The Bilingual Baby DVD is a wonderful collection of images to support a voice-over narration of basic Spanish words and phrases. There is no story, but this DVD is surprisingly engaging and entertaining. The live action video of people and animals has wonderful colors and the pacing is just right. It holds a child’s attention and yet it is never too busy or overwhelming.
Do you have children starting Spanish in school? If you are looking for games and activities to supplement what they are doing in class, The Everything Kids’ First Spanish Puzzle and Activity Book has lots of fun ways to practice basic Spanish. Kids who like word games and activity books will love this book. It is packed with mazes, codes, word searches, hidden pictures and other puzzles that reinforce basic Spanish vocabulary and concepts. There [...]
I am participating once again in latinaish.com‘s Spanish Friday. Join us! Leí una vez un artículo de Anna Quindlen donde decía que el día más feliz de su vida fue cuando se dió cuenta de que su hijo podía leer. Me identifico complétamente con este sentimiento, porque cuando mis propios hijos aprendieron a leer sabía que les iba a traer un mundo de alegría. Los libros siempre me han acompañado, en las buenas y en [...]
Let’s Eat! / ¡A comer! is a picture book in Spanish and English by Pat Mora. This story fits into any number of my classes. It has family vocabulary, food vocabulary, simple structures, a strong cultural component, and detailed pictures that can be used for all kinds of conversation about home and family. The story line of Let’s Eat! / ¡A comer! is straightforward. A family comes to the table, and there is plenty of [...]
A text-rich environment is very important for children learning Spanish. One of the difficulties of teaching Spanish as a minority language is that children are not exposed to the written language the way they constantly see signs, labels and advertisements in English. It is important to keep an interesting, changing flood of Spanish text at home and in classrooms. Here are 15 ways to create a world of Spanish words in your home. 1. Make [...]
If you read your children picture books that have been translated from English to Spanish, you have probably had moments when you were disappointed by a translation or felt that the experience they were getting was somehow not as rich or authentic as it would have been in English. In the case of Quienquiera que seas, the opposite is true. The Spanish translation is better than the original English, and the English is great. I [...]
Whoever you are is a beautiful book with a moving message about our common humanity. It is by Australian author Mem Fox. Quienquiera que seas is the equally beautiful Spanish translation by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy and a wonderful book to read with any child learning Spanish. Spanish language learners enjoy Quienquiera que seas for the same reasons that make it a good tool for learning Spanish. The central idea is that [...]
This is a song with pictures, perfect for the very littlest children learning Spanish. Luna has the words luna (moon), sol (sun), caracol (snail), girasol (sunflower), ruiseñor (nightingale) and corazón (heart). The idea of labeling common objects to a familiar tune is one that you can easily adapt and use with your own pictures. The tune here is a variation of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. In general, words used in context are best for language [...]
Hoy me junto a un grupo de blogueros que escriben en español los viernes. Spanish Friday se llama. ¿Cómo se van a relacionar estos artículos con el contenido de Spanish Playground? Como lo veo, muchos pasamos los días metidos en el mundo de los niños, enfocados en como crear un ambiente que facilita el aprendizaje del idioma. Nos fascina (lo digo en serio), pero a veces no nos damos tiempo para disfrutar del idioma como [...]
I love using story sticks with kids learning Spanish. The pictures reinforce what they hear, and the movement helps them process the language. Children use the stick to order pictures of a story as they listen. These printable templates are free, the sticks are simple to make, and they are based on great books. Also, kids really like using them. On the site Making Learning Fun, you will find printable templates to make story sticks [...]
I am a big fan of mini-books, so I was happy to see that OnlineFreeSpanish.com has added a selection of bilingual mini-books to their website. I was even happier when I saw that these books include online Spanish audio! Printable mini-books let kids make the language their own. They can color the pictures, read the books to their family and friends, and even cut out the pictures if they want to. If they use a [...]
I love teaching with Spanish poems for children, and I am so impressed by how fun and useful Douglas Wright’s poems are with Spanish language learners. It is authentic language that really works with my students! Douglas Wright is a well-known children’s author and illustrator from Argentina. As a humorist, artist and author, his work consistently includes literature suitable for many levels. I also appreciate the content; his poems deal with the experiences of children [...]