April is National Poetry Month. Poems are a wonderful way for children to hear and speak Spanish and enjoy the rhythm and sounds of the language. Spanish language learners can read and listen to poems and with support they can also write their own. Here are a few ways to share poetry in Spanish with children during National Poetry Month. 17 Ideas for Sharing Spanish Poems with Kids 1. Watch videos of animated poems or [...]
The traditional folk song De Colores is sung throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The song is often associated with the Catholic church, but it is also taught as a Spanish song for kids to celebrate spring without specific references to religion. De Colores is a song that many teachers sing with classes at this time of year. It is a good way to introduce or reinforce spring vocabulary such as la primavera (spring), las [...]
Giselle Shardlow is the author of Kids Yoga Stories. Her yoga-inspired children’s books get children moving, learning and having fun. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and daughter. Find her books at www.kidsyogastories.com or on Amazon worldwide. “¡Agua, Agua, Agua!” Your Toddler Speaking Spanish. “Agua, agua, agua,” our daughter says in excitement as she learns to talk. I love Spanish – the romantic language of the community-oriented culture of the picturesque, vibrant and [...]
I have had several readers ask for my impression of the Spanish Champs program, so I was thrilled when the company sent me the Level 1 materials to review. This engaging curriculum is for children 2 to 10 years old, with an emphasis on developing oral communication. The curriculum is a 32-week program that is intended to be repeated. A Level 2 curriculum is under development and will be available in the fall. Spanish Champs [...]
This set of Spanish questions is based on some of the first vocabulary that children learn. The questions include words for numbers, body parts, colors, animals and food. I use questions like these for all kinds of activities, including board games and classroom games. Una preguntita is a continually growing collection of questions that encourage kids to draw on information they know to understand Spanish. Although some words in the questions will be new, kids [...]
These Spanish online stories were created by a group of teachers in Montville, Connecticut. Each story is followed by a set of vocabulary and comprehension activities. There are three simple stories that kids can read online: Pepa y su cesta, El viejo y su paraguas and El pájaro y el pan. They all have illustrations to help students understand what they are reading. On each page, several words in the text are in red and [...]
Easter is just a few days away and many of us will be spending time with friends and family. These gatherings can be a good time for kids to practice simple Spanish conversation, or if your family speaks Spanish at home, to spend time listening and speaking the language with relatives. Also, those plastic eggs are just so handy, I could not resist putting a little Spanish in them! These Spanish conversation questions are at [...]
Below you will find a word search with Spanish Easter vocabulary. The words go in all directions, including backwards. The solution is included in the PDF. Lots of kids really like word searches, or sopa de letras, in Spanish. As a supplemental activity, these puzzles can focus attention on a specific category of Spanish words that a child is learning. They are also useful for reinforcing the letter sounds and the sounds in specific words. [...]
Preschoolers love imaginative play, so we do lots of it in my classes. One game that is always a big hit is when we pretend that our pets are hurt and need una curita, a band-aid. We practice Spanish body parts with this activity and I also teach the traditional saying Sana, sana colita de rana, si no sanas hoy, sanarás mañana. All you need to play are felt band-aids and a stuffed animal for [...]
Old McDonald is a song many English speakers learn when they are very young. The equivalent Spanish song for kids is En la granja de mi tío, and it is a fun way for children to learn animals and animal sounds in Spanish. There are several variations of the song in Spanish with different melodies and lyrics. In Spanish, it can be la granja de Pepito, la granja de Juan or la granja de Miguel. The number of [...]
Una preguntita is a continually growing collection of questions that encourage kids to draw on information they know to understand Spanish. These questions are perfect for all kinds of games and activities. Although some words in the questions will be new, kids use their prior knowledge as context to understand and answer. You can find a more complete explanation of using knowledge as context here and a set of questions for very beginners here. Be [...]
In this printable Spanish board game, kids move around the board by clapping and counting the number of syllables in a word. There are pictures accompanying the words on the cards, so kids learn new vocabulary too. Most of the vocabulary is related to spring. In Spanish, syllables define how to read, spell and accentuate words. Because syllables are so important, they are the basis for learning to read. In English, children learn to “sound [...]