What is the best way to teach your kids Spanish?

Teach your kids Spanish and make it fun!  Discover enjoyable activities and resources as well as some useful suggestions about how to teach Spanish to children.  Author Joanne Leyland is a qualified teacher with 20 years experience in teaching languages.

1. Gather some resources and make a plan

Look for age appropriate resources which are educational yet fun.  If you collect some books, make a list of the topics that the books cover so you can plan what topics you will teach your child. 

Puppets or soft toys can be useful for teaching Spanish to children, so you could either use a puppet / soft toy already in your household or you could buy a new one and tell your child that this puppet only speaks Spanish!  And if your child enjoys being creative, check you have enough colouring pencils, paper etc for your Spanish lessons.

2.  Set up a schedule

Decide how often the Spanish lessons should be and when you would like to teach your child Spanish.  Draw up a schedule so that your child knows what to expect and you have a timetable to keep to. The Spanish lessons could for example be regular sessions of 10 minutes a day, or longer sessions of 30 minutes a couple of times a week. 

When deciding on a schedule, consider how old your child is, and how long they would be able to concentrate.  Young children often have a short attention span and would therefore benefit from regular short sessions.

3. Use visual aids to teach Spanish vocabulary

When you teach your child Spanish words you could either introduce the words for some of the toys your child has, use flashcards or point at things you have around your home / see when you go out.  For young children try introducing 3-4 words at a time, or individual words as you come across them.  For children over 7, try introducing 6-8 words during a 30 minute lesson.  In your household you may have toys you could use for the following topics: pet animals, zoo animals, farm animals, transport, colours, food and drink.  You could also use the clothes in your child's wardrobe for the clothes topic. And you could either buy or make your own flashcards.  If your child enjoys being creative, then you could tap into this interest and ask them to make you some flashcards for the next set of Spanish words you are teaching them.

4. Recap previous learning often

It is important to keep reviewing the Spanish you have taught your child so they do not forget what they have learnt.  Sadly children will forget the things they do not use, unless you help them pass this information into their long term memory so they retain this information for a lifetime.  You could review vocabulary through a short quiz, asking your child to say a particular word in either Spanish or English.  If the words you are quizzing your child on are still fairly new you could give your child a couple of options to choose the correct answer from.   You could also review previous learning with creative activities such as designing a poster, menu, town plan, some clothes ...

5.  Play games

One of the most effective ways to teach kids Spanish is through their favourite activity - play.  By playing games your child can learn new Spanish vocabulary / phrases or review previous learning.  One popular game for teaching Spanish is Simón dice (Simon says).  Before you start, think of an action for each word with your child. 

Mini cards are also great to use, and you can play, for example, the memory game with these.  You can make your own sets of mini cards by cutting sheets of paper or card into 8 equal pieces and then writing the Spanish words you are teaching your child on the cards.  You will need a minimum of two cards per word, but you could have more cards if you prefer - just make sure it is an even number.  Once you have completed the first two steps, ask your child to draw pictures to represent the words they are learning.

Board games are very enjoyable to do too.  You could make your own board game with your child by designing the layout with a designated start and finish point. In the spaces ask your child to draw pictures to represent the Spanish words for the topic you are practising. To play, you will need a dice and a counter for each player.  The counters could be a cube, a rubber or a small toy that fits in the spaces in the board game.   

Alternatively you could play the fantastic games you will find in the books Photocopiable Games For Teaching Spanish or Spanish word games.  These great books contain a mixture of games and are ideal for children learning Spanish.

6. Build sentences or questions

When your child is familiar with the words for a topic, model how to build simple sentences or questions using these words.  Putting words into context may help your child remember them, and also make the words more meaningful.  For example you could teach Spanish verbs which request something or express likes and dislikes.

In Spanish there are two ways of saying I like depending on whether the Spanish word is in the singular or in the plural. So when you teach your child the Spanish verb gustar (to like), start first with Me gusta …. (I like…) / No me gusta .... (I don't like) / ¿Te gusta….? (Do you like….?) and the Spanish word in the singular.  For example, you could share opinions about sports (el fútbol, el baloncesto, el tenis...) or drinks (la coca-cola, la limonada, el agua....).  If you choose to share opinions about colours remember to tell your child that the word el is needed before the colour, for example, Me gusta el azul. (I like blue).  When your child is confident using the verb gustar in the singular form, introduce them to what to say when the noun is in the plural, for example when sharing opinions about what type of animals you like: Me gustan ...(I like) / No me gustan ... (I don't like...) / ¿Te gustan….? (Do you like….?)  For example, Me gustan los gatos (I like cats.)

7. Spanish story time

Read stories together and discuss the story to make the Spanish vocabulary and phrases more enjoyable and memorable. As many children have a natural love of stories and love hearing their parents read to them, reading stories may help them make good progress in Spanish. You could pause reading the story at various points and ask your child what they think will happen next.  And you could try reading stories using different voices and encouraging your child to repeat what you say using a made up voice of their own.  Even if your child doesn’t understand every word, reading can help improve their fluency in the long run.

No matter how old your child is there are stories suited to every age.  For children under 7 years of age there are stories written in English which intersperse Spanish words throughout the story.  And for children over 7 you could select a story which is written purely in Spanish.  Children’s stories contain simple vocabulary and sentence structures.  They make a good foundation for learning a foreign language. 

Within the stories you read you will find many useful Spanish words you could teach your child.  At the end of the stories by Joanne Leyland there is a vocabulary list with pictures for many of the common everyday words that appear in the story.  And after you have read one of her stories, as a follow on activity why don't you try singing a song or creating a rap using some of the words from the story you have just read. The stories by Joanne Leyland all have lyrics at the back of the book that can be sung or made into a rap.

8. Add Spanish phrases to your daily routine

Take advantage of activities that occur as everyday activities and gradually teach Spanish vocabulary and phrases which are associated with them. Try and encourage your child to speak some Spanish at mealtimes.

If you teach your child the Spanish words for the things they like to eat or drink then that will give you the opportunity to include some Spanish words and phrases into daily conversation on a regular basis.You could offer them a choice of something to eat or drink using Spanish words for the different options. For example you could initially offer them the choice of two or three things: ¿Una galleta o un helado? (A biscuit or an ice cream?) And to answer that question your child should say the Spanish word for the thing they would like.

You could also ask your child to say in Spanish something they wanted followed by the Spanish phrase for please. They could say for example "Una manzana, por favor" (An apple, please) if they wanted an apple.

Once your child is familiar with making a choice from a couple of options they hear in Spanish, you could start to ask them longer questions. For example you could say something like "¿Quieres una galleta o un helado?" (Do you want a biscuit or an ice cream?)And finally, when they are used to recognising this type of question you could teach your child how to reply using either Quiero (I want) or Me gustaría (I would like) and then the thing they would like.

When you go to the supermarket with your child, you could ask them to help you shop by asking them to get various things in Spanish. By doing this you can revise words for food and drink, colours, numbers etc. You could also show them two choices, and ask them in Spanish which one they prefer.

Using Spanish for a real purpose is fun to do and can motivate a child to learn more words.

9. Regular Spanish afternoons / days

A full afternoon or day using only the Spanish language as a means of communication helps make Spanish a natural part of your child's life. Try to set aside regular afternoons or days for speaking Spanish. You could even cook something together, teaching the vocabulary for the ingredients that you need and then giving the instructions in Spanish. If you wanted to cook something typical you could cook a Spanish omelet or paella with your child. Kitchen knives are sharp, and are best only used by adults, so if something needs cutting you should do that for your child. Children love baking cakes and biscuits, so you could also try doing that in Spanish.

In the background you could play some Spanish music. Songs designed for language learners can be useful for learning vocabulary and phrases. And traditional Spanish guitar music or modern Spanish pop music can give your child an insight into Spanish culture and spark curiosity. It may also be fun to watch some Spanish cartoons. Another idea to consider is doing group activities or playdates with other children learning Spanish.

Sometimes on your Spanish day you could go to a Spanish tapas bar, and encourage your child to speak a little Spanish with the waiters and waitresses. At a Spanish tapas bar your child can try real Spanish food and may hear some Spanish people talking in Spanish amongst themselves.

10.  Consider your long term goal

When you teach kids Spanish, it is important to consider what your long term goal is.  For some it may be a lovely holiday in Spain for which your child may only need to know a few essential words.  On the other hand, you may want to teach your child Spanish so they have a solid grasp in Spanish and the goal may be for your child to achieve formal qualifications in Spanish.  If your child is learning Spanish at school you could ask their teacher what they are learning so you can review this and even expand on this at home. 

It takes a number of years to learn Spanish if you are not living in a Spanish speaking country, and the long term goal may change over time.  Start by keeping it simple, praising your child for both effort and being able to remember some Spanish vocabulary or phrases.  Children tend to like what they feel they are good at, so your encouragement and praise is vital.  And keep the Spanish lessons fun!

One important thing to consider is that children often remember more when they have fun whilst they learn. So if you want to teach your kids Spanish, try to include a mix of activity books, colouring books, games, stories, songs and learning opportunities which encourage creativity! It will be more fun if you vary the activities your child does. 

Let's make learning Spanish fun!

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