may want to pause the video and back it up so that children have time to check off a word.

Your list might look like this:
____ mascota
____ lindo
____ compañia
____ divertidas
____ también
____ responsabilidad
____ comer
____ bañarse
____ salir
____ cosa
____ juguetes
____ escuela
____ jugar
____ verdad

For children who do not read, do the activity one word at a time, telling your child what word you are listening for. Say, for example, Vamos a ver si escuchamos la palabra “lindo.” (Let’s listen for the word lindo). Then play the Spanish video until it is past the word by a second or two. Rewind if you need to so your child can listen again. To do the activity this way, choose a few words that are well spaced. For example, you could listen for these words:
lindo
responsabilidad
bañarse
cosa
jugar

5. Comprehension activity. A comprehension activity does not have to be complicated. The real purpose of an activity with a video like this is to repeat the vocabulary and the structures.

Simple questions with choices are one option. With children who do not read, you can do these questions orally.

1. ¿Es la mascota de Catalina un gato o un perro?
2. En el video, ¿Popi quiere salir o quiere dormir?
3. ¿Popi depende de Catalina para comer o para cantar?
4. ¿Catalina usa agua para bañar a Popi o para salir con Popi?
5. ¿Popi tiene sus propios zapatos o sus propios juguetes?
6. ¿Popi tiene una pelota para jugar o una muñeca para jugar?

If you prefer a different format, kids can write the correct word in the blank:

1. La mascota de Catalina es un ____________________.         perro      gato

2. En el video, Popi quiere ____________________.          dormir       salir

3. Popi depende de Catalina para ____________________.         comer     cantar

4. Catalina usa agua para ____________________.          bañar a Popi       salir con Popi

5. Popi tiene sus propios ____________________.          zapatos     juguetes

6. Popi tiene una ____________________ para jugar.      pelota     muñeca

6. Matching. You can make an activity where kids match words to a related object. With children who do not read, you can do this by reading the words aloud.

   comer        jugar       bañarse      salir

7. Personal questions. Ask simple questions related to the Spanish video so that kids can talk about themselves in Spanish. You can ask questions like these.

Questions about pets:
¿Te gustan los perros? / Do you like dogs?
¿Tú tienes una mascota? / Do you have a pet?
¿Cómo se llama tu mascota? / What is your pet’s name?
¿Es grande o es pequeño tu mascota? / Is your pet big or small?
¿Bañas a tu perro ( a tu mascota)? / Do you give your dog (pet) a bath?
¿Sales a pasear con tu perro? / Do you take you dog for walks?
¿Tu mascota come mucho? / Does your pet eat a lot?
¿Tu mascota tiene juguetes? ¿Tiene una pelota? / Does your pet have toys? Does he (she) have a ball?
En tu family, ¿quién cuida a tu mascota? / In your family, who takes care of your pet?

Other questions (not all kids have pets):
Popi come comida para perros. ¿Cuál es tu comida favorita? / Popi eats dog food. What is your favorite food?
¿Te gusta bañarte? / Do you like to take a bath?
¿Tienes juguetes? ¿Tienes una muñeca como Catalina? ¿Tienes una pelota como Popi? / Do you have toys? Do you have a doll like Catalina? Do you have a ball like Popi?
Todos tenemos responsabilidades. En tu casa, ¿ayudas a guardar los juguetes?
¿Ayudas a tu mamá o a tu papá con otras cosas? / We all have responsibilities. At your house, you do help put away toys? Do you help your mom or dad with other things?

You may also be interested in this post about another Spanish video for kids.

Use this simple online game to practice Spanish vocabulary and verbs with children learning Spanish. There are ten scenes. Each scene has several simple parts and an object that moves. Children click the mouse to make the scene appear and then to set the object in motion.

On the start page you can choose to see the scenes sequentially or in a random order. You can also increase and decrease the animation time. The color options change the foreground and background colors, not individual objects.

This activity works well for Spanish language learners because there are a limited number of objects in each scene and the animation makes the meaning of the verb clear. You can easily use the verbs in just the present tense or in the present and preterite. To use the activity with children learning Spanish try the following steps:

Note: After you click GO, you will get a blank screen. Click on that screen to make the scene appear.

1. Click on the screen. Say the name of whatever appears: Hay una estrella. Hay otra estrella. Es un planeta.
2. When the object that will be animated appears on the screen, name it: Es una nave.
3. When the object animates, describe the action: La nave sube. You can increase and decrease the animation time. If the game holds your child’s interest, increase the time so that you have the opportunity to repeat the verb several times. If your child would rather move on to a new scene, decrease the animation time.
4. When the object has disappeared, repeat the verb in the past tense: ¡La nave subió!
After playing once or twice, children will begin to recognize what scene is being constructed. Encourage them to guess as they build the scene: Es el tractor. Es el avión.

Click for the online activity to practice verbs and vocabulary.

These are the objects in the scenes and verbs you can use to describe the motion.
1. El cohete / rocket
la estrella – star
el planeta – planet
el cohete – rocket
El cohete vuela. – The rocket is flying.
El cohete voló. – The rocket flew away.

2. El paracaidista / parachutist
la nube – cloud
el sol – sun
la paracaidista – parachutist
La paracaidista baja. – The parachutist is coming down.
La paracaidista bajó. – The parachutist came down.

3. El carro / car
la calle – street
el edificio – building
el carro – car
El carro avanza. – The car is going.
El carro avanzó. – The car went away.

4. El avión / airplane
la nube – cloud
el sol – sun
el avión – airplane
El avión vuela. – The airplane is flying.
El avión voló. – The airplane flew away.

5. El esquiador / skier
la montaña – mountain
el árbol – tree
el esquiador – skier
El esquiador esquía. – The skier is skiing.
El esquiador esquió. – The skier skied.

6. La nave / spaceship
la estrella – star
el planeta – planet
la nave – spaceship
La nave sube. – The spaceship is going up.
La nave subió. – The spaceship went up.

7. El pez / fish
el alga – alga, seaweed
el agua – water
el pez – fish
El pez nada. – The fish is swimming.
El pez nadó. – The fish swam.

8. El tractor / tractor
la colina – hill
el árbol – tree
el tractor – tractor
El tractor avanza. – The tractor is going.
El tractor avanzó. – The tractor went away.

9. El ascensor / elevator
el edifico – building
la flor – flower
la persona – person
el ascensor – elevator
las personas – people
El ascensor sube con personas. – The elevator is going up with people.
El ascensor subió con personas. – The elevator went up with people.

10. La feria / fair
la montaña rusa – roller coaster
los vagones – cars (on the roller coaster)
el juego mecánico - juego mecánico is the general term for ride. In Spain, a ferris wheel is la noria, in Mexico it is la rueda de la fortuna and in Cuba it is la estrella. Juego mecánico is a general term that is understood everywhere.
El juego mecánico gira y los carritos avanzan. – The ride is turning and the roller coaster is moving.
El juego mecánico giró y los vagones avanzaron. – The ride turned and the roller coaster went.

CC Image courtesy of Jimmie

1. Describir la foto – Describe the photo
En la foto hay un árbol de Navidad. Debajo del árbol hay muchos regalos. El árbol de Navidad está enfrente de una ventana. En el árbol hay luces de muchos colores y muchos adornos. Uno de los adornos es un árbol de Navidad de papel verde. Otro adorno es un bastoncito de caramelo blanco y rojo. Unos de los regalos son grandes y otros son pequeños. Todos los regalos están envueltos en papel navideño.

[In the photo there is a Christmas tree. Under the tree there are many presents. The Christmas tree is in front of a window. On the tree there are lights and lots of ornaments. One of the ornaments is a green paper Christmas tree. Another ornament is a white and red candy cane. Some of the presents are big and others are small. All the presents are wrapped in Christmas paper.]

2. Seleccionar la respuesta – Choose the answer
¿Las luces son de muchos colores o de un sólo color?
¿El árbol está enfrente de una mesa o enfrente de una ventana?
¿El adorno que es un árbol es verde o es blanco?

3. Señalar con el dedo – Pointing and counting
¿Dónde están los regalos?
¿Dónde está la ventana?
¿Dónde está el adorno que es un árbol de Navidad de papel verde?
Señala un regalo grande. Señala un regalo pequeño.

4. Sí o no – Yes or No
¿El árbol de Navidad está enfrente de la ventana?
¿El bastoncito de caramelo es blanco y verde?
¿Los regalos están en una mesa?
¿Hay luces en el árbol?

5. Decir un poco más – Say a little more (respuestas/answers)
¿Dónde está el árbol? (El árbol está enfrente de una ventana. / The tree is in front of a window.)
¿Qué hay en el árbol? (Hay luces y adornos en el árbol. / There are lights and ornaments on the tree.)
¿De qué color es el bastoncito de caramelo? (Es blanco y rojo. / It is white and red.)
¿Dónde están los regalos? (Están debajo del árbol. / They are under the tree)

6. ¿Y tú? –  What about you?
¿Tienes un árbol de Navidad en tu casa?
¿Haces adornos de Navidad?
¿Te gusta abrir regalos?

7. Vocabulario – Vocabulary
hay – there is, there are
el árbol de Navidad – Christmas tree
debajo de – under
muchos – a lot, many
regalos – presents
enfrente de – in front of
la ventana – window
luces – lights
colores – colors
adornos – ornaments
papel – paper
verde – green
otro – another
el bastoncito de caramelo – candy cane
blanco – white
rojo – red
grandes – big
pequeños – small
todos – all
están envueltos – are wrapped
papel navideño – Christmas paper