Use the right shape to open the cage and set the animals free! This simple online game was designed to teach basic mouse skills to children. The simplicity of the activity makes it perfect for Spanish language learners. Children can focus on the language, and the bright graphics make the words and structures perfectly clear. The game is one of many on the site El Buho Boo. All of the games lend themselves to speaking Spanish to children.
The game is called Liberadoos (the names of the games on this site play with the oo in Boo) on the menu and the task is Arrastra las formas y libera los animalitos (Drag the shapes and free the animals). The game shows an animal in a zoo cage. Children drop and drag a shape from the sidebar to match a shape on the cage door. The cage opens and the animal reappears in its natural setting in the wild.
Play the online game to talk about animals in Spanish.
There is enough going on in this game to expose children to lots of Spanish, yet the focus is narrow enough to make the language very clear. The game gives you the opportunity to use natural language in a logical context and that is more important than any specific vocabulary. In addition, children can practice words for shapes and animals.
These are the kinds of sentences you can use as you play this game with your child:
Hay un camello. / There is a camel.
Está en la jaula. / It’s in the cage.
¿Lo quieres soltar? / Do you want to let it out?
¿Ves la forma en la puerta? / Do you see the shape on the door?
Sí, es un cuadrado. / Yes, it’s a square.
Busca el cuadrado y arrástralo a la puerta. / Look for the square and drag it to the door.
¡Se abrió la jaula! / The cage opened!
Ahora el camello está en el desierto. / Now the camel is in the desert.
Ahora está feliz. / Now he is happy.
These are the shapes, animals and places that you will talk about with your child as you play this game:
el cuadrado – square / el camello – camel / el desierto – desert
la estrella – star / el oso hormiguero – anteater / el campo – field
el triángulo – triangle / el tigre – tiger / la selva – jungle
la luna – moon / el oso polar – polar bear / el polo norte – the North pole
el círculo – circle / el hipopótamo – hippopotamus / el río – river
el pentágono – pentagon / la cebra – zebra / las llanuras (de África)– plains (of Africa)
el diamante – diamond / la jirafa – giraffe / las llanuras – plains
el óvalo – oval / el búfalo de agua / las llanuras – plains