You can turn this routine worksheet into an effective Spanish learning tool by using the pictures in different ways. This is a worksheet with pictures to cut out and glue in a labeled space on a second worksheet. The activity consists of matching the picture of a common object to the Spanish word and is meant for native speakers who are beginning to read.
These pictures can be used effectively with Spanish-language learners. The goal is to use the Spanish words many times in a way that the picture and the context make the meaning clear. Remember, a child needs to hear Spanish words used in a situation where she can understand the meaning. By hearing a word used and understanding what it means, she will absorb the language and later be able to produce it. Cutting and gluing are language activities when you talk about the pictures and what you are doing. You can also talk about the words by relating them to each other.
Click the link for the first worksheet: a set of pictures of common Spanish vocabulary.
Click the link for the second worksheet: spaces labeled with Spanish vocabulary words.
These are the words and pictures in this activity:
el avión – airplane
el pastel – cake
la niña – little girl
la casa – house
la flor – flower
la pelota – ball
el gato – cat
el reloj – watch
el tambor – drum
el barco – boat
el osito – bear
el árbol – tree
la bicicleta – bicycle
el perro – dog
el conejo – rabbit
el coche – car
Cutting and gluing pictures as a Spanish language activity
Cutting out pictures with your child can be an effective language-learning activity. The key is to talk about what you are doing. The picture clarifies and reinforces the meaning of what you are saying in Spanish. Also, the process offers the opportunity to repeat Spanish vocabulary and structures. It is best if you and your child each have a set of pictures to cut out.
1. Talk about the picture as you are cutting it out. Repeat the same sentences, or variations, so that you repeat the Spanish word for the picture. For example, as you cut out the tree you might say:
Estoy recortando el árbol. – I am cutting out the tree.
El árbol es grande. – The tree is big.
El árbol es verde. – The tree is green.
Me gusta el árbol. – I like the tree.
El árbol es bonito. – The tree is pretty.
¿Te gusta el árbol? – Do you like the tree?
2. Talk about the picture that your child is cutting out. For example, you might say:
Me gusta la flor. La flor es bonita. – I like the flower. The flower is pretty.
El coche es rojo. – The car is red.
El perro es blanco. – The dog is white.
3. Use the same process if your child wants to glue the pictures. She can arrange them as she likes on another sheet of paper, draw a scene and add the pictures to the scene, or glue the pictures on the second worksheet. In any case, be sure to use the Spanish words for the pictures to talk about what the two of you are doing.
Voy a poner el árbol aquí. – I’m going to put the tree here.
El perro y el gato son amigos. Voy a poner el gato al lado del perro. – The dog and the cat are friends. I’m going to put the cat next to the dog.
Categories
Sorting the pictures into categories is a good way to repeat the new Spanish words many times. This gives your child the opportunity to associate the word with the picture and to relate the words to each other.
With this set of words here are some categories that you could try:
animales – animals
transporte – transportation
plantas – plants
juguetes – toys
cosas grandes – big things
cosas pequeñas – little things
cosas rojas – red things
Remember to talk about each object as you add it to the category, repeating the Spanish word as much as possible. For example:
Sí, el gato es un animal. El gato hace miau, miau. El gato es bonito. Yes, the cat is an animal. The cat goes meow, meow. The cat is pretty.
Sentences
By making sentences that use two or more of the vocabulary words, you can also associate the Spanish words with the pictures and relate them to each other. Keep in mind that the goal is to use the words many times in a way your child understands. Pick up each picture as you say the Spanish word and then move them in a way that makes the meaning of the sentence clear. For example:
La niña anda en bicicleta. – The girl rides a bike. (Put the card with the girl over the bike.) ¡Va rápido! – She goes fast! (Move the two cards fast.)
Al perro le gusta el pastel.- The dog likes cake. (Put the dog card next to the cake. Make eating noises and then, hide the cake.) El perro comió todo el pastel! – The dog ate all the cake!
La niña se llama Sara. Sara tiene un perro. – The girl’s name is Sara. Sara has a dog. (You put the girl and the dog cards together. If your child knows the words, she can help you look for the one you need.) ¿Dónde está el perro? Allí está. – Where is the dog? There he is.
Story
You can also talk about the pictures by telling a simple story that uses several of the words. Move the cards to make the meaning of the story clear. I have put the words that have picture cards on these worksheets in bold. For example:
Esta niña se llama Ana. Tiene un perro y un gato. Un día Ana invita a sus amigos, Conejo y Osito, a jugar en su casa. Conejo llega en un avión. Osito llega en un coche rojo. Todos juegan en la casa de Ana. Juegan con el tambor, y la pelota y andan en bicicleta. Se divierten mucho. Comen pastel y después se duermen porque están muy cansados. Se duermen bajo un árbol. Duermen, y duermen y entonces se despiertan y miran el reloj. ¡Son las tres de la tarde! Ya es hora de ir a casa. Conejo sube al avión. ¡Adiós Conejo! Osito sube al coche rojo. ¡Adiós Osito! ¡Gracias por venir a jugar! Ana, el perro y el gato están muy contentos.
(This little girl is Ana. She has a dog and a cat. One day Ana invites her friends, Rabbit and Bear, to play at her house. Rabbit arrives in an airplane. Bear arrives in a red car. They all play at Ana’s house. They play with the drum, and the ball and they ride bikes. They have a good time. They eat cake and afterwards they fall asleep because they are very tired. They sleep under a tree. They sleep and sleep and then they wake up and they look at the clock. It is three o’clock in the afternoon! It is time to go home. Rabbit gets into his airplane. Bye Rabbit! Bear gets into his red car. Bye Bear! Thanks for coming to play. Ana, the dog and the cat are very happy. )
Stories like this work well with groups. Usually I tell the story first, and the students just listen. Each student has a set of pictures they can manipulate as they listen to the story a second time. Depending on the story, they can move the pictures to the action of the story, touch the pictures when they hear the words, put the pictures in order, or put them into a scene.
Of course, these pictures can also be used with Spanish language learners for playing memory or doing other activities that introduce or practice vocabulary. You can find phrases for playing memory here, other ideas for teaching vocabulary here and more suggestions here.
