Children can draw on information they already know to understand new Spanish vocabulary and structures. When teachers and parents talk about familiar subjects in Spanish, children associate concepts they understand with the new language. This way, children learn Spanish vocabulary in context and applied to content, rather than as lists of vocabulary words which are often memorized and then quickly forgotten. In the early grades, children learn the basic facts of the solar system. When [...]
Using Spanish to talk about information that your child already knows is an effective way of exposing her to the language. If a child is familiar with certain information, she can draw on what she knows to understand Spanish. This is one way of providing comprehensible input, and comprehensible input is essential to language acquisition. School-age children are familiar with basic geography and maps. Doing geography activities in Spanish and reading Spanish picture books related [...]
One of the biggest challenges for Spanish teachers and parents teaching Spanish to their children is providing sufficient input at the appropriate level. Exposing a child to Spanish is not difficult, but exposing a child to Spanish at the right level and in a way that promotes learning is time consuming and a lot of work. Working with familiar information is one way to make the process easier. Children acquire language when there is comprehensible [...]
This online story is an unusual version of Los tres cerditos (The Three Little Pigs) meant for native Spanish speakers. It has a simple plot and the common vocabulary is well supported by the animation. Although the sentence structure is more complex than in some stories for beginning Spanish learners, children can easily understand what is happening. They also stay engaged with the story because there are interactive features. It is perfect for children who [...]
Botas nuevas, by Guido Van Genechten, is the Spanish edition of New Boots. It is the story of a child who gets new boots and discovers all the things he can do when he is wearing them. In addition to being a wonderful book for Spanish language learners, it is a story full of enthusiasm and joy that children identify with and love to hear. The story is simple. John gets new boots and plays [...]
This online game teaches children the parts of the face and head in Spanish. It can also teach other common vocabulary if you play the game as it is intended for native Spanish speakers. The activity consists of a picture of a head, and a sidebar with options for the parts of the face and hair. Each part is labeled in Spanish. As you scroll through the options for each feature, the picture changes. If [...]
There are two past tenses in Spanish, the preterite and the imperfect, and in order to use them correctly, Spanish language learners must hear and read lots and lots of narration in the past. Many older students learn to list rules, but the use of these verb tenses is conceptual, and true facility depends on repeated exposure over considerable time. One of the great advantages of being exposed to Spanish as a child is the [...]
This printable book in Spanish has common vocabulary and a simple, repeated sentence structure. The title is El muñeco de nieve (The Snowman) and the story consists of showing the objects used to build a snowman and then the finished snowman. All of the sentences have the same pattern. This is the sentence from the first page: Esta es la nariz para el muñeco de nieve. (This is the nose for the snowman.) On [...]
Language and culture are inseparable. The Catholic church has a strong presence in Spanish-speaking countries, and many traditions center around religious holidays. Through Christmas traditions and songs, children learning Spanish learn language, history, and the values and views that influence Spanish-speaking societies. If your family enjoys Christmas music, carols are an excellent way of exposing children to Spanish. Noche de paz is the carol known as Silent Night in English. The original carol is in [...]
Movies and television are excellent sources of authentic language for children and teens learning Spanish. Young people all over the world acquire huge amounts of English through American film and television, and kids in the United States can take advantage of media the same way. Although the language in movies is much too difficult for Spanish language learners to use without support, with subtitles they can enjoy films as they hear the rhythm and pace [...]
Gifts are an opportunity to give a child who is learning Spanish a toy or game that encourages her to use the language in a new way. A new puzzle or toy can also be motivating and keep the process of learning Spanish exciting and fun. If possible, choose toys that can be used again and again in different ways. Repetition is important to language learning and it also makes the toy more cost-efficient than [...]
Many children learn to say thank you in Spanish when they are little even if they are not learning more of the language. Although gracias is the basic and most common way to give thanks in Spanish, there are some simple variations that you can easily teach children. These are a few expressions and some vocabulary that you can use to express your appreciation in Spanish. Gracias – Thank you Gracias por… -Thank you for [...]