How to Teach Your Child Spanish at Home FREE!

They said that if you wanted your kids to learn something, teach them young. Like learning a second language, for example, Spanish, it can easily be taught by children when you start educating them at a young age. In fact, children’s knowledge should begin in their homes and administer by their parents for free.

But parents are not alone in this hurdle, because technology has created a multitude of ways and resources for parents to execute this project and eventually become successful in teaching their kids a second language, like Spanish.

But why Spanish?

Aside from the fact that Spanish is one of the top 3 most spoken languages around the World, it also presents a lot of attractive benefits not just for adults but for the little ones as well. Although it won’t be easy to teach kids a second language, patience is the ultimate key because eventually, they will reap the fruits as they get older. They guarantee that you will be amazed at the tons of juicy reasons parents should introduce their young ones to a second language like Spanish. Not only will you enable them to be fluent in a language, but you are also giving them access to a myriad of educational and career opportunities after that.

Spanish is not just a language spoken in Madrid and other parts of Europe but is also one of the most spoken dialects around the globe and, surprisingly, even by children across the U.S. at this point in time.  The truth is, there are a lot of benefits that await the moment your child gets to speak and express himself in Spanish.

The Benefits of Teaching Kids Spanish

It is true that educating children, especially secondary language, can be complicated. More so, if you are not fluent in the language, it may take a toll on you, but never lose patience. Just bear in mind that by executing this, you are not only nurturing their minds but building a bright future for them as well.

They can Easily Engage with people around the World. Based on global studies and research, Spanish has been ranked as the 2nd most- used, most-spoken, and the most-studied language around the World. The truth is, more people converse in Spanish compared to English! Can you just imagine how interminable opportunities are going to be for your child when his moment comes? Incredibly promising.

They can Easily Perform Academically. See, Spanish is just one of the global languages taught as a second language in both public and private schools all over the planet.  Therefore, again, if you start them young, dealing with secondary language classes in school is just going to be a piece of cake.

They can Easily Improve their Language Skills. Since it’s best to teach children at an early stage, this is the perfect time to introduce skills like language and communication. It is the moment where kids can still easily grasp and absorb new rules in grammar, pronounce difficult words, and foreign languages.

They get to Understand English Flawlessly. It has been tested and proven that learning a second language makes a person understand English better. Actually, English and Spanish share the same family tree with Latin. It is one of the primary objectives of why children who are learning Spanish get to have a better perception of the English language and an easy grasp of other languages and how to improve English even more.

Travel Perks and Experiences. It is a no brainer that once you speak a second language, like Spanish, you get to enjoy and maximize your travels abroad because again, there are more Spanish speakers nowadays compared to English. Also, an advantage of this is that it can shy you away from the \”tourist\” label to like a commoner who can roam anywhere you wish without worrying about language differences. Knowing Spanish and other foreign languages minimize your travel stresses because you can easily understand directions, menus, and signages. These and more are what your child can enjoy; therefore, it’s best to prepare them while they’re young to enjoy their travel adventures.

They get to be More Friendly. It is a no-brainer that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S. There is always room for your kids to expand their acquaintances and gain more friends around the neighborhood and even within the city. Then soon, they can have buddies from other cities and states.

They’ll have more Employment Options. Jobs nowadays consider bilingual and multilingual as a bonus factor when hiring an employee. So, if you wanted your child to have a more fantastic future, give that to them by being fluent in a second language.

They can expand their Cultural Knowledge. Together with learning a second language is understanding the culture of where that language originated from. Let your kids have access to Spanish literature, music, and movies. In that way, they will not learn the language but will also have a better understanding of the Hispanic culture and influences.

Now, the benefits mentioned above, as parents, you now have a better picture of what’s waiting for your children out there the moment they can understand and speak Spanish. Although it could be scary at first, especially to those non-Spanish speaking parents, that feeling is very much acceptable, reasonable, and understandable. Yet again, if you start thinking about your children’s future, that risk of teaching them a second language is undoubtedly going to be worth it.

Before You Start Teaching

And there are some tips for parents out there who will be their children’s first home-school language teacher.

  • Bear in mind that your language teaching doesn’t have to be perfect. No matter how little the progress is daily, still, it is s progress. Just do what you can every day.
  • Whether you’re a parent that is fluent in Spanish or not, there is always this conscious feeling about teaching your young ones a second language. But don’t be nervous. Just a heads up that both you and your child are learning in this process. Better to set a fun and relaxed tone during your teaching sessions.
  • Lastly, never give up. There will be events or even moments where you have to skip those language classes, but then again, do not feel bad. Just don’t give up and always remind yourself that: tomorrow is another day. You will be surprised by how those little minds get to retain the words and songs you taught them a few weeks ago.

Time For Your Kids To Learn Spanish – At Home: TEN WAYS

Before you get started, take note of the following:

  • Make a plan:
    • How often will you teach your kids Spanish?
    • Try to indicate the days and times that you can commit.
    • Start with short lessons, focus on it, and just add more after each progress.

Now, after you have constructed and have settled your Spanish teaching plans for your kids, this is where the actual game begins. By the time you are reading this, you should already have your resources and materials in teaching Spanish to your children. Here are some of the fantastic tools which you can easily access and use as you educate your kids At Home:

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH SONG

The best way to quickly get your kids to learn Spanish is through songs. Point of fact, this might be the most effective way you may find most effective amongst the other option. Songs happen to be the most comfortable material to memorize and are by far the BEST approach for non-Spanish speaking parents and children to learn a language- together.

You can start by searching and browsing “Spanish song for kids” on the Internet, and it will generate a lot of links for you to listen to. If you find the song catchy, then you can pick that song which your kids can memorize for at least a month. You can also learn together with them. Imagine if they can remember one or two pieces a month. That’s going to be a lot of songs mastered for the entire year. You can explain the meaning of the music or the words on the piece which your kiddos might find confusing. You can have the song play in the car so they can still listen to it where you go. If it’s a video, you can have it played so you can watch it with them. You can also play the song within the house, which your entire family can listen to and learn from.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH ONLINE LINKS AND SOURCES

As the Internet plays a huge part in our everyday lives, you can maximize this technology to browse through various websites and free applications to use your language teaching material. One common app is DuoLingo, which is the most used app by adults and even students who can already read in Spanish or other chosen global languages. YouTube, of course, is one of the most accessible sites that have tons of related videos and tutorials. If your goal is to be more precise, you could search for free online Spanish courses for kids and adults as well.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH BOOKS

It’s a traditional way of learning, but it’s still one of the best. It’s like vitamins to the brain when you invest in good books (but be sure to read them) or you can still drop by at the library and borrow books. It’s a must that you have a pocket dictionary with you or a dictionary app on your mobile device.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH TOPIC SPECIFIC

Thinking of a topic to teach can be overwhelming and can also be frustrating, but you can begin with the basic things that you want your children to learn first. Think of a theme that will interest your children like animals, colors, numbers, basic greetings, food, fruits, and a lot more. You can always take it slow, baby steps. It doesn’t matter where only able to cover 3 to 5 topics with the year, for as long as your little ones are confident describing those topics in Spanish.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH: SCHEDULING A TIME WHEN TO SPEAK SPANISH WITH THE FAMILY

Since what you are teaching is a second language, creating a schedule when the family can communicate in Spanish is a great practice. It’s more fun because you learn as a family. You can pick a time where the whole family is complete, say over dinner, or while have Saturday game nights. You can communicate by using simple phrases like, thank you, how are you, please, welcome, I love it and a lot more words which the whole family often use.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH VISUAL PROPS

Kids get easily attracted by the things that see, and that this is one of the best approaches that you could use when teaching your children Spanish. If you have picked the animal theme, make use of images or stuffed animals, and do the introduction of each animal in Spanish. Have an exchange of conversation with your animal props or a puppet show using the language you are teaching. The more creative and fun your teaching sessions are, the more engaged your kids will be, and it will help them more to improve.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH SHOWS AND MOVIES

Maximize your movie time by watching films, series, shows, or cartoons in Spanish. You can easily set up your audio and/or subtitles in Netflix to Spanish. Make it part of your Spanish-speaking practices where the whole family can watch it together, or you can let your kids enjoy their favorite cartoon in Spanish.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH GAMES

Games excite children and sometimes adults too. When teaching the language, make sure to set a relaxing and pleasant vibe to make the learning process less complicated. Some of the exciting games are Go Fish, Memory, and Bingo, or you can play a word game where you say or flash a word in Spanish, and your young ones will pick the image of that word themselves.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH NOTE TAKING

If your kids can already write, help them create a journal where they can write down all the Spanish words that they already know, phrases that they have learned, and sentences that confuse them. In that way, you can track down the progress of every home sessions as well as the things that you still need to cover and teach them about.

  1. LEARN SPANISH THROUGH OUTDOOR EXPOSURE

Introducing your child to those who speak Spanish outside your Home is also a great approach.  In this way, your kids can actually see and hear how people that speak Spanish talk or pronounce words. You can either ask help from Spanish-speaking friends or find a trip or tour that uses Spanish as their primary language. It can indeed be an exciting experience for your child, where learning and fun are combined.

After presenting you with the TEN Ways on how to teach your kids Spanish at Home effectively, here are some BONUS TIPS, which can help you improve your teaching style even more. On the other hand, it can also cover those areas that you may not be confident enough to teach.

BONUS!

Listed are some additional resources that can help you teach Spanish to your kids, which you can use too.

Teaching your kids Spanish is a vast, yet brilliant move. Though you are aware of the benefits of knowing a second language and why Spanish is the best language to teach your children, it’s the aftermath impact that you are creating for your kids. Supporting your child’s bilingual abilities can pose attractive benefits not only to their communication and cognitive skills, but you are also preparing a promising future ahead of them.

Of course, it’s easy to teach kids Spanish if you speak it fluently, but if you don’t, then you will find it hard to begin your plans. The key to being able to teach your children Spanish successfully is by searching for the right step and resources just like the following:

  • Spanish Learning Apps
    • Don’t be surprised by the tons of Spanish learning apps you will find online. Another amazing fact is that majority of them are being offered free! They are designed to present various languages in an engaging way, such as games which kids and adults will both enjoy and appreciate. The following are the highly recommended language apps that you can try:
      • Memrise
      • Duolingo
      • Learn Spanish for Kids – Bilingual Child
      • Learn Spanish by MindSnacks
    • Wikibooks
      • Since language textbooks and activity books can be pricey sometimes, don’t worry because there are accessible books and instructional materials online from Wikibooks, and they are offered absolutely for free. It’s an open-source material designed to introduce and provide an easy-access educational material to anyone who wanted to gain additional knowledge like a secondary language.
      • Here you will find their Spanish learning page starting the session with basic grammar lessons and conversation. You can read this material together with your kids who can already read. Levels increases as each lesson progress. You are guaranteed that by devoting time to learn with your children, they will soon master the proper Spanish communication and pronunciation.

CONCLUSION:

A child’s knowledge begins at Home. Just like your decision to raise a bilingual, everything and everyone in the household must be prepared for this. Again, it’s much easier to teach Spanish if you happen to be fluent in it, but if not, then teaching the second most-spoken language around the World to your kids can be a tad challenging. Even so, this doesn’t mean that you will not move forward. As a parent who wanted all the best for their child, there are a lot of ways to begin introducing the Spanish language to your young. It’s best to start teaching them at a very young age, or some start educating their kids while they are still a baby. The World Wide Web realm contains everything you need when it comes to teaching Spanish to children. Lastly making the right choices is all the is left to do, which this material you are reading right now can significantly help you with.

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