Bilingual Fun: Insight and Support for Teaching Children Spanish

I always like reading about the experiences of parents who are teaching their children Spanish. The blog at Bilingual Fun has some great articles about the joys and challenges of raising kids speaking two languages and how the process changes as they grow older.  There are also recommendations for a variety of language learning products and suggested activities to do with your child.

In the blog entry The sights and sounds of Mexico, Bilingual Fun founder, Jennifer Manriquez writes about a recent trip to Mexico with her family. Having spent summers in Mexico with my children for the last 15 years, I completely identify with her experience. Jennifer’s perspective as a parent and a educator make her recommendations particularly valuable. I love the article How to Make Language Learning Come Alive and the list of suggestions for using Spanish with your child. Jennifer clearly understands that language learning has to be engaging and relevant to a child’s life.  I also appreciate the attention to culture in the posts and suggestions. This blog makes it clear that Spanish is a rich, living language, not simply vocabulary words and grammar rules.

I suggest you explore the Bilingual Fun website.  There is a great selection of articles on the Resources page, including some of the most recent research on raising children speaking two languages. There are Bilingual Fun DVDs, books and T-shirts in the Fun Shop. Also, if you live in Michigan, be sure to check out a Bilingual Fun class in your area.