Disclosure: Whistlefritz sent me a copy of Spanish Lesson Plans for Kids so that I could write the following article. All of the ideas and opinions are my own. I am so pleased that Whistlefritz has created lesson plans to use with their wonderful videos and songs. This award-winning company is known for engaging, effective materials to teach children Spanish. Now, in the new book Spanish Lesson Plans for Kids, they offer a pre-K and [...]
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 [...]
Talk about this photograph of teenagers playing soccer in the rain to speak Spanish with your child. The questions that follow, like all the Learn Spanish with Pictures activities, are ordered to help children master the vocabulary and gain confidence with the language. Start with Describe the photo (1) and be sure to point to the objects in the picture as you talk about them. Use gestures, facial expressions and actions to help your child [...]
For the last few months I have had the pleasure of getting to know the Sonrisas Spanish School Preschool and Elementary Curriculum. This beautifully designed, standards-based elementary Spanish curriculum is recognized by language teachers as an effective, engaging program. For over 16 years it has been used throughout the country in schools, after-school programs and for home schooling. The Spanish curriculum is designed for preschool through third grade, but certainly could be used as the [...]
If you are looking into elementary school curricula, you should know that Spanish for You! has added additional lesson plans to their materials. Spanish for You! is a curriculum for grades 3-8 that can be used for self-study, home school, in classrooms or in after-school programs. It was created by a Spanish teacher as an affordable, easy-to-use program that engages children with the language and also teaches grammar basics. Check out the Spanish for You! [...]
In this guest post, Laura Anaya de Zuchovicki, founder of the Spanish curriculum Conversa Books, writes about her inspiration to teach Spanish and also prepare students as world citizens. Born and educated in Mexico, she draws on twelve years of experience teaching elementary and middle schools students in the United States. Some people say that in order to have a complete life you must have a child, write a book and leave your personal mark. [...]
I am in Peru enjoying time with family and in just a few days we will be ringing in the New Year with friends, fireworks and a variety of New Years traditions. If you are celebrating the New Year with children learning Spanish, or talking about el Año Nuevo with a class, you might want to share the tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight, just as the New Year begins. This custom started in [...]
The American Academy of Pediatrics published these New Year Resolutions in Spanish and English in 2010. In addition to being really good goals for the coming year, they are great material for language activities for children learning Spanish. I have suggested activities below including printable cards for playing memory. These Spanish New Year propósitos focus on staying healthy and safe. They are grouped by ages: preschool, 5-12 and over 13. The resolutions are about daily [...]
Spanish for You! is an elementary Spanish curriculum. If you are considering a curriculum, this is a good time to take a look at Spanish for You! because they are having a holiday sale. Everything is 25% off – just use the discount code “holidaysale.” You can read more about the curriculum in this post: Spanish Curriculum for Classroom or Home School. Use this link to visit the Spanish for You! site and take advantage [...]
Sonrisas Spanish School publishes a preschool and elementary Spanish curriculum. The founders, Brooks and Blue Lindner, also have a blog full of ideas, inspiration and support for anyone teaching Spanish to children. Whether you are an experienced teacher, new to the profession, or a parent with a child learning Spanish, this is a wonderful resource. Use this link to reach the Sonrisas Spanish School Blog. These are a few of the reasons you will want [...]
This article is by Debbie Annet, the author of Spanish for You!, a Spanish curriculum for grades 3-8. She offers insight into how children learn languages and a discount code on her curriculum. You CAN give the gift of language. Parent or teacher, Spanish speaker or not, you are able to accomplish more than just vocabulary learning with your elementary and middle school students. It just takes knowing a little about the language learning process [...]