I have been having a wonderful time using the materials from Risas y Sonrisas with my students. Risas y Sonrisas is an award-winning K-5 Spanish curriculum for students in a classroom or homeschool setting. It is also excellent for after-school programs and private classes.

Risas y Sonrisas takes the best of the communicative approach to teaching language and also engages a child’s academic skills to create an effective learning experience. In games and conversations, children use Spanish to communicate real information – the most powerful motivation to speak and understand. At the same time, they learn the structures and patterns that enable them to think critically about the language. Finally, they learn lots and lots of useful words! The developers of Risas y Sonrisas understand that kids need a wide variety of vocabulary to be able to communicate.

You can find detailed descriptions of the components of Risas y Sonrisas on their website. There are also testimonials from instructors in different teaching situations. I would like to highlight a few of the features that have impressed me most.

Risas y Sonrisas is fun, fun, fun!
The activities are varied, entertaining and create a dynamic class. There are games, card activities, skits, music and more. The dozens of interactive, picture-based games encourage children to use Spanish and provide enough structure to keep them from becoming frustrated. I so appreciate that the games take almost no teacher preparation time! Risas and Sonrisas has everything you need.

All of the activities keep kids actively engaged with Spanish. Children learn vocabulary with actions, use sentence-building cards to create complete and correct sentences, sing and act out simple scenes. The quick pace is designed to keep kids laughing and learning.

Risas y Sonrisas recognizes that children are aware, critical learners.
This curriculum takes advantage of the academic skills that children have acquired. It acknowledges that they understand certain concepts and have skills in their first language that can be applied to learning Spanish. Equating words in different languages is a natural process for children acquiring a second language, and it is often the most efficient way to learn. Risas y Sonrisas understands how children learn language best and also makes the most of their critical capacity.

Risas y Sonrisas teaches LOTS of vocabulary.
Kids need many words to be able to communicate. All of the vocabulary in Risas y Sonrisas is supported with pictures and the activity workbooks and games ensure children use the words enough to master the material. Because they engage with the language, children can learn and retain the vocabulary. I love that Risas y Sonrisas does not underestimate kids! It structures the situations and gives them the tools they need to learn.

I was thrilled to see that Risas y Sonrisas actively teaches cognates! Cognates have long been neglected in second-language acquisition (If you are into academic articles, Mark Davies and Timothy L. Face address this in Vocabulary Coverage in Spanish Textbooks: How Representative is It?) Cognates are like money in the bank for second language learners – something they already have and should draw on. However, kids can not know a word is a cognate until they learn it. Risas y Sonrisas gives children the tools to use what they already know to speak Spanish.

Risas y Sonrisas teaches what is important.
Choosing what to teach is a complicated process. There are an infinite number of possibilities, and there are exceptions to every rule. In keeping with the communicative approach, Risas y Sonrisas teaches kids the structures that they will use 90% of the time. It teaches them to communicate and gives them grammar fundamentals without creating the inhibitions that come from an excessive focus on detail.

The activity workbooks provide plenty of practice.
I love the activity workbooks! It is such a challenge to give kids enough exposure and practice with a language. The workbooks have many activities for each thematic unit including drawing, choose the picture, build the word from syllables (picture-supported), scrambled words, label the picture and more. These activity sheets cover lots of material, provide plenty of support and really engage kids with the meaning of the language. In addition to helping children master the material, these activities are a very efficient way to keep exposing kids to what they have learned.

The writing journal provides the opportunity for focused production.  
Writing engages students critically and deliberately with a language. The example prompts in the Teacher’s Manual show how students can use picture cards, vocabulary from the question and answer sections and cognates to write simple sentences. Writing requires focused individual attention. That attention and the action of writing provide deep level learning.

Online resources will be available August 2012.
Using Spanish in different formats and settings helps kids process the language more deeply. Also, kids love online games! The online resources will include the songs with lyrics and sign language, question and answer practice, skits with subtitles and best of all engaging games to practice vocabulary. A demo of all these resources will available soon. I tried the demo game that is available now and I was impressed by the excellent quality of the audio and the quick pace. It is fun! Teachers will appreciate the online resources as they monitor student activity and points, and the kids will enjoy using Spanish as they play.

Risas y Sonrisas is a complete Spanish curriculum for children. It provides a positive, dynamic experience while establishing a strong, communicative base in the language. It also takes full advantage of students’ academic and first-language skills to make learning efficient and fun. There are programs for classroom or home, and many of the components are available to purchase individually too.

Most language programs at the middle school, high school and university levels continue to have a strong grammar-based component. Risas y Sonrisas prepares children for these programs and also gives them vocabulary and structures they can use to communicate in Spanish right away.

Spanish DVD by Whistlefritz – La Fiesta de Fritzi

Spanish DVD for Kids – Bilingual Baby DVD, Brainy Baby Book and Flashcards

To enter:

1. Like Spanish Playground on FaceBook (Use the link or the button on the sidebar).
2. In the comments of this post, tell me if you are a teacher, parent or student and how old your students/kids are.

The deadline to enter is 12:00 am, Wednesday, May 23. The winner will be chosen using random.org and notified on Thursday, May 24.

If you are looking for ways to expose kids to Spanish during the summer, websites with Spanish audio are an excellent resource. There are sites at all levels with a wide variety of activities. I will mention eight of my favorite sources of online Spanish audio, but be sure to check out the online activities category for more ideas.

These are sites with a significant quantity of online Spanish audio. They have a variety of activities. I have tried to list the websites roughly in order of increasing difficulty. The first sites have material that is appropriate for beginners and the last sites I mention are appropriate for native Spanish speakers, but have enough support for Spanish language learners too. Each site has a large amount of material at different levels, so be sure to look around and see what might work for your child.

1. Kokone Mínimo – This site from Mexico is designed for Spanish speaking preschoolers. It is great for vocabulary building and basic concepts. The activities focus on common objects and verbs and the language is presented with clear images, audio and written words. Children can learn or practice parts of the body, vowels, shapes, colors, opposites and lots of other vocabulary. You can find a complete description of the content in this post: Kokone Mínino – Website from Mexico teaches basic concepts and vocabulary in Spanish.

2. OnlineFreeSpanish – This site has a wide range of materials at different levels. There is lots of vocabulary and it is supported by images. There is also pronunciation help on many of the activities. Be sure to check out the mini-books for language in context. Also, many of the activities are printable. You can read more about specific activities in these posts: Spanish syllable activities from OnlineFreeSpanish – Perfect for Beginning Readers and
Game from OnlineFreeSpanish teaches pronunciation, letter sounds and vocabulary

3. Salsa – These 42 video Spanish lessons are designed for kindergarten through third grade. They are made by Georgia Public Broadcasting and there is a PDF with the transcript and an activity for each video. You can find more information in this post: Free Spanish Videos from Georgia Public Broadcasting – Salsa

4. StoryPlace: La biblioteca digital de niños. This marvelous site is from the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. It includes La biblioteca pre-escolar and La biblioteca infantil  and has lots of online stories and activities with excellent Spanish audio. You will also find story-related activities to do at home – a great way to extend language learning.  You can find a detailed description of one of the many games in this post: Online activity teaches gustar and animals in Spanish

5. Mi mundo en palabras - This is wonderful interactive site designed to teach children Spanish. It is intended for children who can read and write, but many of the activities can be used by younger children with the help of an adult. Read this post for a detailed description and a list of the content of the different lessons: Mi mundo en palabras – Free Site Teaches Children Spanish.

6. ManualidadesconNiños – This is the Spanish companion site to SimpleKidsCrafts. There are hundreds of short videos of simple crafts with excellent Spanish audio. The video exactly supports what is being said so that kids can watch and understand the Spanish. Then doing the craft, you can use the language you heard. If you have a child who likes crafts, this is an amazing language learning resource. Hands on is the best way to learn Spanish!  For a detailed description of how to use one of the videos, see this post: A Craft Activty to Practice Spanish – Make a Butterfly

7. Discovery Kids (Discovery Networks International) and Discovery Familia (Discovery US Hispanic) – Both of these sites have videos, games and printable activities in Spanish. Lots of the videos and games are excellent for Spanish language learners. There is a lot to see, so take your time and look around.

8. Cody’s Cuentos – This site has audio podcasts of stories in Spanish. There are three levels and at the beginning level, there are rhymes, songs and very short stories. However, there is no visual support for the stories, so even the short selections are challenging for beginning Spanish language learners. Many of the stories are traditional fairy tales and those are a good choice for kids learning the language. A familiar storyline will help them understand unfamiliar words. The transcripts are online, so kids can read along.

These are just a few of many resources with online Spanish audio. During the next few weeks I will be suggesting other websites and other Spanish activities to use with kids during the summer. Be sure to check back to discover other ways to keep kids hearing and learning Spanish.

The series is about Eric and his little sister Julieta, and the dynamic between them makes these Spanish books for children really fun. The stories are told from Eric’s point of view and Eric is a trouble-maker. He is always putting his little sister up to something and insisting it was all her doing. The stories are funny, with natural, simple language. The illustrations support the text well and help tell the whole story – including what Eric does not say!

These books are very accessible to kids learning Spanish. They have short sentences, familiar settings and they are not too long. Because there is English and Spanish text on each page, you have the option of reading the story in English, although depending on the level of your child, you may find that is not necessary. Many language learners will understand what is happening from the Spanish and the illustrations.

Cómo mamá probably has the simplest language of the books in this series. In this story, Eric encourages Julieta to dress up in the dress that their mother is planning to wear to a party that night. The book has 24 pages, with a line or two of text on each page. The following lines are representative of the text of the story:

- Para mi mamá y mi papá, hoy es un día muy importante.
- Esta noche viene la abuela a cuidarnos.
- Yo quiero mucho a mi abuela, pero prefiero que mamá y papá se queden en casa.
- ¿No te gustaría probar la ropa de mami?
- ¡Shhhh Julieta, te dije que no hicieras ruido!
- ¡Una princesa! ¿Dónde está el perfume chiquito de mamá?

These Spanish books for children are an excellent value; they are $3.99 new or you can get them used for less. I really enjoy reading these books aloud. The language as you tell the story from Eric’s point of view is fun and I love watching the kids get involved in the story. These are books that kids want to hear again and again, and that makes them an excellent way to learn Spanish.

You may also be interested in these posts: Spanish-English Picture Book about Being Bilingual and Margaret and Margarita/Margarita y Margaret – Bilingual Books for Spanish Language Learners

Sara Quintanar of Music with Sara is sharing this wonderful song and video for El día de la madre. The song has simple, relevant vocabulary, lots of repetition and is fun to sing. It is a perfect way for kids learning Spanish to tell their moms how much they love them!  The lyrics are on the video. ¡Feliz Día de la Madre!

You may also be interested in this post about another Spanish Mother’s Day song: Spanish Mother’s Day Song and Video from BabyRadio

Spanish cards and gifts for Mother’s Day, Día de la Madre, can be a good language learning activity. If you are looking for printable cards or other activities to celebrate a special mom, here are a few options.

1. La asociación mundial de educadores infantiles has a set of Spanish Mother’s Day activities for kids. There is a printable Mother’s Day card in Spanish that says Felicidades Mamá and a printable diploma that says A la mejor mamá del mundo Por estar siempre a mi lado y quererme tanto (To the best mom in the world For always being at my side and loving me so much). Just click on the card or diploma to open a PDF and print.

On the same page there is a short video story for Mother’s Day in Spanish. The video-cuento is Toño y la Sirena (Toño and the Mermaid). Below the video there are links to download PDFs of coloring pages of the story, the same pages to print in color and the audio of the story. The transcript of the video is on the page below the video too.
Spanish Mother’s Day Cards and Video from AMEI

2. Univisión has a card builder, Armatarjetas, for Día de la Madre. You choose the greeting, the frame, the drawing, write a message and then can print your card.
Spanish Mother’s Day Cardbuilder from Univisión

3. The blog La carpeta del maestro has a set of six printable cards in Spanish for Mother’s Day.
You will need to follow the link below and then click where it says: Para descargar, pica aquí: tarjetas para el día de la madre. (To download click here: cards for Mother’s Day). When the document opens you will be able to click on the individual PDFs.
Spanish Mother’s Day Cards – La carpeta del maestro

4. Pequeocio has a cute printable card for Día de la madre. Follow the link below, scroll to below the images of the card and click where it says Descargar tarjeta para el Dia de la Madre (Download Mother’s Day Card) to open the PDF.
Spanish Mother’s Day Card – Pequeocio

I have played this game with kids of all ages to practice Spanish vocabulary. I call it Aquí tenemos… (Here we have…). You can play in a classroom or at home, and the game works with different size groups. It is a version of the memory game I’m Going on a Trip in which each player adds an item to the list of things they are taking. This game combines movement, repetition and objects or pictures, so it is a great way to practice vocabulary.

To play, one player touches an object and says Aquí tenemos and names the object. For example, she might walk to the window, touch it and say Aquí tenemos una ventana. She returns to her seat and the second player walks to the window, touches it and says Aquí tenemos una ventana y… and she touches another object and names it. Each player touches and names the objects in order until someone can not remember the list.

Suggestions for playing the Spanish game Aquí tenemos:

- You can make the starting phrase more specific. For example, En este salón tenemos… or En la cocina tenemos…

- You can specify that consecutive objects can not be right beside each other. This helps children use the whole space.

- In addition to what is already in the space, you can adapt the game to a thematic unit by putting objects and picture cards around the room.

- You may want to clarify that words can not be repeated.

- You can also add adjectives that describe the objects: Aquí tenemos una flor bonita. Aquí tenemos una flor bonita y una mesa grande. Aquí tenemos una flor bonita, una mesa grande y un lápiz verde.

You may also be interested in this post: Spanish Game – Printable Cootie-catchers

A print-rich environment in classrooms and at home is an essential component of early literacy. It is important for children to recognize print in their surroundings and understand that print carries meaning. This is especially important for children learning Spanish in the United States because most of the print they see in the community is in English.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in Spanish is Estrellita ¿dónde estás? Children learning Spanish will love this bright art of the familiar song and will learn to recognize the words as they sing along. It is perfect for a bedroom and will make a great gift for any child learning Spanish. It will also make a pretty addition to a classroom or a wonderful teacher’s gift.

This word art of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in Spanish is a great way to add language to a child’s space. What better way to help create a print-rich environment at home or in a classroom than with words that a child can sing to?

This poster was made by DeColores for Spanish Playground. Visit DeColores for more language-rich art for children learning Spanish. Be sure to add DeColores to your Etsy circles and watch for more freebies here.

Like many children’s songs, there are several versions of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in Spanish. You can read about two others in this post: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star – Song in Spanish.

Listen to the version of the song on the poster: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in Spanish.

Click here for your free download of printable art of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in Spanish from DeColores.

BabyRadio is Internet radio in Spanish for children. It is from Spain, and you can read a post I wrote about their programming here: Spanish songs, games and stories from BabyRadio.

BabyRadio recently started a YouTube channel with some really cute videos. I love this song and video for El Día de la Madre. Like lots of BabyRadio songs, it incorporates traditional childrens’ songs. This Spanish Mother’s Day song includes two traditional songs about mother animals who take good care of their babies. The first is the Los pollitos dicen and the second is Los cinco lobitos. Los cinco lobitos is a finger play.

The lyrics follow the video.

Mami, Mami, Mami
Canto esta canción para ti
Mami, Mami, Mami
Para que sonrías y seas feliz
Mami, Mami, Mami
Canto esta canción para ti
Mami, Mami, Mami
Quiero agradecerte lo que haces por mí

Los pollitos dicen pío, pío, pío
Cuando tienen hambre
Cuando tienen frío
La gallina busca el maíz y el trigo
Les da la comida y les busca abrigo
Bajo sus dos alas
Se están quietecitos
Hasta el otro día
duemen los pollitos

Mami, Mami, Mami
Canto esta canción para ti
Mami, Mami, Mami,
Para que sonrías y seas feliz
Mami, Mami, Mami,
Canto esta canción para ti
Mami, Mami, Mami,
Quiero agradecerte lo que haces por mí

Cinco lobitos tiene la loba
Cinco lobitos detrás de la escoba
Cinco tenía, cinco cuidaba
Y a todos los cinco cariño les daba

Mami, Mami, Mami,
Canto esta canción para ti
Mami, Mami, Mami
Porque lo que soy, lo soy gracias a ti.

Printable Spanish Mother’s Day cards are easy to use with kids learning Spanish. El Día de la Madre, Mother’s Day in Spanish, is an important celebration in Latin America and Spain. Most countries celebrate in May, but the date varies. In Spain, El Día de la Madre is the first Sunday, while in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador it is always celebrated May 10th. Much of South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) celebrates El Día de la Madre the second Sunday in May like the United States.

Making Spanish Mother’s Day Cards is a great language activity for kids. One of the easiest ways to make cards is using the printables on the website Correomágico. I like this site because the cards have a variety of messages. Kids can read lots of words and phrases related to mothers, love and family.

The printable Spanish Mother’s Day cards on Correomágico can also be personalized. Just click on Personalizar e imprimir gratis below the card. There is a pop-up advertisement that opens, but after you close that, there is a simple form to personalize the card.

Children will understand the labels from the example text, but these are the words in the form:
Destinatario (Recipient)
Escribe tu mensaje (Write your message)
Firma (Signature)
Fecha (Date)

Correomágico also has Spanish Mother’s Day bookmarks, señaladores, that you can personalize and print. There are two designs with several different phrases of sample text.

Link to Spanish Mother’s Day Cards:

Spanish Mother’s Day Cards to Personalize and Print

Nourish Interactive also has Spanish Mother’s Day cards to print. These have much simpler text, just the word madre for example, and there is lots of space to add your own message.

There are also certificates that say Tú Eres La Mejor Mamá and Certificados del Regalo de Tiempo that kids can use to give the gift of a special activity to their moms. Both of these certificates can be printed in color or in black and white so that kids can color them.  Follow the link below and then scroll down and click on the card you want. There will be a box on the right side of the next screen that says Descargue esta hoja (Download this worksheet). Click on Archivo en español (File in Spanish) for the Spanish printable.

Link to Spanish Mother’s Day Cards and Certificates:

Spanish Mother’s Day Cards from Nourish Interactive

You can find more printable Spanish Mother’s Day cards in this post: Spanish Mother’s Day Cards and Activities

You may also be interested in this post that includes information on a printable mini-book called Mi mamá y yo: Printable Mini-books with Spanish Audio from OnlineFreeSpanish.com