Teaching Children Spanish through Fun, Easy Activities
Are you trying to incorporate Spanish learning into your child's everyday life? As a parent and educator, I too am continually seeking opportunities to make language connections with my children. Creating fun, easy Spanish lessons for kids, not only enriches their development, but keeps the language learning alive. Here are some quick, easy ideas on teaching children Spanish and reinforcing everyday vocabulary:
Teaching Children Spanish Through Card Games
Play Memory: This is a great activity for vocabulary development and reinforcement. We have a couple of different sets that have different thematic pictures, so it is an excellent way for our children to practice various grammatical structures. Ask ' dónde está....? or qué es?, as you look for the specific picture. Ask children to repeat the word in Spanish each time you say it. Be sure to reinforce pictures after each game. Remember, repetition is one of the keys to language learning success!
Teaching Spanish Through Cooking
My kids love to help in the kitchen when we are preparing meals. This is a great way to create fun Spanish lessons for kids. We are sure to tell kids " es la hora de español" or ' ni una palabra de ingles", as we begin our cooking adventure. You can tell your kids to find certain items in the pantry and refrigerator in Spanish. It is a great identification practice. My 6 year old is able to help pour and measure, so all commands are given to her in Spanish as she helps with the recipe. When cooking in Spanish, be intentional to keep the conversation going, incorporating questions such as: ' te gusta...?, quieres probar...?, cuál es tu favorito?. Another way to reinforce Spanish is to talk about the color of each food. Ask kids to find foods that are ‘rojo’ , ‘verde’, etc.
Teaching Children Spanish Through Everyday Language Connections
My children love looking at themselves in the mirror! We often play ' make that face'. Give your kids the Spanish word for a specific emotion, and they have to make that face in mirror. Then give them the words for enojado, triste, feliz, ( angry, sad, happy) etc. When kids can see themselves as they hear or say the word, it helps to make a language connection.
By teaching kids Spanish through activities that are relevant to their lives, you are giving your children a great head start in their bilingual development!
Jennifer Manriquez, M. Ed
Founder, The Bilingual Fun Company