Feb 072011
 
A song to celebrate friends on Día del amor y la amistad

My kids learned a lot of Spanish through popular music.  When they were small, we listened to music in Spanish in the car.  They were patient with my musical taste most of the time, and as they got older, they started recommending artists and songs in Spanish that they liked. Now, they are my best source for new music in Spanish and English. In addition to exposing children to language, music reflects and communicates culture [...]

Feb 032011
 
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Spanish

Valentine’s day in Spanish is Día del amor y la amistad (The day of love and friendship), Día de San Valentín or Día de los enamorados. Most Spanish-speaking countries celebrate on Feb. 14th, although in Colombia they celebrate on the third Saturday of September. Many countries also celebrate El día del amigo in June or July. Children love Día del amor y la amistad because it is chance to recognize how important their friends are [...]

Feb 012011
 
Use picture books without words to teach children Spanish

Stories without words are useful tools for teaching Spanish to children. These wordless picture books engage children actively with the events on the page. Children interpret the drawings and follow the narrative by identifying characters, emotions, actions, and consequences.  Simple phrases and questions in Spanish make the most of this connection and of the context created by the illustrations. In addition, teachers and parents can use Spanish at an appropriate level so that reading is [...]

Jan 292011
 
Hands on Spanish – 20 songs that teach Spanish to children

I recently wrote about a song to teach children the vowel sounds in Spanish. The song A,E,I,O,U is by Carolina Gómez, and she was kind enough to send me the CD. I always enjoy making connections with people who are creating quality Spanish-language materials for children. Hands on Spanish has 20 songs and comes with the Spanish lyrics and an English translation of all the tracks. The lyrics and the translations are printed in alternating [...]

Jan 272011
 
Online activities to learn and practice body parts in Spanish

This is a great set of online activities for introducing the body parts in Spanish or for focused practice with the vocabulary.  The activities are from OnlineFreeSpanish. The first activity teaches the words and correct Spanish pronunciation and the second is a game. Click the titles to open the activities in a new window. Activity for learning the body parts in Spanish This activity for learning the body parts in Spanish has a photograph of [...]

Jan 262011
 
Siesta - A beautiful picture book to teach colors and common vocabulary in Spanish

¿Algo más? (Anything else?). Such a common, useful question! When I am choosing picture books to read with beginning Spanish learners, I am always happy to find a repeated phrase that we use commonly in conversation. ¿Algo más? is that phrase in the book Siesta, by Ginger Foglesong Guy. Siesta is a bilingual book with very simple text in Spanish and English. As two children collect objects, they ask each other ¿Algo más? with a [...]

Jan 232011
 
Walking and Talking in Spanish: Two Rhymes to Combine with Movement

These two Spanish poems for children are by Douglas Wright, a well-known poet, illustrator, and humorist from Argentina. In addition to being the author of many books, his work appears in magazines and newspapers in Argentina and other countries.   Some of Douglas’ work is available from Amazon or in larger Spanish-language bookstores in the U.S.  He recently published a book of Spanish poems for children called Rimando Ando which would be a wonderful resource for [...]

Jan 212011
 
Arm wrestling in Spanish for fun and language

My son Andrew is 23 and he just got back from visiting my daughter, Kate, in Lima, Peru. He was telling me about being there and about arm wrestling with Kate’s boyfriend. Listening to him, for a moment I saw the eight-year-old Andrew, arm wrestling with his friends in Mexico, the whole group cheering and laughing. Those unexpected images that memory delivers are such gifts! Andrew still arm wrestles with the same friends in Mexico, [...]

Jan 192011
 
Vowel song from Fun for Spanish Teachers

In English, we associate learning vowel sounds with learning to read. However, children who are learning Spanish should learn the vowel sounds early and practice them often, focusing on the sound, not the association with the written letter. The vowel sounds are important for pronunciation first, and for reading later. It is never too early for children to learn to pronounce the Spanish vowels correctly! Ideally, a child is introduced to the sounds of Spanish [...]

Jan 172011
 
Teach kids Spanish with I Spy card games

Try speaking Spanish with your child by playing with the I Spy cards. The bright cards with their assortment of objects have a magical appeal. They are powerful language learning tools because the images are memorable and serve as a visual reference for vocabulary.  When children associate a Spanish word with a striking image that they can recall in detail, they are much more likely to remember the word and its meaning. The I Spy [...]

Jan 142011
 
Make a picture online to play Veo, veo

The game Veo, Veo in Spanish is I Spy in English. In addition to the guessing game that children play, there are I Spy cards, books and games by Brairpatch in association with Scholastic.  These wonderful visual materials are fascinating to kids and adults, and can be used in lots of Spanish language activities. There is also an online Veo veo activity where kids play online and learn letter sounds and vocabulary. You can read [...]

Jan 112011
 
Veo, veo – I Spy in Spanish teaches kids language

The game I Spy is Veo, veo in Spanish, and it begins with a simple rhyme – a question-answer exchange. This game and its many variations are wonderful activities for children learning Spanish. In addition to the traditional game of guessing an object, there are card games, online activities and books based on I Spy in English. This information is about the original guessing game, but I will write a post later this week about [...]