These patterns of common objects from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt can be used in lots of ways with children learning Spanish. I usually use shape books to make mini books related to the object or animal, but they also make excellent stick puppets, props for storytelling, craft materials kids can decorate and writing paper. Most of these shape books are available with and without lines. Also, the website gives permission to print and copy the pages [...]
Photograhs with simple descriptions are an excellent way for children to hear and learn Spanish. With pictures, kids understand lots of language without the need for translation. Photographs are also a good way to introduce kids to the diversity of people and places in the Spanish-speaking world. On the Spanish Playground Facebook page you will find an album of photographs with short captions The pictures are all from Spanish-speaking countries. They have been carefully [...]
Kids in Wisconsin are building lots of snowmen this week, so we are talking about them in class too. This is an activity where kids practice listening in Spanish to find the snowman that is being described. I do it with clothespins, but they can also mark them off with a pencil. My kids like this collection of muñecos de nieve and of course they love the clothespins! Using clothespins, you can describe a snowman [...]
I am really excited to share this set of six little story books for Spanish language learners. The set is called Childhood Adventures and includes six Spanish stories and an audio CD with native-speaker narration. These are exactly the kind of materials that teachers and parents need: easy to use in any setting and very effective. There is an English translation at the back of each book. The vocabulary and structures in these stories are [...]
Spanish songs for children teach much more than basic vocabulary. Singing is a wonderful way to learn the sounds and structure of the language. These songs about colors, for example, have lots of adjective-noun agreement. As kids learn and sing these songs, they absorb this essential structure. Spanish songs for children are one of the most effective ways to use to authentic language with beginners. These three songs in Spanish for children teach colors by [...]
I have written about 9letras before, but with the school year starting I thought it would be a good idea to remind teachers and parents of this great resource. 9letras is a blog by Alberto Abarca Fillat of Huesca, Spain. Alberto shares educational material that he creates for teaching Spanish and his website has a huge number of printable activities for young Spanish learners. These are some of the features and pages that make 9letras [...]
Help your child learn Spanish by talking about this picture of a man painting a picture. The questions that follow, like all the Learn Spanish with Pictures activities, are ordered to help children master the vocabulary and gain confidence with the language. Start with Describe the photo (1) and be sure to point to the objects in the picture as you talk about them. Use gestures, facial expressions and actions to help your child understand [...]
This traditional Spanish game, El juego de la oca, is a board game similar to Snakes and Ladders. Players roll dice and move in a spiral to reach the center of the board. If they land on la oca (the goose), they move ahead to the next oca and roll again, saying De oca a oca y tiro porque me toca. If they land on the bridge, they move to the next bridge and roll [...]
These entertaining Spanish books for children are very popular with my students. In class just last week a student got really excited when she spotted the picture of the books on the back cover. She quickly determined that she had heard all but one and asked if I could bring the only one she had not heard to the next class. The kids love these stories! The series is about Eric and his little sister [...]
Talk about this great picture of a woman on her bike to help your child learn Spanish. The questions that follow, like all the Learn Spanish with Pictures activities, are ordered to help children master the vocabulary and gain confidence with the language. Start with Describe the photo (1) and be sure to point to the objects in the picture as you talk about them. Use gestures, facial expressions and actions to help your child [...]
Juguemos en el bosque is one of my favorite picture books to read to children learning Spanish. It teaches Spanish clothes vocabulary and it really makes kids laugh. The book is based on the traditional game and song Juguemos en el bosque. You can read a post about the game and hear the song here: Fun game reinforces Spanish clothes vocabulary. The book is illustrated by Monica Bergna and published by Ekaré as part of [...]
This Valentine’s Day fair is in Talcahuano, Chile. Talk about the colors, balloons, and people to help your child learn Spanish. The Spanish lesson that follows, like all the Learn Spanish with Pictures activities, has questions that are ordered to help children master the vocabulary and gain confidence with the language. Start with Describe the photo (1), and be sure to point to the objects in the picture as you talk about them. Use gestures, [...]