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

These Valentine’s Day games are versions of memory (or concentration) and they are great activities for kids to speak Spanish. Kids who are reading can practice common verbs and younger Spanish learners can practice numbers and counting.

Spanish game: Memory to practice pronoun-verb combinations

These cards for playing memory (or other games) are based on the phrases on candy conversation hearts. I made them for kids who are reading in Spanish to reinforce the common pronoun-verb pattern ¿Me quieres? Te quiero. Players match the two cards that use the same verb. There are questions and answers for fifteen common verbs. Take out the cards with verbs that your kids do not know and use the blank cards to add any additional verbs you want them to practice.

As the children play, it is important that they read the cards aloud. Kids can tell at a glance whether or not the cards match, but the idea is for them to hear the pronoun-verb combination. This is especially true when they make a pair. When players turn over two cards that match, encourage them to read the question and then the answer. You can ask them to add sí or no: ¿Me llamas? Sí, te llamo. (Do you call me? Yes, I call you.) or ¿Me ayudas? No, no te ayudo. (Do you help me? No, I don’t help you).

These are the verbs on the game cards:
abrazar – to hug
adorar – to adore
amar – to love
ayudar – to help
besar – to kiss
buscar – to look for
escribir – to write
escuchar – to listen
extrañar – to miss
hablar – to talk (to)
llamar – to call
mirar – to watch
necesitar – to need
querer – to love
ver – to see

Printable Spanish game cards: Pronoun-verb combinations

These are the links to my pdfs of the game cards. One has color and the other is black and white so that you can print it on colored paper if you like. As always, use card stock or laminate the cards if you want them to last longer.
Spanish memory game – Conversation hearts color
Spanish memory game – Conversation hearts black and white

Printable Spanish game cards to practice numbers and counting

If you are looking for a Valentine’s game for younger Spanish learners, take a look at this Heart Number Match memory game from Activity Village. Kids match the number of dots to the numeral. Encourage children to count in Spanish each time they turn over a card with dots.
This game is with the file-folder games on Activity Village. Scroll down to Heart Number Match for the printable pdf.

Spanish phrases for playing memory

You can find useful phrases for playing memory here: Making picture cards to talk about clothes in Spanish

I am participating in http://latinaish.com/’s Spanish Friday, so this post is in Spanish. An English translation follows.

This week’s Spanish Friday post is written by a guest blogger. Claudia is from Colombia and is the founder of OnlineFreeSpanish. Since 2008 her site has offered a wide variety of free activities for learning Spanish. Thank you, Claudia, for contributing to Spanish Playground!

Sorprendida! Así quedé hoy cuando escuché a mi amigo Herman hablar en el almuerzo. Poco comparto con él la mesa, pero hoy se sentó a almorzar conmigo y comenzamos a conversar de su vida. Herman es americano, nacido en New York y con un amplio conocimiento en muchos campos. Bueno se preguntarán por que me quedé sorprendida y muda… Herman comenzó a hablarme en español.

Me contó que viajaba frecuentemente a Costa Rica un país de Centro América, donde se habla español, que un familiar lo había invitado hace algún tiempo y a Herman le gusto mucho. Que la ciudad que visita frecuentemente es San José, pero que en muchos lugares no hablan inglés; y así surgió la necesidad de Herman de aprender español.

Fue una hora genial, hablar con Herman en español fue una gran experiencia. Le pregunté como había logrado dominar tan rápido el idioma, y me decía; la necesidad es mi primer factor, así que he leído mucho, estudiado muchos libros, asistí a clases y algo muy importante “me gusta”. También nos dijo que utiliza dos frases importantes que han sido muy útiles para él: una que es “I have to do…” – “tengo que…” y otra “I am doing…” – “yo estoy…” y voy agregando los verbos que necesite o las acciones que correspondan de acuerdo a la situación. Por ejemplo: tengo que ir al médico, tengo que comprar comida, tengo que dormir  -  yo estoy comiendo, yo estoy viendo televisión.

Los verbos son esenciales en la comunicación, los invito a revisar la siguiente lista de verbos. Aquí, podrán encontrar los verbos más importantes en sus tres tiempos, presente, pasado y futuro, con ejemplos de frases bien sencillas que servirán para tener una mejor comunicación y lograr más fluidez en el español.

Al final de nuestra conversación, felicite a Herman, él me decía me falta mucho, sin embargo el está feliz con lo que sabe, y está dispuesto a aprender más en sus viajes futuros a San José.

[Amazed! That was the way I felt today when my friend Herman and I were talking during our lunch time. I barely share a conversation during lunch time, but today he sat with me and started a conversation about his life. Herman is American, born in New York City, and I considered him a very wise man. Although I don’t share with him that well I was shocked when he started to talk to me in Spanish.

He told me about his frequent vacations to Costa Rica a country located in Central America. He told me about the city he visits during his stay there called San Jose, but that due to the fact that not a lot of people speak English he felt the necessity of learning a new language in this case Spanish.

I enjoy my lunch hour with Herman today a lot, listening to him speaking in Spanish was a great experience. I couldn’t help myself but to wonder and ask him how he had accomplished to speak Spanish so fast. He answers me with a short but wise answer “there are two factors “one is the need, the other one is the most important one is that I like the Spanish language.

He also told me that he learned two phrases that are have come really helpful for him: one is : “I have to do…” in Spanish “tengo que” and the other one is “ I am doing…” in Spanish “ yo estoy…”  after this I just add new verbs and actions depending on the situation. He in addition, gave me an example “tengo que ir al medico, tengo que comprar comida, and tengo que dormir” in English “I have to go to the doctor, I have to shop, and I have to sleep”

The verbs are essentials in every type of communication, Online free Spanish invites you guys to look the follow list of verbs and review it, here you will be able to find the most important verbs in three different times (past, present and future). You would also find different examples.

At the end of the conversation I congratulate Herman and although he realize he stills needs a lot of improvement, but he is happy and willing to learn more for his future trips to San Jose.]

You may also be interested in my Spanish Friday post Apreciar, también participar.

Caballito blanco (Little White Horse) is one of the first songs my children learned in Spanish. We happen to have a white horse, so my kids loved it. Children all over the Spanish-speaking world sing this traditional song. I have also seen Caballito blanco identified as a jump rope rhyme, but my family learned the song and that is how I have used it in teaching Spanish to children.

There are several versions of Caballito blanco. The longest version has three distinct parts. The first asks the white horse to take the singer home, the second is about three sheep, and the third part tells Juana to get up and light a candle to investigate a noise. Often, children learn only the first two, and many recordings are done with just those two parts. I use a version with just the first two parts for teaching.

I like to sing this song with children learning Spanish for several reasons. First, it has very concrete, common vocabulary. It also has several verb forms that children learn right away: tengo (I have), tienes (you have), da (gives). Finally, the clear rhyme scheme reinforces the correct prononciation of the Spanish vowels.

You will find the lyrics for all three parts below. I have included common variations in parenthesis and a translation.

Caballito blanco – Spanish song – listen online

You can listen to several different versions of this song online.

Spanish song – Caballito Blanco. This is the longest version and it has the words on the screen.
Spanish song - Caballito Blanco. This is another version with all three parts.
Spanish song – Caballito Blanco. This video uses the first two parts of the song. I like the photographs of horses and sheep! The video supports the words to the song well.

Caballito blanco – Spanish song lyrics

Caballito blanco,
llévame de aquí, (sácame de aquí,)
llévame a mi pueblo
donde yo nací.

Tengo, tengo, tengo,
tú no tienes nada,
tengo tres ovejas
en una cabaña. (en una manada.)

Una me da leche,
otra me da lana,
y otra, mantequilla
para la semana.

Levántate Juana
y prende la vela (a prender la vela)
para ver quien anda
por la cabecera.
Son los angelitos
que andan de carrera
despertando al niño
para ir a la escuela.

Caballito blanco – Spanish song translation

Little white horse,
Take me away.
Take me to the town,
Where I was born.

I have, I have, I have,
You have nothing.
I have three sheep,
In a cabin. (herd)

One gives me milk,
Another gives me wool,
And another, butter,
for the week.

Get up Juana
and light the candle (to light the candle)
to see who is walking
on the headboard.

It is the little angels,
hurrying along,
waking the child
to go to school.

Caballito blanco – Spanish song downloads from Amazon

There are many versions of this song available to download on Amazon and iTunes. If I am using a song with children learning Spanish, I look for a version that is clear and not too fast.

Here are a few versions of Caballito blanco that work well with Spanish language learners:

Spanish song Caballito blanco – José Luis Orozco. This is the slowest and clearest version of this song that you will find. It is wonderful for beginning learners and little children. I love the sound of the horses hooves!

Spanish song Caballito blanco – Jorge Lan. This is from the CD Rondas infantiles 3. It is a little faster than the version by José Luis Orozco and it has a slightly different tune that the most traditional version.

Spanish song Caballito blanco – This is a version from the CD Canciones infantiles y cuentos. Again, it is a little faster. It has the traditional tune.

You may also be interested in this traditional song for children: Spanish songs for children – Debajo de un botón
 
 
 
 

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

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.

Spanish Together has a wonderful free video about a snowman that is perfect for using with beginning Spanish learners this time of year. Un muñeco de nieve begins by asking ¿Qué es? and then adds the parts to the snowman one by one using tiene (he has): tiene dos ojos, tiene una nariz, tiene una boca, etc. When the snowman is complete with buttons, hat, and scarf, kids get the answer ¡es un muñeco de nieve! (It’s a snowman!).

In addition to the video on YouTube, the audio is available to download from the Spanish Together CD We love Spanish on cdbaby or itunes. This CD has lots of fun music that teaches children Spanish, and Un muñeco de nieve makes a great listening activity for beginning learners. You can use it in combination with the video to provide lots of repetition and exposure to native-speaker Spanish.

Just watching the video and listening kids are learning Spanish. If  you want to give engage your child more actively with the language, try the following steps. You do not have to do them all at once. A little at a time is great!  If your child gets tired or is distracted, do more on another day. Just begin by watching the video together each time. The entire video/audio is 30 seconds long.

1. View the video together just listening and watching. Spanish video – Un muñeco de nieve

2. Draw a picture of a snowman with your child. You should each draw one. Use the sentences from the video (like Tiene dos ojos.) and point at the picture you are drawing. Point to your child’s picture too, and use the sentences from the video. It does not matter in what order you draw the snowmen, but include all the parts in the video (dos ojos, una nariz, una boca, dos manos, tres botones, una bufanda, un sombrero). Your child does not have to repeat the words, she is learning by listening.

3. Watch the video again. Point to the parts of the snowman that you drew when you hear them and see them. Pause the video to give your child time to point.

4. Download the audio for Un muñeco de nieve from iTunes or cdbaby. Listen to the audio once through together.

5. Listen again and as you hear each word point to that part on the snowman you made. Pause the audio to give your child time to point.

6. Use construction paper (or other materials) to assemble a snowman as you listen to the audio again. Listen to the first step and then pause it as you put on the eyes. Start the audio over and listen to ¿Qué es? Tiene dos ojos, tiene una nariz. Pause the video again. Each time, start the audio over from the beginning so that your child hears what she has done and can listen for what comes next.

7. Reinforce the sentences from the video in other situations. Use them by:
- building a real snowman.
- pointing to pictures of snowmen in picture books and ornaments and decorations.
- pointing to pictures of people dressed for winter in books and catalogs.
- talking about people you see outside (pointing is not polite)

8. With almost all these steps, you can also point to your child and use the verb tienes (you have): Tienes dos ojos. Tienes una nariz. Do this starting with step 2, when you are drawing the snowmen together.

Learning Spanish takes lots of repetition of natural language in contexts that reinforce the meaning of the words. This video and audio are exactly the kind of materials that you can use to help kids learn. You can find another snowman activity here: Learn Spanish with Pictures – A snowman.

This extensive set of free printable materials has lots of wonderful activities for Spanish language learners. It is offered by Udicom on the educational portal Educarm of the Department of Education in Murcia, Spain.

These printable PDFs are designed for native Spanish speakers with a focus on language in context. The set includes a variety of activities that can be used with Spanish language learners at different levels. These materials are divided into 11 units. Each unit is divided into 6 sections with many different activities. Each unit also includes sets of activities for several letters.

The first section in each unit, Bloque 1, begins with a vocabulary list and picture cards with the image, the word in print and the word in cursive. These are followed by vocabulary exercises like crossing out the picture that does not belong, cutting and pasting into categories and ordering a series of pictures.

All the sections in a unit have exercises for beginning readers like matching the picture to the word, categorizing, completing the word, ordering syllables, and puzzles like crosswords and wordsearches. In addition, there is practice with basic grammar points like gender and articles (el or la) and forming plurals. There are also activities with basic concepts like shapes, colors, and size.

The exercises are from Spain, so some of the words, nouns in particular, differ from what is used in Latin America. However, the vast majority of the vocabulary is standard. There is a lot of material in these units and much of it will be useful to teachers and parents working with Spanish language learners.

These materials are offered free of charge for educational purposes. You can accept the terms of use here and you will be taken to the index of Printable Spanish Activities.

You can go directly to the index to look over the activities, but do go back and accept the terms of use (to not modify the work and leave the copyright intact) if you find materials  you can use.

These are the 11 units:

1. El colegio y mi aula.  - School and my classroom
2. El cuerpo y los sentidos. – The body and the senses
3. Los alimentos. – Food
4. Las prendas de vestir. – Clothing
5. La casa. – The house
6. La calle. – The street
7. Los oficios. – Jobs
8. Los animales. – Animals
9. Las plantas. – Plants
10. Los medios de transporte. – Transportation
11. Los medios de comunicación. – Communication

Let’s Learn to Speak Spanish: Conversational Workbook and CD is a set of worksheets and activities by Susana Murphy, published by the non-profit One World Foundation. Susana sent me a copy of this book because she realized it would be helpful to many Spanish Playground readers. These activities are an excellent supplement to an elementary Spanish program. The book is also a great choice for parents who want to reinforce a school program or introduce their child to Spanish at home. The exercises cover the most common introductory topics and the pages can be photocopied. It takes tons of material to give kids enough exposure to these basics. This workbook gives teachers and parents an easy way to reinforce what kids are learning.

Most of these Spanish activities are based on translation and there is a glossary in the back of the book. This format makes the book is a good choice for parents who do not have much knowledge of Spanish but want to introduce school-age children to Spanish at home. The workbook comes with an audio CD of native speakers from Costa Rica, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. With this support, parents and kids can hear the correct pronunciation and practice the sounds of Spanish. These are written activities, but I really like how consistently this book reminds kids to use the spoken language. They need lots encouragement to speak Spanish!

Let’s Learn to Speak Spanish includes activities on topics like the alphabet, greetings, numbers, the days of the week, the months of the year, and the weather. There are also worksheets for units like colors, food, animals, clothing, body parts and places. The grammar practice is basic and appropriate for many elementary programs and even middle school programs. In addition to the singular forms of regular -ar verbs in the present, the book has exercises on ir, tener, querer and gustar.

For each of the topics covered, there are several different Spanish activities. You will find word searches, scrambled words, and pictures to color. Kids will choose which word does not belong, match words to pictures, copy Spanish sentences and complete sentences by filling in the blank. The book includes flash cards of common phrases and vocabulary and also mini-books to practice the verbs quiero, voy and tengo. All of the worksheets provide sufficient practice, but are not so long that they become boring.  Also, I love the choice of vocabulary in this book. It is truly representative of a standard Spanish that will be understood worldwide.

Many of these topics include a section called ¿Sabes? on one of the worksheets. These sections are a wonderful collection of cultural and linguistic information. The explanations are short with clear examples and include all kinds of fun, useful and very accurate information.

There is no doubt that this book will save teachers time and provide students with an opportunity to practice the basics. I think that Let’s Learn to Speak Spanish is also a great model of the kinds of Spanish activities that teachers can make. For parents who want to introduce kids to Spanish at home or reinforce a school program, there are a variety of activities that will keep kids entertained while giving them some of the essential practice that it takes to learn Spanish.

Disclosure: The company sent me a copy of the book to write this article. All of the ideas and opinions are my own.

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 objects and pictures, labeled with different point values, is displayed where everyone can see them. The point values are hidden from view.
- When it is their turn, a team confers to choose the object they will go and get.
- The team sends a representative to get an object (someone different each time). The player first identifies the object she will get by saying Veo (la manzana). Then she says she wants the object Quiero (la manzana). She goes, gets the object and when she is holding it she says Tengo (la manzana). The team is awarded the number of points on the object.
- When everyone has had a certain number of turns, the team with the most points wins.

A few details:
- Because I work with small groups, I can usually play with two teams of about five students, but you can certainly play with more teams. This Spanish game works with all ages.
- I often do a quick review of the verbs or new vocabulary before we play.
- I like this game because the kids usually produce the Spanish correctly and fairly easily and who wins is determined by luck. I let the teams confer on the vocabulary, so they choose the words they are sure of early in the game. You can give only partial credit if a word is mispronounced.
- Pictures or objects work, as long as they are big enough for everyone to see. I use some pictures and things like plastic animals, a plastic fork, spoon, knife, plate, cup, a paper napkin, a ball, a key, an apple, a banana, a small bottle of milk, chocolate, a small box of cereal, clothing (baby clothes work well), a phone, a clock, etc.
- The number of items depends on how long you want the game to take and how many turns you want each student to have. The last time I played I had a group of 10 students (two teams of 5) and they all had two turns so I had about 25 items. I always have more objects and pictures than students so that as the game ends there is still some choice.
- Label each of the objects or pictures with a point value. I use masking tape and a permanent marker for this. If I have 25 objects, I label 4 objects – 1pt., 4 objects – 2 pts., 6 objects – 3 pts., 6 objects – 4 pts., 5 objects – 5 pts. You could probably spread the points evenly, but having a few more objects worth a certain number of points makes it very unlikely that the teams will tie (something that has never happened). Also, with a point spread like this the team scores tend to stay fairly close.
- I spread the objects out on the floor where everyone can see them. You could also spread them on a table or around the room.
- When it is their turn, the team confers to choose which object they are going to get. Because the objects are worth different points, the kids will try to guess which are worth more. I tend to make the easiest words (ones I know they all know) worth a smaller number of points, but it is pretty random.
- The player from the team whose turn it is to get the object, identifies what she is going to get saying Veo el/la (object). Then she says that she wants the object saying Quiero el/la .. The player goes to get the object and then, once she is holding it, says Tengo el/la …  I ask ¿Cuántos puntos vale? and the points are added to the team’s score. The player puts the object in a box and it is the next team’s turn. The teams get a rhythm going and can quickly run through the sequence of verbs and deliver the object to the box.