I’m always looking for new ways to make Spanish fun and relevant for kids. I think this Spanish photo challenge is an excellent activity for language learners! It’s creative, personal, and kids of all levels learn as we talk about the pictures.
The Spanish Photo Challenge
This Spanish photo challenge has 28 themes, all of them high-frequency vocabulary familiar to Spanish learners. The themes are also general enough to be of interest to native speakers.
The Spanish photo challenge is to take a photo for each theme during the course of the summer. If you have a young child, you can take the photos. Your child can be part of the picture or not, either way works for learning language. Kids who know how to use a camera can take their own photos.
In this challenge, you take the photos in any order and represent the theme words in any way you like.
There is a printable version of the Spanish photo challenge below. You will also find ideas for using the photo challenge to reinforce Spanish learning.
Kids and Photography
I created this Spanish photo challenge as a language activity, but photography is a fabulous skill. If you are interested in introducing your child to photography, there are excellent suggestions online.
Tots100 has ideas for introducing kids to photography, and Kids Camera Guide has an article specifically about teaching kids photography with your iPhone.
Language Learning and the Spanish Photo Challenge
Use these suggestions to get more language learning out of the Spanish photo challenge.
Before the photo
First, choose the theme. Then, let kids brainstorm possible places, objects, people that might work for that theme. Use the theme word (and related vocabulary if you can) as you talk about the ideas.
Taking the photo
The process of taking the photo offers another opportunity to use the theme vocabulary and related words.
What you say will depend on the theme and your child, but as your child chooses the subject of the photo, describe the objects or people. Use the theme word and related vocabulary. For example:
(árbol) Ese árbol es hermoso. Tiene muchas hojas ahora.
(juguete) Juegas mucho con el tren. Es uno de tus juguetes favoritos. creo.
(cocina) ¿Qué vamos a ver en la foto de la cocina? La mesa, la taza en la mesa, las sillas, el refrigerador. ¡Muchas cosas!
After the photo
- Check the theme off the printable challenge.
- Talk about the picture. With beginners, look at photos together and use theme word. For kids with more language, describe the photos together.
- Make a photo collage, either print or digital, and label the pictures. You can also write full-sentence captions for the photos.
- For kids who are learning to read, make matching cards. Print the photos and put them on index cards. Write the theme words on cards and then match the two sets. You can do this once you have a few photos and keep adding to the game.
- Play a guessing game with friends or extended family. There are two ways to play. 1) Show them a photo and have them guess which theme it represents. 2) When you have several photos, ask which photo represents a certain theme: ¿Cuál foto es “grande”? ¿Cuál es “sonrisa”?
- Make a book with favorite pictures from the challenge. This is a great way to keep talking about the pictures once summer is over.
- Put digital photos or a digital collage where kids can see them, such as in a separate album on your phone or on a screen saver. Talk about them with your child.
- Photos are most fun when they are shared, and they are easy to share! Ask a friend or grandparent to do the photo challenge, too. Send each other the pictures with the theme word or a caption in the message.
Printable Spanish Photo Challenge
Get a PDF of the photo challenge in Spanish.
More Challenges for Spanish Learners
Summer is a great time to learn while you are having fun. Try these bingo card challenges to encourage reading in Spanish and for independent speaking practice.
Share Your Spanish Photo Challenge Pictures
Photos are a wonderful record of your child’s summer, and they also support language learning. As you help her learn, share your child’s photos of theme words with us! Please share on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tag Spanish Playground!
